Less common than their eastern relatives and are only seen in large numbers along the remoter sections of the south coast. Both the western blue groper and the closely related eastern blue groper are inquisitive and sometimes follow divers, a fatal characteristic for a fish that is also large and tasty.

• Max Size: 175 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 13.9-21.6°C
• Depth: 0-40m
• Habitat: Rocky Reef
• Habitat Generalisation Index: 8.7
  Also referred to as the SGI (Species generalisation index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here

• IUCN Threat Status: Vulnerable
• Occurrence: Common (38% of sites)
  Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
• Abundance: Few (2 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.