Atlantic goliath grouper
| Atlantic goliath grouper | |
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| Species: | E. itajara
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| Binomial name | |
| Epinephelus itajara (Lichtenstein, 1822)
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This fish love to eat the moneys cuz it called jewfish==Description==
Young Atlantic goliath grouper may live in brackish estuaries, canals, and mangrove swamps, unusual behavior among groupers.
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). The world record for a hook and line-captured specimen is 680 pounds (309 kg), caught off Fernandina Beach, Florida, in 1961.[2] They are usually around 400 pounds when mature. Considered of fine food quality, Atlantic goliath grouper were a highly sought-after quarry for fishermen. The grouper's inquisitive and generally fearless nature makes 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, its population was in rapid decline. The fish is entirely protected from harvest and is recognized as a critically endangered species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).[1] The US began protection in 1990, and the Caribbean in 1993. The species' population has been recovering since the ban; with the fish's slow growth rate, however, it will take some time for populations to return to their previous levels. However, many conservationists are concerned that size-selective harvesting (seeking large fish and throwing back the small ones) may have inadvertently selected for smaller size, and fish of the size encountered so often in the mid-20th century may be lost forever.
Goliath grouper eat crustaceans, other fish, octopuses and young sea turtles. Grouper are preyed upon by large fish, such as barracudas, moray eels and large sharks.
Reproduction
Goliath grouper are believed to be protogynous hermaphrodites, with individuals first maturing as females and only some large adults becoming males. Most grouper follow this pattern, but it has not yet been verified for the goliath.[3] In fact, Bullock et al. found males could be sexually mature at smaller sizes (~1150 mm) and younger ages (4–6 years) than females (~1225 mm and ~6–8 years).[4]
Terminology
Before 2001, the common name of the goliath grouper was jewfish but was changed by the American Fisheries Society due to the potentially offensive nature of the name. [5]
References
- ^ a b Template:IUCN2007 Database entry includes a range map and a lengthy justification of why this species is critically endangered
- ^ http://www.igfa.org/records/Fish-Records.aspx?Fish=Grouper,%20goliath&LC=ATR
- ^ "FLMNH Ichthyology Department: Goliath Grouper". Flmnh.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
- ^ Bullock et al. (1992) Age, Growth and Reproduction in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico U.S. Fishery Bulletin 90(2):243-249 retrieved April 8, 2008 from http://myfwc.com/Marine/grouper/goliath_grouper/reports.htm[dead link]
- ^ The St. Petersburg Times, May 24, 2001, Mike Brassfield, Big fish to get a giant name
External links
- Florida Museum of Natural History description including alternate names
- "Atlantic goliath grouper". The Encyclopedia of Life.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Epinephelus itajara". FishBase. October 2004 version.