One Man's Swamp Is a Fish's Nursery Grad student examines
otoliths (fish ear bones) to protect critical areas for juvenile
coral reef fish A parade of schoolmaster snapper swims by me,
their neon yellow fins directing traffic. Echoing in the
background is the rhythmic crunch of striped parrotfish nibbling
on coral polyps. I’m chasing brightly colored coral reef fish
through turquoise waters during a childhood vacation to the
Cayman Islands. Back on land, the hotel I just left begins
construction of a new tennis court where a mangrove swamp had
flourished. Like most tourists, I’ve come for the main show:
magnificent coral reefs and the rainbows of fish that dance
through them. As I diligently scour the reef for every fish on
my checklist, I never stop to question where those fish came
from or how they got there. Who would have guessed that it's
what goes on behind the scenes, in mangrove swamps like the one
my hotel just paved over, that keeps the main show on coral
reefs going. Mangroves are like nursery scho