2 min read
White grouper: season, closed season and minimum size
For the white grouper the minimum size is 50 cm and the daily limit a single fish. And three of its peak months fall inside the closed season.
In our catalog the white grouper (Epinephelus aeneus) is recorded with a deep rocky habitat, and it is one of the species the regulations limit to a single fish: minimum size 50 cm, daily quantity you may keep 1 fish.
We have records for the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean; none for the Sea of Marmara or the Black Sea.
Which seas is it recorded in?
Our sea-by-sea fishing data consists of two rows — the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean. We have no record linking the white grouper to any single fishing ground; the information we hold is at sea level.
That is why we cannot tell you “it shows up at this jetty”. What we can say is this: it is recorded in these two seas, and it is sought over rocky, deep ground.
The peak months clash with the ban
Seven peak months are recorded in each of the two seas. But the closed season cuts out three of them, leaving four in each.
| Sea | Peak months | Outside the closed season |
|---|---|---|
| Aegean Sea | May – November | May, September, October, November |
| Mediterranean | April – October | April, May, September, October |
So the season splits into two parts: late spring and autumn. June, July and August may look like peak months in the record, but those three months are closed.
Bait and technique
The recorded natural baits are shared by both seas: squid, cuttlefish and sardine. The supporting regional baits differ — sardine, mamun and sülünez in the Aegean; sardine, squid and shrimp in the Mediterranean.
On the lure side there is a single entry: the slow jig. On technique, too, both rows say the same thing — bottom fishing and jigging.
Minimum size, quantity and closed season
In recreational fishing the minimum size for the white grouper is 50 cm. The daily quantity you may keep is 1 fish — a limit by number, not by weight. The closed season runs 1 June – 31 August.
Legal basis: Communiqué No. 2024/21, Table 7.
You can find every size limit in the same communiqué in the minimum fish sizes table, and the fully protected species in the article which fish are closed to fishing.
Grida or orfoz? Mind the name
Our catalog records three local names for the white grouper: grida, lagos and orfoz. The last one is misleading, because in Turkish orfoz is also the name of a separate species, the dusky grouper — Epinephelus marginatus, another fish from the same family (Epinephelidae).
And that species is protected: fishing for it and keeping it are completely prohibited, and its closed season is the whole year. If it is caught by accident, it has to be returned to the water unharmed. Legal basis: Communiqué No. 6/2, Article 6 – Table 1.
So the sentence “I caught an orfoz” can describe two different fish: one may be kept if it meets the size and season rules, the other may not be kept under any circumstances. What tells them apart is not the common name but the scientific name.
All the sea-by-sea records for months, bait and technique are on the white grouper species page. If you want to check the conditions along the coast, open the map.
The size, quantity and season information is taken from the communiqué of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The communiqué can change; for definite information consult the text in force.
