Since 2023, the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) has been collaborating with the Koror State Government (KSG) to conduct research and monitoring aimed at providing essential baseline data to guide the Koror Southern Lagoon Coastal Fisheries Management Plan, a new fisheries management initiative for Koror State. The management plan identified several fish spawning aggregation sites for protection, including the longnose emperor (melangmud, Lethrinus olivaceus) at Mutiaur.
Spawning aggregations occur when fish gather in large numbers to reproduce at specific times and locations, making them particularly vulnerable to overfishing. Palau has many well-known spawning aggregations which often coincide with specific lunar phases, such as groupers at Ngerumekaol channel (Koror) and Ebiil channel (Ngarchelong). However, many other species have been reported to form spawning aggregations, but have never been studied scientifically, posing challenges for effective management.
