Epinephelus fuscoguttatus

The Marbled Grouper is a reef predator living hidden in the crevices of the coral reefs. This is by far the most common variety of grouper in Indonesia.

It is recognizable by its massive form, its globular and somewhat milky eyes, a recess of the skull behind the eyes and a black spot above the base of the caudal fin; It resembles the smaller camouflage grouper Epinephelus polyphekadion.

It is found near the reefs and along the drop-offs, although it often goes unnoticed by its excellent camouflage patterns.

Typically when you land on the sea floor to perform your agachon or when crawling on the reef, frequently the marbled grouper will move in front of your amazed eyes and if you want to catch it, you’ll have to shoot instinctively. It is rarely in caves like the Mediterranean grouper which simplifies its extraction.

It is a recommendation of common sense but it is better to avoid shooting a marbled grouper during a drift with strong current, because a fish stuck in the rocks can cause you to lose your speargun.

This grouper is delicious, raw, cooked or in soup. In highly fished places, like Bali, it is now quite rare and it is reasonable to avoid shooting juveniles (less than 2 kg) or conversely large breeders (more than 10/12kg). It is more abundant in the Moluccas where it will be advantageously consumed in curry, the famous recipe of Ikan kuning.

At international level, this species is considered as Near Threatened (NT) because of its slow growth rate and overfishing of large breeders especially during spawning periods when these groupers gather. All the more a reason to catch in moderation.