Bermuda’s northern coastline may act as a nursery habitat for red hinds, a marine scientist has posited.

Robbie Smith, the curator of the Natural History Museum at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, wrote in the latest edition of Envirotalk that juvenile specimens of the fish species appeared hidden around the reefs of North Shore.

He said that this, combined with a “thriving” population that appeared in the area over the last few years, suggested that the reefs acted as a sanctuary for the hinds to grow until they were large enough to venture out.

Dr Smith insisted that this would have to be followed over the next few years to see if the pattern continued.

But he added: “This is the intended consequence of protecting spawning sites, imposing minimum sizes and a bag limit — you see more hinds in more places.

“I think there is something similar happening with small black groupers, which are seen frequently along our shores, but that will be another story.”

Red hind spawning sites have been protected in Bermuda since 1975 after the population suffered a massive dip. Hinds had not been seen at North Shore before.

But Dr Smith said that the fish had been spotted along patch reefs in 2021 after studying shorelines and reefs around Bermuda.

He said that populations continued to grow over the years, and this summer had been found along the northern coastline and parts of South Shore.

Dr Smith said this finding came after a study involving diving with summer students.

He added: “We had never seen these small hinds, 10-20cm long, at any of the coastal sites until this year.

“We had seen a few small ones and larger hinds on patch reefs in 2021, 2022 and again in 2023, where the hind populations appear to be thriving.

“So it was quite a surprise this summer to have these curious little groupers peek out from under the rocks along the shoreline as you pass over them and then swim out brazenly to watch you.”

Dr Smith said that one of his interns, Ben Eddy, discovered red hinds about 5-10cm long underneath small rocks on North Shore.

He said this suggested that juvenile hinds hid themselves along the stretch of reef until large enough to go out on their own.

Dr Smith added that, in previous studies of the species, only very few juvenile hinds were found at two coastal sites and three patch reefs in 2008.

An extensive search of patch reefs along North Shore also did not turn up any red hinds, although the researcher was looking for juveniles about 5cm in length.