Preparation for snorkeling and diving Friendly Fins:
The dusky grouper lives in the Mediterranean Sea; so first of all we must put on a thermal protection suitable for the water temperature. This is very important to not get cold in the water and have to give up our wonderful experience.
· For snorkeling:
A t-shirt will be enough in the warmer months and a wetsuit at the beginning or end of the summer (depending on how sensitive you are to the cold). Mask, fins and snorkel are a must, as well as sunscreen, applied at least half an hour before the dive!
We recommend that you also evaluate the sea conditions (waves and currents) and do not go alone both for safety and for fun: 4 or more eyes are always better than two!
· For diving:
Let's wear a wetsuit suitable for the depth we want to go to, remember the thermocline! In the Mediterranean it is very pronounced and is found at depths ranging between 15 and 40 m. Don't forget the torch too! It will be easier to illuminate the ravines and find the Queens of the reefs.
Trust a trusted diving center and above all stay together with your dive buddy! You will definitely see more groupers!
Where we look for brown groupers
Once we enter the water it's time to sharpen our eyesight and introduce ourselves! Where will we find them easily?
The youngest specimens will be close to the surface, often among the Posidonia meadows (easy to see while snorkeling)
The larger specimens will be near the rocky seabed while they rest in some crevice or cave, or while listlessly searching for food!
On the other hand, we don't need to look for the "big big" specimens (the big males, to be clear! They will show up!
Marine Protected Areas
Unfortunately, seeing a grouper is not as easy as one might imagine, these fish have been fished a lot and it is therefore very rare to see them outside of certain areas called Marine Protected Areas (MPA).
But what are they? They are regulated sea areas, in which everything inside is protected. The MPAs are extremely important for the conservation of the grouper and for its repopulation.
In these fantastic places we have the opportunity to see them in quantity!
The Portofino and Lavezzi MPAs are famous for their abundance of groupers but also the Capo Carbonara MPA which is home to one of the most famous groupers in Sardinia: Arturo.
The grouper Arturo
Arturo is a large grouper that lives on Cavoli Island, inside the MPA and has become a celebrity among divers. He always hangs around 30 meters deep and you can't go diving without him coming to say hello and see what you're up to in his house!
Here it is:
How to approach the brown grouper:
Arturo the grouper, like many other groupers that have become a symbol of many dives, demonstrate how “friendly” and curious they can be towards us. The important thing, however, is to return the favor and be true Friendly Fins with them:
You are more likely to come into contact with a grouper while diving than while snorkeling, so it is vitally important to always move slowly, avoiding sudden and clumsy movements.
Come very slowly and not too close: if she likes it, she will come closer to us.
Never interfere during courtship or mating (no one would want that done to them, right?)
DON’T TOUCH IT! Like any other organism, the grouper should not be touched or petted. We know that many times they are the ones looking for us and it is instinctive to do so but creating familiarity with the human being is the worst harm we can do to them. Not being afraid of us, they will easily approach us but they could put themselves in serious danger if in our place there is a poacher who will surely fish them.
The photography:
The grouper has finally gone from being a fishing trophy to a photographic trophy! It willingly lets itself be photographed, especially the large males that are certainly not afraid of us! But be careful... Just as we would not want anyone to come close to us and photograph us far and wide, the same goes for groupers.
Let's respect their space.
Let's not lie on the seabed waiting for the best shot, (in the meantime we are doing damage to the ecosystem, just to get a photograph).
If the grouper shows signs of impatience such as the spines from the dorsal fin nice and straight then it means that it is not time for photographs, let's find another one more willing to be our model!
Grouper fishing
The grouper, after the collapse of the last century, is highly protected today: it is absolutely forbidden to fish specimens smaller than 45 cm (length at which they reach sexual maturity and therefore ready to reproduce) and their capture in underwater fishing competitions has been banned. We Friendly Fins can help the grouper in snorkeling, diving and in everyday life: by making conscious food choices, buying only adult specimens for example, if we really want to eat the grouper, thus boycotting illegal fishing.
What Can a Friendly Fins Do for Brown Grouper
Participate in census campaigns! There are numerous initiatives in the Mediterranean Sea for the protection of the dusky grouper and activities with divers are often organized to involve them and raise awareness. An example are the “Cernia Day” or the Interreg projects related to citizen science:
(web site: https://www.interregeurope.eu/ ).
With these projects we can all do our part by simply photographing groupers in a given assigned area or observing them and noting their presence and quantity!
Let's try to feel like marine biologists for a day!!!
If you want to know more about the brown grouper click here!