Reef fish mortalities in the Mexican Caribbean: report of two cases

This paper reports two events related to reef fish mortalities that occurred off the Mexican Caribbean's west coast, specifically within the Puerto Morelos Reef National Park. The first event occurred in January and February 2021, affecting several reef fish species. The angelfish Pomacanthus arcuatus was particularly impacted. The second event in February 2023 corresponds to a mass mortality of the sharpnose pufferfish Canthigaster rostrata. This phenomenon has been recurring since 2008 across the western Caribbean basin, spanning from Mexico to Colombia, and appears to be related to the settlement of the species in reproductive habitats. These events could result from higher magnitude ecological disturbances in the coastal waters of the Caribbean.