This morning we snorkeled near the patch reefs by Glover’s Reef, kicking off a project on parrotfish diets. Our group split into pairs, with each pair tracking a different parrotfish species. My partner and I were assigned the stoplight parrotfish—easily one of the most colorful fish on the reef.

We visited both a close reef and one further out. At the closer site, we spotted two female stoplight parrotfish grazing on the reef. After lunch, we explored the Aquarium site, where we saw even more parrotfish doing their thing—chomping algae off the rocks like little underwater lawnmowers.

From our observations and video recordings, we noticed that the parrotfish weren’t too picky—they seemed to feed on just about everything in sight. While they’re known for grazing on algae, the ones we watched were also biting at corals and even seagrass. It was surprising to see how actively they scraped at different surfaces, showing just how big of an impact these fish have on shaping the reef environment.

As part of my own focus on soft corals, I kept an eye out for interesting species. I saw purple sea fans swaying with the current, some corky sea fingers, and a few black sea rods—all soft, flexible, and fascinating. It’s wild how different each one looks, even though they’re all in the same group.