What is a GROUPER ?
Groupers usually live in warm seas. They are heavy bodied, are very wide, have very large mouths, huge pectoral fins and can grow really big : (up to 2.5m and 450kg for the goliath groupers that are the biggest ones in our oceans). Groupers are all but made for distance swimming, they swim slowly and usually surprise their prey to eat them. It is pretty common to see a grouper next to a moray eel because they usually hunt together. During their life, they change sex : juvenile groupers are females and they transform into males when they get adult. That is why male groupers are almost always way bigger than female groupers.
They are part of the Serranidae family and the Epinephelinae subfamily such as sea basses.
There are approximately 160 different species of groupers all around our oceans.
Here is a picture of a grouper. This picture was taken at El Hierro in the Canary Islands at 17.7 meters deep:
In the marine reserve of El Hierro there are a lot of groupers. They usually grow really big since they are not fished at all. When you dive, some of them seem to be very curious and come to observe you from closer. This can be quite impressive because they are really massive.
THE FAMOUS : “EL MERO PANCHO”
“El mero Pancho” was and still is an symbol of El Hierro. It was a famous grouper known even further than in all Canary Islands for its participation in an add for the channel “Telecinco”. It was living in a huge cave at a wonderful diving spot called “El Desierto”.
Everytime the divers were coming to this dive site, this grouper came to visit them.
It really became a symbol of the diving world on El Hierro and also a symbol of the Island. That is why this grouper even has a memorial in the port of La Restinga.
WHAT KIND OF GROUPERS CAN WE ENCOUNTER AT EL HIERRO ?
In El Hierro’s waters it is very common to meet with dusky groupers.
Dusky groupers can grow really big and are very impressive when they pass by. They can reach 150cm long and 60cm wide. They essentially eat smaller fish and are at the top of the food chain. They can live 50 years.
These groupers spend their entire life at the spot or in the same cave alone. They are very territorial. It is possible that when you’ll meet them they will come really close to intimidate you and make you understand that you are not welcome on their land. In this case you better leave them alone and go admire something else in these wonderful waters.
You can also see “Island groupers”. They are smaller than the “dusky”. They are only 80 cm long and 30 cm wide and they can live up to 40 years. As the dusky groupers, they feed themselves with smaller fish and are really high in the food chain. They live in the reefs.
In the marine reserve you can see plenty of these wonderful groupers because they are protected really seriously. In reality, these fish are fished because they are tasty. Today they are considered as rare and you are not supposed to catch them or they will disapear soon!
So be ready to wear your diving gear and to jump in the water to admire them from closer !!
Lucas Vahlas' Blog 