Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 1–90 m.
Scientific name: Epinephelus striatus · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 122 cm
The Nassau grouper is an epinephelid found from the shoreline to at least 90 m, usually close to caves, with juveniles common in seagrass beds. It is solitary and mainly diurnal though it may sometimes form schools, and its diet is made up mainly of fishes and crabs with lesser amounts of other crustaceans and mollusks. It spawns near the new moon, with up to 30,000 fish aggregating at certain spawning sites, and it is the least wary and most friendly of the groupers. It is heavily fished and vulnerable to overfishing, particularly when migrating or aggregating to spawn, and it is the most important commercial grouper in the West Indies. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Bermuda, Florida, the Bahamas and the Yucatan Peninsula throughout the Caribbean to southern Brazil, and it is not known from the Gulf of Mexico except at the Campeche Bank off Yucatan, at Tortugas and off Key West. Maximum length is about 122 cm total length, and it can live 29 years, maturing at about 48 cm. It is a commercial species, a gamefish and is kept in public aquariums, and it is marketed fresh mostly between 2 and 10 kg. Fishing vulnerability is high at 63 of 100 and resilience low, the price category is high, and climate vulnerability is very high at 82 of 100. IUCN lists it as critically endangered.
Caution: large individuals carry a ciguatera risk. Heat, cold and marinating do not remove the toxin, which concentrates in the liver, roe and head, so avoid eating those parts. Seek medical help if numbness, tingling or a reversed sense of hot and cold follows a meal.
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