Where are all the big groupers????

[jlyle]

There are very few big groupers on the Cozumel reefs this year. Where did they go? Are people poaching in the National Marine Park? Are lion fish decimating the groupers' spawn? This is very disturbing and I hope an anomaly.

 

[El Graduado]

Everybody now….

Where have all the groupers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the groupers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the groupers gone?
Young boys have poached them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

My apologies to Pete Seeger, Joe Hickerson, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, and all the other who sang the original tune.

 

[gopbroek]

I have noticed the same thing and recently asked a DM friend. He also suspects poachers and told me he is occationally seeing fishermen heading north in the early AM. Like he said, why would a fishing boat (spearo's) be heading north out of the park at around 7AM?
Hopefully he is wrong but if someone had the time they could keep an eye on traffic heading North via the Fiesta Americana web cam, not that it would effect anything. I avoid the grouper anymore in the restaurants and stick to Pez Leon (which is also in short supply).

 

[ScubaD1veDiv@]

We have also noticed a marked reduction of lobster and snapper over the last couple of years.

 

[Streydog]

Grouper are my favorite fish to watch. I have only been diving Cozumel for a couple years so I have no reference. What do you consider a large grouper and how often would you see them? I have seen a few in the 4' range but maybe one per every 12 dives or so.

 

[cicopo]

There was a thread about the quality of Cozumel diving on Tripadvisor a while back & my comment was that most of it has remained pretty similar over the last few years with the exception as to how few large groupers I see these days. Being a photographer I have visual records of what I see each trip & I don't remember any I'd call big last trip. There was 1 nice big one one or 2 years back though.

 

[jfcl01]

I was there recently and found myself repeatedly asking the same question about both.
And as inconvenient as this may be-the truth is that a person can't order grouper or lobster for dinner on Tuesday evening and then complain about their absence on your dive Wednesday morning....for those who would be inclined to do so.

 

[Dan]

This is sad news. May be the Mexican government needs to outlaw fishing out the groupers like what we did in Florida. 20 years ago, Goliath Grouper population was almost wiped out in Florida. After they outlawed fishing out the fish, they are now rebounding.

If you want to see groupers in Mexico, go to Cabo Pulmo. There are tons of them, even there are yellow ones.

If you want to see Goliath Grouper, there tons of them in Jupiter, Florida. August is the right time for them to spawn. I'll be in Jupiter next Saturday to see them.

 

[El Graduado]

After five decades, the Nena is still cruising Cozumel waters (now with Dive with Cristina). This grouper, not so much.
I think this photo was taken about 1972.

 

[JFS]

Poaching. I know people here who spear in the park. Some people think its their paradise and dont care they are destroying it.