Species

Dusky grouper

Dusky grouper: a massive dark brown rock dweller with pale marbling and a golden belly that can live to 60 years (FishBase) and whose numbers have fallen sharply.

Epinephelus marginatus

Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, adjusted to 3:2

Spawning: In the Mediterranean June to September in small aggregations of a few dozen fish at fixed sites, for example at the Medes Islands (Spain), off Lampedusa (Italy) and in Port-Cros National Park (France); off Brazil November to December (English Wikipedia). FishBase says summer, German Wikipedia March to June for the northeastern Atlantic. Hermaphrodite: starts as a female, mature at about 5 years, usually turns male at 9 to 16 years and 80 to 90 cm (English Wikipedia, FishBase).
Typical method: Bottom fishing from a boat over rock with live bait
Top bait: Live squid or octopus

Plan a day fishing for Dusky grouper

How to recognise it

Head and back dark reddish brown or grey, belly usually golden yellow
Irregular pale greenish yellow or silvery grey blotches in vertical rows on head and body
Large head with a wide mouth and protruding lower jaw, anal and tail fins with a narrow white edge (FishBase, English Wikipedia)

Easily confused with: Its genus is changing: a 2018 revision moved it to Mycteroperca as Mycteroperca marginata (German Wikipedia), while FishBase still lists it as Epinephelus marginatus. Other groupers live in the Mediterranean too; the same EU minimum conservation reference size applies to all Epinephelus species (Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, Annex IX Part A).

How to catch it

Methods: Bottom fishing from a boat over rock with live bait, Vertical jigging along reef edges, Slow trolling close over rocks, Gentle fight and quick release (rule of thumb)

Baits: Live squid or octopus, Live baitfish, Crabs, Large jig (rule of thumb)

Readily takes a bait (FishBase). In summer during spawning (June to September) the fish gather at fixed spawning sites (English Wikipedia); better not to target them there and then (rule of thumb).

Habitat and food

The whole Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic from the southern Bay of Biscay to the southern tip of Africa, on to southern Mozambique and southern Madagascar; also southeastern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina; strays to the British Isles and Normandy (FishBase). According to English Wikipedia it is otherwise not found north of Portugal in the eastern Atlantic. Rocky reefs from 8 to 300 m deep, usually down to 50 m (FishBase), often near Posidonia seagrass beds (English Wikipedia). Adults are solitary and territorial, juveniles live closer inshore down to rock pools (FishBase). Inside protected areas even large fish stay in shallow water (English Wikipedia).

Mainly crabs and octopus, plus mollusks and other crustaceans; the larger the fish, the more fish it eats, mostly reef fish (FishBase, English Wikipedia). Off Sardinia it has been seen hunting together with the Mediterranean moray (German Wikipedia).

Size and age

FishBase: max. 150 cm total length, maximum published weight 60 kg, maximum age 60 years; mean length at maturity 49.2 cm. English Wikipedia: up to 150 cm standard length, commonly 90 cm, up to 50 years. German Wikipedia: usually under 1 m, average 12 kg, up to 50 years. The sources differ on maximum age.

Protection and rules

Conservation status: IUCN: Vulnerable (IUCN dataset via GBIF, listed there as Mycteroperca marginata, year not given); English Wikipedia also says Vulnerable, German Wikipedia Endangered, and FishBase shows no status. Catches fell by 88 percent in seven countries between 1990 and 2001 (English Wikipedia). France banned spearfishing for the species for 10 years, and several marine protected areas protect its habitat (English Wikipedia). EU minimum conservation reference size in the Mediterranean for commercial fishing: 45 cm for groupers (Epinephelus spp., Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, Annex IX Part A); under Article 2(2) it does not automatically apply to recreational anglers. Recreational catches in the Mediterranean may not be sold (Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006, Art. 17). Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece have their own licences and rules: Croatia and Spain require a licence, Italy a free online notification, France free registration in the EU RecFishing app on the Mediterranean (except anglers fishing on foot from the shore), and Greece no licence according to the coast guard (Pescaday licence pages, as of 13 Oct 2026). Check local minimum sizes, bag limits and closed seasons.

Rules by country

Size limits, bag limits, seasons and licences are set by each country, in the USA by each state. Pescaday does not list these rules: check them with your operator and the national authority before you fish. Notes with sources are given above under conservation status. Licence pages: Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Portugal. Fishing travel guide

In the kitchen

Considered a delicacy in some countries; the Spanish saying goes "De la mar el mero y de la tierra el carnero", from the sea the grouper, from the land the lamb (English Wikipedia). Given the reduced stocks, releasing it is the better choice (rule of thumb).

Sources (6)

Last checked 2026-10-22. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].

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