Bronte 13 - Blue Gropers

In 1998 the Eastern Blue Groper was made the fish emblem of New South Wales. It is well known on waters around Sydney. They are protected from spear fishing. It has been protected since 1969 because of depletion. (Actually, they're not gropers at all, but wrasse)

Blue Gropers will swim right up to divers.

All Blue Gropers start life as females and some later change into males. So a particular blue groper could breed as a female one year and then the next year turn into a male! Little is known about the factors which trigger this sex change however it is believed that they appear to change sex when they reach a certain size and age, or if the local male is removed from the reef the next biggest female will change to a male. It is also believed that if there is an increase in the female population a female may turn into a male if the threshold between the number of males and females is exceeded.

This ends the series on Bronte, at least for now. Tomorrow we are heading south aloong the coast to the next beach, Clovelly. Cloey has a very different vibe to Bronte, but is interesing in a range of different ways. So come along while it's still hot and summery for this Sydney eastern suburbs beaches exploration!

To read more, including historical notes, on the Bronte Baths and Bogey Hole, have a look at my Swimming Blog.