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April 8, 2016

A large school of bigeye trevally swam past a submarine carrying WHOI scientists descending in Cabu Pulmo National Park, home of the oldest of only three coral reefs on the west coast of North America. Overfishing had decimated pelagic and reef fishes here, but populations have returned after a marine reserve was established in 2005. WHOI biologist Simon Thorrold deployed shark and billfish around Cabo Pulmo to track their movements. The data will help assess the effectiveness of the marine reserve and provide insights for the design of a network of reserves across the Gulf of California. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)