The Nature Conservancy is working with partners in Palau and the Marshall Islands to expand reef fisheries research and strengthen data-driven management across Micronesia.
In Palau, The Nature Conservancy is collaborating with the Bureau of Fisheries, the Palau International Coral Reef Center, and the Coral Reef Research Foundation on what officials describe as the country’s largest reef fish life-history study to date.
Since the project launched in 2023, researchers have sampled more than 2,000 fish to document growth rates, lifespan, and reproductive patterns. The information will allow Palau to base its fisheries management decisions on data collected from local fish populations rather than relying on research from other regions.
In the Marshall Islands, The Nature Conservancy and the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority expanded fisheries monitoring at the Outer Islands Fish Market Center in Majuro.
The team has recorded length measurements for 106 coral reef fish species from the outer islands, totaling more than 35,000 individual data points. Using this dataset, researchers completed the country’s first fisheries assessment for six key species, including two grouper species important to local harvests.
Both projects include training for local interns and partner agencies in fish sampling, data collection, and analysis using The Nature Conservancy’s open-source FishKit toolkit.
The Nature Conservancy says the work is aimed at building long-term in-country capacity and strengthening collaboration between communities, government agencies, and research organizations.
