The black grouper is a highly valued and historically important fish in Bermuda.

Not only is it prized for its meat, it also occupies an important ecological niche, according to Tammy Trott.

The senior fisheries and marine resource officer at the Department of Environmental Protection will be giving a special presentation on the species, known locally as rockfish, at Bermuda College on Monday as part of its science week.

“After the fish-pot ban in 1990, the fisheries division, as it was then, started research on the black grouper because we wanted to try and ensure a sustainable harvest to prevent overfishing,” Dr Trott told The Royal Gazette, adding that it was highly valued on the Island and could grow to weigh more than 100 pounds.

“It’s a nice white-meat fish,” she said. “It’s an apex predator, so it basically keeps other fish in check. It has a very important ecological niche.”

At the public forum, Dr Trott will be presenting information about the age, growth and reproduction of the species in Bermuda. This will include results from studies of black grouper spawning aggregations.

“Some people may not know that they come together in large groups to reproduce,” she said. “I will be talking about some of the research we have been conducting on those sites and how that feeds into management.”

As part of their management strategy, the Department of Environmental Protection has a minimum size limit and a bag limit for the species.

It also closes off the spawning aggregation areas to fishing for this species at certain times of year.

“I explain more about that in my talk,” Dr Trott said.

The free public forum will be held at the North Hall lecture theatre at 6.30pm and Dr Trott said the topic should be of interest to those who catch fish and those who consume them, as well as divers and anyone interested in the marine environment.

“They would be interested to know some of the aspects of the life history of the rockfish and the management strategies that we’ve been putting in place to try and have grouper continue to be on the table for consumers,” she added.

Dr Trott will also be holding a masterclass for public and private school students, as well as Bermuda College students, on Tuesday.

This will focus on the goals of fisheries management in Bermuda and the research that underpins the development of management measures.

According to Necheeka Trott, the dean of the division of arts and science at Bermuda College, Dr Trott is the first marine scientist to be invited to take part in the annual Science Week as their Corange speaker.

Ms Trott said the topic appealed to the college because it had been “seeing an increase in students’ interest in marine science and marine resources”.

Corange Science Week has been around since 1994 but it was expanded three years ago to include applied sciences in addition to the culinary arts.

Science in technology will be showcased on Tuesday, with innovations in various industries, including appliances, automotive, renewable energy, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning.

A demonstration on 3-D printing will also be offered for the first time at the Tech Centre.

Anyone interested in a career in nursing can visit the nursing career fair exhibits on Wednesday to learn about the latest nursing trends in oncological, paediatric, seniors, palliative and emergency room nursing.

“People can come in and see our nursing sim lab, which is a replica of a human body,” Ms Trott said.

“Then on Thursday, we have chef Eve for Live, Love, Eat, who will be doing a live cooking demonstration and members of the public can come in and get the recipes for what she will be cooking, along with a little taster of everything that she cooks.”

•All of the events are free and open to the public in the evening. For more information visit the Bermuda College website, www.college.bm