How to Identify French Grunt Fish

Video Transcript

"The fish that we are going to identify now is the French Grunt. Grunts are one of the most commonly seen schooling fish if you are snorkeling or scuba-diving anywhere in Florida, the Bahamas or the Caribbean. And French Grunts are among the most common species you'll ever encounter. Although grunts seem hard to differentiate, the French Grunt is easy. French Grunts have yellow stripes that run at a diagonal to their body, from just behind the gill cover, about halfway between the belly and the back. The rest of their yellow stripes run the length of their body in parallel lines on a white to bluish-silver background. The fins of the French Grunt are a solid yellow color. French Grunts are rarely seen as solitary fish and are most commonly seen in large schools hanging out over the reef or wrecks. School range in size from a dozen or so fish to hundreds of French Grunts. They will often congregate in the shade of reef structures or wrecks and if there is a current they will be on the lee side of those structures. Although generally wary of divers and snorkelers, if one moves slowly and smoothly, a diver can easily swim right through a large school of French Grunts and they will assimilate you into their group. That's the French Grunt."