The deeper you go, the fewer fish… and the fewer back-ups. In the Maldives, deep-sea zones have rare species doing irreplaceable jobs. If we lose them, there’s no one left to fill in. It’s not just shallow reefs that need protection. Deep matters too.
#OceanConservation #DeepReefs #MPAs #BluePlanet

Spotted at 65 m off Réunion 🇷🇪 — a potato grouper (Epinephelus tukula), critically endangered locally. #Mesophotic reefs may offer refuge where shallow zones no longer can. Vital ecosystems still understudied, yet key for conservation.
#DeepReefs #Reunion #Grouper