Monitoring of Brown Meagre and Groupers
Natural Heritage
The brown meagre and the dusky grouper are among the most emblematic species of the Mediterranean. For many years, they were victims of overfishing due to their relatively unafraid behavior, and their populations declined significantly over the last century. To support their conservation, fishing of these species has been prohibited in Monaco and France since 1993.
As the manager of Monaco’s Marine Protected Areas, the AMPN has been conducting biannual monitoring of these two heritage species since 2018.
Carried out in collaboration with Thalassa Marine Research and Aquanaute Expertise, this program makes it possible to track changes in their populations and assess the impact of the conservation measures that have been implemented.
The first survey campaign of 2026 has just been completed, and a second one will be conducted in September. We hope the results will confirm the trends observed in recent years, showing a slow but steady increase in population numbers, an encouraging sign for the conservation of these species.
This program is supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
Photo credit : Stéphane Jamme - Aquanaute Expertise
