Grouper

Grouper

Grouper is a term for fish belonging to one of two large genera: Epinephelus and Mycteroperca. Groupers are typically large fish that are found in warm seas. They are known for their robust bodies and great size. Groupers are also known for their high quality flesh, making them a popular target for commercial and recreational fishing.

Description

Groupers are characterized by their stout bodies and large mouths. They are not built for long-distance, fast swimming. They can be quite large, and lengths over a meter and weights up to 100 kg are not uncommon, though obviously in such a large group, species vary considerably. They swallow prey rather than biting pieces off it. They do not have many teeth on the edges of their jaws, but they have heavy crushing tooth plates inside the pharynx.

Habitat

Groupers are found in temperate waters from the Mid-Atlantic states (Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey) of the United States and Bermuda, to Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. They are also found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to Senegal and the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Diet

Groupers are top-level predators that feed on a variety of smaller fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. They are ambush predators, hiding in wait for potential prey to come near.

Reproduction

Groupers often form large mating aggregations, making them particularly vulnerable to overfishing. Many groupers are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning they start life as females and change sex to male later in life.

Fishing

Groupers are a popular food fish and are fished both commercially and recreationally. They are considered a good sport fish due to their size and the challenge they pose to fishermen.

Conservation

Due to overfishing, many species of grouper are now endangered. Conservation efforts are underway in many parts of the world to protect these important fish species.

See also

• Fish
• Commercial fishing
• Recreational fishing
• Overfishing
• Conservation