On a shallow reef pass in the lagoon of the island of Taha’a in French Polynesia, a school of marauding Convict Tangs seek out eggs and algae on rock and coral faces. They form these big schools as they hunt for easy pickings so as to overwhelm in numbers and fish defending their nests from systematic attack and decimation. This is a common tactic not just in the marine world but throughout nature. Another fish species that relies on the same tactic are the surgeonfish. I often see schools of these on shallow reefs around Okinawa where I live as they, like the Convict Tangs overwhelm nesting fish to strip their nests bare of eggs and nutrients.
