New count of groupers and brown meagresunder the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco
Events
On Saturday July 29, 2017, the AMPN, the Monaco Underwater Exploration Club and ECOMERS organized a count between the Oceanographic Museum and the Solarium. This operation mobilized 8 divers. More than a hundred groupers and thirty brown meagres were counted. The groupers were 10 to 120 cm in length. More than half of the groupers measured 40 to 80 cm, but it is important to note the presence of groupers less than 30 cm and more than 1 m. Several large male groupers (110 or 120 cm) were in characteristic livery of dominant males (silverback) and several invitations of males pursuing females were observed (fast swimming, lying on their side, with rapid body vibrations) . All the conditions for nuptial dances to take place are therefore met.
A quick comparison shows that the grouper population has increased in the Larvotto marine protected area and under the Museum since 2006. The groupers present in the area currently affected by the extension work at sea could have found refuge under the Museum or at Larvotto and thus contribute to this increase. This demonstrates the importance of preserving these sites in the future.
The use of local divers (AMPN, CESMM), supervised by members of the GEM, makes it possible to obtain very interesting results on the state of the populations of groupers and brown meagres in the waters of the Principality of Monaco. In particular, this makes it possible to envisage regular monitoring of populations in the future. It is therefore planned to continue these counts, in particular in the areas already prospected, but also in other sectors, near the Principality of Monaco: fishing cantonments of Beaulieu and Roquebrune; breakwaters of the harbors of Beaulieu, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and Menton.