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Associations

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Given its size and habitat, Nassau groupers have few known predators. Sharks may occasionally attack groups of spawning Nassau groupers, and yellowtail snappers eat their eggs. Other predators may include moray eels, which prey on small groupers, and hammerhead and sandbar sharks, which prey on larger groupers. Nassau groupers also practice cannibalism on occasion. Humans are the primary predator of Nassau groupers, having greatly reduced populations of this species through commercial fishing.

Known Predators:

  • humans Homo sapiens
  • yellowtail snappers Ocyurus chrysurus

Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Morphology

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Nassau groupers range from tawny to pinkish red in color, and they can change coloration based on mood and behavior. They display five dark, unevenly spaced bars across their body, and a distinctive bar runs from the snout to the dorsal fin. Also characteristic of Nassau groupers is a large black spot at the base of the tail. In juveniles, the caudal fin is rounded, whereas adults display a truncated fin characteristic of groupers. Nassau groupers can grow up to 1.2 m in length, though more commonly they grow between 8 and 72 cm (average 32 cm). They weigh between 2 and 27 kg (average 12 kg).

Range mass: 2 to 27 kg.

Average mass: 12 kg.

Range length: 8 to 72 cm.

Average length: 32 cm.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Life Expectancy

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Nassau groupers generally live 12 to 16 years in the wild, depending on environmental pressures. The oldest recorded Nassau grouper caught in the wild was 29 years of age.

Range lifespan
Status: wild:
29 (high) years.

Typical lifespan
Status: wild:
12 to 16 years.

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Habitat

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Nassau groupers are most commonly found in shallow water reefs, both natural and artificial. While they have been recorded at depths up to 100 m, they are more prolific in depths above 30 m. Nassau groupers can also be found in beds of sea grasses and prefer areas of high visibility. Late juveniles to young adults prefer corals with large macroalgal populations. This species is also euryhaline, meaning it can tolerate a wide range of salinities. During spawning, Nassau groupers can be found meters offshore, which has in part led to their exploitation and subsequent placement on the IUCN Red List.

Range depth: 1 to 100 m.

Average depth: 30 m.

Habitat Regions: saltwater or marine

Aquatic Biomes: reef ; coastal

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Behavior

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Nassau groupers primarily communicate by altering their skin colors and patterns, especially when ready to spawn. Their normal barred color pattern is typically seen, but can become lighter, darker, or change to a bicoloration with a dark top and white bottom. This coloration may signify aggression and reception to spawning.

Communication Channels: visual

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; chemical

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Conservation Status

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Due to overfishing, Nassau groupers are listed as endangered on the ICUN Red List and were therefore closed to harvest in 1992. Fishing regulations mandate fish must not be removed from the water, but rather the line must be cut. Even with these regulations in place, populations are still declining.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: endangered

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Life Cycle

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Once fertilization occurs, eggs of Nassau groupers hatch within 48 hours. The larval period lasts 35 to 40 days, during which they are not recognizable as groupers. Nassau groupers reach sexual maturity between 4 and 8 years of age.

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Benefits

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There are no known adverse effects of Nassau groupers on humans.

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Benefits

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Nassau groupers have been heavily fished and were once considered the most economically important fish of the Bahamas (1992). In addition to commercial fishing, this species also is a form of ecotourism. In 1999, Nassau groupers brought $18 million to Florida from tourism and sport fishing. Fishing, however, has been limited in recent years do to their endangered status. Nassau groupers are also good candidates for aquacultures, and spawning can be induced in this species using human chrionic gonadotropin (HCG).

Positive Impacts: food ; ecotourism

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Associations

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Nassau groupers prey on a variety of marine invertebrates and fish. They compete with other groupers because of overlapping habitat and also likely compete with snappers, jacks, barracudas, and sharks. Nassau groupers also act as hosts to a number of parasites, including copepods, nematodes in the gonads, several trematodes (Lecithochirum parvum and Lecithochirum microstomum) in the gut, and larval tapeworms that infest the viscera. Nassau groupers also form a symbiotic relationship with some gobies and shrimp, which remove parasitic copepods from their bodies, fins, mouth, and gill chambers.

Mutualist Species:

  • goby Gobiidae
  • shrimp Caridea

Commensal/Parasitic Species:

  • tapeworms Anoplocephala perfoliata
  • Nematoda
  • trematode Lecithochirum parvum
  • trematode Lecithochirum microstomum
  • copepods Copepoda
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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Trophic Strategy

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Nassau groupers are generalists which feed predominantly at down and dusk. This species has a unique method of engulfing its prey, quickly moving its gills to create suction, or negative pressure, that draws prey into its open mouth. As age and size increase, so do the preferred prey size. Juveniles and smaller young adults prey on crustaceans and bivalves, while older Nassau groupers mainly eat fish, lobsters, and gastropods.

Animal Foods: fish; mollusks; aquatic crustaceans; other marine invertebrates

Primary Diet: carnivore (Piscivore )

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Distribution

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Nassau groupers, Epinephelus striatus, can be found in the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean as far north as the Carolinas of the United States down the Atlantic seaboard to southern Brazil. Their range stretches as far west as the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Nassau groupers are considered a migratory species in the Gulf of Mexico and are rarely seen there.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native ); atlantic ocean (Native )

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Reproduction

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Nassau groupers aggregate to specific spawning sites on the full moon during December and January. This peculiar timing is of particular interest to scientists, who have suggested that, like other marine mammals, the gravitational pull of the moon at this specific time of year inspires migration to breeding grounds. Spawning aggregates can be as large as 100,000 individuals. Like other groupers, Nassau groupers are considered monandric protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning juveniles contain immature gonads for both genders and then directly mature as either male or female.

Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)

Nassau groupers congregate once a year at the edge of reef shelves in shallow water to spawn. They are strictly loyal to their spawning sites. This species changes its coloration when receptive to mating, usually becoming bicolor, darker, or incorporating a white belly. Dark coloration is though to be characteristic of males, while bicoloring and dark coloring typically correspond to submissive behaviors. Spawning peaks 3 to 5 days after the full moon, but can continue up to 8 days after. Eggs hatch 23 to 48 hours after fertilization and mature slowly, reaching reproductive maturity between 4 and 8 years of age (average 5 years of age). In captive populations, maturity occurs much sooner, which has been attributed to more abundant food sources and less environmental stress. In captivity, the average hatchling length of the notochord is 1.8 mm.

Breeding interval: Nassau groupers breed annually.

Breeding season: Spawning of Nassau groupers lasts 8 days and begins on the full moon of December or January.

Range gestation period: 23 to 48 hours.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 to 7 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 5 years.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 to 7 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 5 years.

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; sequential hermaphrodite (Protogynous ); fertilization (Internal ); oviparous

Nassau groupers do not invest energy in their offspring post-fertilization.

Parental Investment: no parental involvement

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Kime, J. 2011. "Epinephelus striatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Epinephelus_striatus.html
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Biology

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Adults are generally solitary, with the exception of spawning events when hundreds to thousands of individuals were known to group together. In the southern extent of the grouper's range, these awesome aggregations occurred between December and February whilst those in northern waters fell between May and August (5). Historically, the same sites are used and the triggers that cause individuals to arrive appear to be related to the full moon and the temperature of the water (5). Complex courtship displays take place, culminating in the synchronised release of sperm and eggs at sunset; fertilisation thus occurs in the open water (4). Contrary to previous opinion, evidence now suggests that individual Nassau groupers occur as separate sexes and do not change from female to male, as many other groupers do (5). Juveniles usually settle in sea grass beds or clumps of coral (6) when they have reached roughly 32 millimetres in size; having previously spent around five weeks in the plankton as larvae (4). Groupers are usually found towards the bottom of the water column where they feed on a variety of prey, using their cryptic appearance to ambush fish such as parrotfish and wrasse (4). They are regular visitors to cleaning stations where small cleaning wrasse or shrimps will remove parasites from inside the grouper's mouth. Nassau groupers are long-lived, surviving for over 20 years in the wild (3).
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Conservation

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Following a massive lobbying effort by conservationists, the Nassau grouper has finally received some of the protection it requires if numbers are going to recover from past exploitation (3). Spawning sites are protected in the Cayman Islands and fishing is banned in Belize during the spawning season (1). Other countries in the area however, have been slow to introduce protection measures and extensive lobbying continues (1).
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Description

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The Nassau grouper is one of the larger reef fish and one that has suffered a dramatic decline during the 20th Century, primarily as a result of overfishing (3). These large groupers have a robust, oblong body; the background colour varies from light buff to pinkish red, depending on depth (4). There are five vertical brown bars, a brown saddle near the base of the tail and distinctive facial markings (5). Individuals are capable of altering their colour pattern to resemble that of the surrounding environment or as a means of communication (4).
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Habitat

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Nassau groupers are found in shallow waters up to 90 metres deep, associated with reef or rocky substrate (4).
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Range

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Found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea (4). Nassau groupers are known from Bermuda, the Bahamas and southern Florida coasts south to Central America and northern South America (6).
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Status

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Classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1).
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Threats

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The Nassau grouper was historically an important commercially harvested fish throughout the region; indeed, it is the most important finfish in the Bahamas (6). The behaviour of massing in predictably located spawning aggregations has meant that these fish are easy targets, caught by hook and line, traps and spearguns (6). In the 1990s however, fisheries documented a worrying decline in the size of catches, and aggregations are no longer observed in Puerto Rico, Bermuda or the United States Virgin Islands (3).
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Diagnostic Description

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Caudal fin rounded in juveniles. Dorsal fin notched between forward spines; 3rd or 4th spine the longest. Bases of soft dorsal and anal fins covered with scales and thick skin; scales small and greatly overlapping. Ground color tawny in individuals in shallow water, shading to pinkish or red in those from deeper water, sometimes with an orange cast. Can change color pattern in a few minutes from almost white to uniformly dark brown depending on mood. Third and fourth vertical bars branch above lateral line forming a W-shaped mark. Several distinct black spots below and behind eye and a characteristic `tuning-fork shaped stripe on top of head, dividing just behind the orbits. (see also Refs. 5221, 5222, 5227 and 2458).
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Recorder
Crispina B. Binohlan
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Life Cycle

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Most males and females display a bicolored pattern during spawning. Courtship behavior involves vertical spiral movement, short vertical runs followed by rapid aggregation then rapid dispersal and horizontal runs near the bottom. Sex reversal reportedly between 30 and 80 cm SL. Some primary males found recently (Ref. 5222). Pelagic spawner (Ref. 31572).
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Migration

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Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.
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Susan M. Luna
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Morphology

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Dorsal spines (total): 11 - 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16 - 18; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 8
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Trophic Strategy

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Occurs from the shoreline to at least 90 m depth. Usually close to caves (Ref. 9710). The juveniles are common in seagrass beds, feeding mainly on crustaceans; adults common in shallow coral reefs (Ref. 5222). Observed hiding among the leaves of the turtle grass Thalassia testudinium, presumably in wait of prey; the coloration may serve primarily to conceal it from preys rather than from predators (Ref. 5230). Carnivore (Ref. 57616). Pelagic recruits feeding habits ranged from filter feeding to particulate feeding and piscivory (Ref. 59316). Their prey ranged from dinoflagellates to fish larvae, >0.9 cm SL (Ref. 59316).
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Biology

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Occurs from the shoreline to at least 90 m depth. Usually close to caves (Ref. 9710). Juveniles are common in seagrass beds. Diet comprises mainly of fishes (54%) and crabs (23%) and lesser amounts of other crustaceans and mollusks. It is solitary and mainly diurnal; but may sometimes form schools. Spawns near the new moon with up to 30,000 aggregating at certain spawning sites (Ref. 9710). The least wary and most friendly of all the groupers (Ref. 5226). Heavily fished and vulnerable to overfishing, particularly when migrating or aggregating to spawn (Ref. 9710). The most important commercial grouper in the West Indies. Marketed fresh, mostly between 2 to 10 kg (Ref. 3708).
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Importance

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fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
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Nassau grouper

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The Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) is one of the large number of perciform fishes in the family Serranidae commonly referred to as groupers.[3] It is the most important of the groupers for commercial fishery in the West Indies, but has been endangered by overfishing.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Nassau grouper as critically endangered, due to commercial and recreational fishing and reef destruction.[1] Fishing the species is prohibited in US federal waters.[1] The Nassau grouper is a US National Marine Fisheries Service listed threatened species[4] by authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.[5][6]

Description

A Nassau grouper, E. striatus, ambushes its prey on Caribbean coral reefs.

The Nassau grouper is a medium to large fish, growing to over a meter in length and up to 25 kg in weight. It has a thick body and large mouth, which it uses to "inhale" prey. Its color varies depending on an individual fish's circumstances and environment. In shallow water (down to 60 ft), the grouper is a tawny color, but specimens living in deeper waters are pinkish or red, or sometimes orange-red in color. Superimposed on this base color are a number of lighter stripes, darker spots, bars, and patterns, including black spots below and behind the eye, and a forked stripe on the top of the head.

Distribution and habitat

The Nassau grouper lives in the sea near reefs; it is one of the largest fish to be found around coral reefs. It can be found from the shoreline to nearly 100-m-deep water. It lives in the western Atlantic Ocean and around the Caribbean Sea, from Bermuda, Florida, and the Bahamas in the north to the eastern coast of Venezuela, but it is only found in a few places in the Gulf of Mexico, most notably along the coast of Belize.[7]

Biology

It is a solitary fish, feeding in the daytime, mainly on other fish and small crustaceans such as crabs and small lobsters. It spawns in December and January, always around the time of the full moon, and always in the same locations. By the light of the full moon, huge numbers of the grouper cluster together to mate in mass spawning.

Conservation

The Nassau grouper is fished both commercially and for sport; it is less shy than other groupers, and is readily approached by scuba divers. However, its numbers have been sharply reduced by overfishing in recent years, and it is a slow breeder. Furthermore, its historic spawning areas are easily targeted for fishing, which tends to remove the reproductively active members of the group. The species is therefore highly vulnerable to overexploitation, and is recognised as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. The governments of the United States, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas have banned or instituted closed fishing seasons for the Nassau grouper in recent years. In the Cayman Islands, fishing in the spawning holes of the grouper has been banned until the end of 2016. In the case of the Bahamas, the government has instituted a closed fishing season in which fishing for the Nassau grouper is banned from December to February. It is in a very high rate decline and is at serious risk of becoming extinct.

A large spawning site for the species is located at Glover's Reef, off the Belizean coast. It has been identified as one of only two viable sites remaining for the species, of 9 originally known locations. In 2002, a permanent marine protected area was established on Glover's Reef. However, the Nassau grouper's spawning region is not included in this marine protected area (MPA). Instead, their spawning area (located north of the MPA) is subjected to a three-month closure during winter spawning aggregations.[8]

Many conservation methods have been put in place to help the grouper, including closed seasons, when fishing is not allowed. These seasons take place during the spawning season. Regulations allow only fish over 3 lb to be harvested to give the younger fish a chance to spawn. Some areas are protected, and a complete ban on fishing the grouper in US waters has been instituted. Also, protection of the spawning sites at all times is in effect in certain places.

Status reviews

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service recently completed a review of the status of the species for Endangered Species listing.[9] They proposed to list the species as endangered.[10] However, analysis of declines in both populations as well as the size spawning aggregations has led to the species being uplisted to critically endangered by the IUCN Red List in 2018.[1]

Nassau grouper
Nassau grouper in Saba

The Nassau grouper has been depicted on postage stamps of Cuba (1965, 1975), the Bahamas (1971 5-cent), and Antigua and Barbuda (1987 40-c).

The threats to the grouper include overfishing, fishing during the breeding period, habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, and catching undersized grouper.

The Nassau grouper was placed on the World Conservation Union's redlist of threatened species in 1996, and it was determined to be endangered because its population has declined by 60% in the past 30 years. Over a third of spawning aggregations have been estimated to have disappeared, and the grouper is considered to be commercially extinct in some areas.

The current population is estimated to be more than 10,000 mature individuals, but is thought to be decreasing. Their suitable habitat is declining; they need quality coral reef habitats to survive. Their population outlook is not optimistic.

Further information

http://www.breef.org/Portals/0/Nassau%20Grouper%20notes.pdf

References

  1. ^ a b c d Sadovy, Y.; Aguilar-Perera, A.; Sosa-Cordero, E. (2018). "Epinephelus striatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T7862A46909843. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T7862A46909843.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Epinephelus striatus" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. ^ Watanabe, Wade (30 June 2022). "Epinephelus striatus (nassau grouper)". www.bing.com. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Nassau Grouper". NOAA Fisheries. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  6. ^ 81 FR 42268
  7. ^ Glover's Reef Marine Reserve. "Northeast Point". Government of Belize, Fisheries Department. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  8. ^ Shcherbina, Andrey; Glen G. Gawarkiewicz; Christopher A. Linder; Simon R. Thorrold (September 2008). "Mapping bathymetric and hydrographic features of Glover's Reef, Belize, with a REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle" (PDF). Limnology and Oceanography. 5. 53 (2264–2272): 8. Bibcode:2008LimOc..53.2264S. doi:10.4319/lo.2008.53.5_part_2.2264. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  9. ^ "Nassau Grouper, Epinephelus striatus (Bloch 1792) Biological Report" 2014.
  10. ^ NMFS. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Notice of 12-Month Finding on a Petition To List the Nassau Grouper as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).Federal Register;; v79, (2 September 2014), 51929-51942.

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Nassau grouper: Brief Summary

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The Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) is one of the large number of perciform fishes in the family Serranidae commonly referred to as groupers. It is the most important of the groupers for commercial fishery in the West Indies, but has been endangered by overfishing.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Nassau grouper as critically endangered, due to commercial and recreational fishing and reef destruction. Fishing the species is prohibited in US federal waters. The Nassau grouper is a US National Marine Fisheries Service listed threatened species by authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

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Distribution

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Western Atlantic: Bermuda, Florida, Bahamas, Yucatan Peninsula and throughout the Caribbean to southern Brazil. Not known from the Gulf of Mexico except at the Campeche Bank off the coast of Yucatan, at Tortugas and off Key West.

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North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

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Habitat

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Reference

North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

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