Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 0–100 m.
Scientific name: Epinephelus itajara · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 250 cm
The Atlantic goliath grouper is a solitary epinephelid of shallow, inshore areas, found on rock, coral or mud bottoms, with juveniles in mangrove areas and brackish estuaries and large adults sometimes in estuaries as well. Adults appear to occupy limited home ranges with little movement between reefs. It feeds primarily on crustaceans, particularly spiny lobsters, as well as on turtles and fishes including stingrays, and it is territorial near its refuge cave or wreck, where it may show a threat display with an open mouth and a quivering body; larger individuals have been known to stalk and attack divers. It is heavily overfished, primarily by spear fishing, and its meat is of excellent quality and is marketed fresh and salted. It is recorded from the surface down to 100 m, and it also enters brackish water. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Florida to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, with a separate population in the eastern Atlantic from Senegal to Congo and rare records from the Canary Islands. Maximum length is about 250 cm total length, commonly about 150 cm, and it can live 37 years. It is a minor commercial species and an important game fish, with a very high price category. Fishing vulnerability is high to very high at 70 of 100 and resilience low. IUCN lists it as vulnerable.
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