Overview

• Fishing at grouper spawning sites leads to behavioral changes, causing males to flee instead of courting females.
• Male groupers at fished sites are twice as likely to flee and take longer to return to their territories.
• Fewer offspring are produced due to disrupted mating, threatening long-term population sustainability.
• Fishing stress makes groupers more nervous, reducing their ability to mate and defend territories.
• The study highlights significant implications for fishery management and the need for protective measures.