Goliath grouper

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iGoliath grouper

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Serranidae
Genus:	Epinephelus
Species:	E. itajara

Binomial name

Epinephelus itajara
(Lichtenstein, 1822)

The goliath grouper or itajara (Epinephelus itajara) is a large saltwater fish of the grouper family. It was commonly known as the "jewfish" but that name was considered objectionable and was officially dropped in favor of "goliath grouper" by the American Fisheries Society in 2001.

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, and most of the Caribbean. 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 goliath grouper may live in brackish estuaries, canals and mangrove swamps, unusual behavior among grouper.

Although they may reach extremely large size (record 680 lb (309 kg), they usually are around 88 lb (40 kg) 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). The U.S. began protection in 1990 and the Caribbean in 1993. The species' population has been recovering since the ban, however with the fish's slow growth rate it will take some time for populations to return to their previous levels.

Goliath grouper eat crustaceans, other fish, octopus and young sea turtle. Grouper are preyed upon by large fish such as barracuda, king mackerel and moray eels and large sharks.

Based on what little evidence is available, goliath grouper are believed to be protogynous hermaphrodites, with all young being female and only some large adults becoming males.

[edit] References

Chan Tak-Chuen & Padovani Ferrera (2006). Epinephelus itajara. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and a lengthy justification of why this species is critically endangered
On September 9, 2006 a Florida diver, free-diving in about 25 feet of water off the lower Florida Keys, speared a Goliath Grouper then apparently drowned when the fish sped into a hole--entangling the man in the line attached to the spear. See Reuters News Article