Green Humphead Parrotfish - Conservation

Conservation

They are highly desired throughout their range and have declined from overharvesting or habitat degradation and destruction in most places. They sleep in large groups, thus rendering them highly vulnerable to exploitation by spearfishers and netters at night. The green humphead parrotfish is a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Species of Concern, where it is listed as the bumphead parrotfish. Species of Concern are those species about which the U.S. Government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Spearfishing while on SCUBA was banned in American Samoa in 2001, but enforcement is limited. The waters surrounding Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, and Palmyra Atoll from the shoreline out to 50 fathoms (90 m) are protected as a low-use marine protected area, which means that any person of the United States fishing for, taking, or retaining them must have a special permit. Also, they may not be taken by means of spearfishing with SCUBA gear from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone waters around Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, or Palmyra Atoll. Palau’s population of the bumphead parrotfish is now protected by an export ban and a national minimum size restriction of 25 inches (640 mm).