Yonara Channel grouper spawning closure (Sekisei Lagoon), Yaeyama, Okinawa

Yonara Channel (ヨナラ水路) runs between Iriomote Island and Kohama Island in Sekisei Lagoon, Japan's largest coral-reef/barrier-reef area. It is the main spawning ground of the white-streaked grouper (Epinephelus ongus) in the Yaeyama Islands; a fishermen-agreed seasonal closure protects spawning aggregations (collection of all aquatic flora/fauna prohibited and dive boats prohibited from anchoring during the spring spawning peaks, March-May / around the last-quarter moon). Falls within the Yaeyama spawning-ground MPA closures already noted in the season rules. Center point between Iriomote and Kohama Islands.