A new study of the Caribbean basin indicates that large predator fish have all but disappeared. According to Chris Stallings of the Florida State marine laboratory, the absence of large fish is most likely due to over fishing. He found a correlation between islands with dense population and fewer large fish. The study was published in the May 6th issue of the journal PLoS One. Large predators play a crucial role in the health of marine ecosystems, one that cannot be replaced by smaller predators. A reason for the population explosion of Pacific Ocean lion fish introduced into the Caribbean through aquarium releases may be the lack of large predators. Stallings used data gathered by volunteer SCUBA divers spanning a fifteen year period and available in an on-line database. [photo: Nassau grouper, Florida Museum of Natural History]