Everything about The Goliath Grouper totally explained
The
goliath grouper or
itajara (
Epinephelus itajara) is a large saltwater fish of the
grouper family. It was formerly known as the
jewfish; however, in 2001 the
American Fisheries Society made the decision to change the name to the more considerate "goliath grouper".
The goliath grouper is found primarily in shallow tropical waters among
coral and artificial reefs at depths of up to 165 feet (50 m). Their range includes the
Florida Keys, the
Bahamas, most of the
Caribbean, and practically all of the
Brazilian coast, where they're known as
mero.On some occasions it's caught in New England off Maine and Massachusetts but it isn't that common. In the eastern
Atlantic Ocean, it occurs from
Congo to
Senegal. It also occurs in the
Pacific Ocean from the
Gulf of California to
Peru.
Young grouper may live in
brackish estuaries, canals and
mangrove swamps, unusual behavior among grouper.
They may reach extremely large sizes, growing to lengths of 8.2 feet (2.5 m) and can weigh as much as 800 pounds (363 kg). In Florida, the largest hook and line captured specimen weighed 680 pounds (309 kg). (Florida record 680 lb (309 kg) They usually are around 400 lb when mature. Considered of fine food quality, the goliath grouper were a highly sought after quarry for fishermen of all types. The goliath grouper's inquisitive and generally fearless nature make it a relatively easy prey for spear fishermen. They also tend to spawn in large aggregations returning like clockwork to the same locations making them particularly vulnerable to mass harvesting. Until a harvest ban was placed on the species, the species was in rapid decline. The goliath grouper is totally protected from harvest and is recognized as a critically endangered species by the
World Conservation Union (IUCN). In fact, Bullock et al. found that males could be sexually mature at smaller sizes (~1150mm) and younger ages (4-6 years) than females (~1225mm and ~6-8 years).
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