The humphead wrasse is one of the largest coral reef fish and occurs patchily throughout much of the Indo-Pacific region. Its late maturity, longevity, predictable spawning sites, sequential hermaphroditism i.e. the fish is born as one sex and changes into the other sex later in its life, and natural rarity make it highly vulnerable to over-exploitation.

Adult humphead wrasse are identified by thick lips and a prominent hump on their forehead, while juveniles are a light green colour, with two black lines extending from behind the eye. The species changes in body form, colour and sex during its lifetime. However, the factors that control hermaphroditism are not known.

Adults are found on the reef during the day. At night they rest in reef caves and under coral ledges. This species reaches a maximum length of more than 2 metres and up to 190 kg in weight. The species is of traditional cultural importance in some Pacific countries. Some mature humphead wrasse can be found on the same stretch of reef for extended periods of time, creating special eco-tourism attractions for recreational divers of some range states such as Australia, Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia.

So friends, have you heard of the humphead wrasse? Do you think it is a great tourist attraction? If yes, is it's exploitation justified to serve eco-tourism?