Nassau Grouper & Sea Fan

For an amazing photograph of grouper-human interaction, click on DontEatGrouper.com.
The Nassau Groupers on Little Cayman, British Virgin Islands, have an annual aggregation for spawning in late January, and a few days before leaving their home reefs, the females are hanging out heavy with eggs. Who knows why, but they like to be pet like dogs… what an experience! (I promise you that once you have pet a wild grouper, you will think twice about ordering grouper on a menu*.) Every year, REEF.org arrives on Little Cayman to study the aggregation. You can find out more at their Grouper Moon Project. REEF.org is also the group that helps train divers to take and post underwater surveys – try it out!

*Monterey Bay Aquarium in their Seafood Watch app for the iPhone has listed Grouper as “Avoid” as most populations have either been overfished or have unknown status. Market names include: Sea Bass (how’s that for generic?), Mero, and Red Grouper. Canon S3-IS, Ikelite housing and strobe. Views 965 and Faves 9 as of 16 March 2012, thanks for dropping by!

Featured in:
- All That Is Nature, February 2011
- UNDERWATER CREATURES (creatures & people), September 2010
- Colorists, August 2010
Thanks so much!

Come take a scuba dive below (or on YouTube underwater slideshow):