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The Atlantic goliath grouper or itajara (Epinephelus itajara), also known as the jewfish, is a saltwater fish of the grouper family and one of the largest species of bony fish.
The goliath grouper is the largest grouper species in the Atlantic Ocean weighing up to 800 pounds. They were once so overfished in the southeastern United States, they were considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act.
Goliath grouper is the largest of the Atlantic groupers. This giant can reach 800 pounds (455 kg) and over 8 feet (2 meters) in length. The Florida record is a 680-pound goliath grouper caught off Fernandina Beach in 1961.
Jun 3, 2024 · Goliath grouper, (Epinephelus itajara), large sea bass (family Serranidae) found on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of tropical America and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The species sometimes attains a length of 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) and a weight of about 455 kg (1,000 pounds). The adult is dull.
The Atlantic Goliath Grouper – scientific name Epinephelus itajara – is a massive saltwater fish found in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea. Other common names for this fish include hamlet, giant seabass, goliath grouper, black bass, jewfish, southern jewfish, and esonue grouper.
Goliath grouper are some of the biggest fish in the sea—they can grow more than eight feet long and weigh up to 800 lbs! Goliath grouper also has a big presence in a healthy coral reef ecosystem, as they help maintain balance as a top predator.
Goliath grouper, which were once known as jewfish, can grow to more than eight feet in length and 800 pounds. From July through September, goliath groupers converge at special locations to spawn.
Order Perciformes (perch-like fishes), Family Epinephelidae (groupers and relatives) The Atlantic goliath grouper, like most groupers, is an ambush predator and eats fairly large fishes and invertebrates and even small sharks.
Habitat, Diet, and Reproduction. The Goliath grouper occurs in Atlantic waters from Florida to Brazil, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. It is also found in the eastern Atlantic from Senegal to Congo, and in the eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California in Mexico south to Peru.
Pacific waters from southern Mexico down to Peru are home to the Pacific Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus quinquefasciatus), the near-identical closest relatives of the Atlantic Goliaths found in the US! The Goliath Grouper’s large size, slow movement, and huge spawning aggregations make them extremely susceptible to overfishing.
