Twenty endangered groupers

Hi all,

As some of you know I was in an IUCN workshop in Hong Kong not long ago. There we decided which species should be listed as endangered in the IUCN red list. Here is the list of species that we added to the list:

Cromileptes altivelis - Humpback grouper, VU

Epinephelus bruneus - Longtooth grouper, VU

Epinephelus flavolimbatus - Yellowedge grouper, VU

Epinephelus gabriellae - Multispotted grouper, VU

Epinephelus niveatus - Snowy grouper, VU

Mycteroperca fusca Island grouper, EN

Mycteroperca interstitialis - Yellowmouth grouper, VU

Mycteroperca jordani - Gulf grouper, EN

Mycteroperca olfax - Sailfin grouper, VU

Mycteroperca rosacea - Leopard grouper, VU

Plectropomus areolatus - Squaretail coralgrouper, VU

Plectropomus laevis - Blacksaddled coralgrouper, VU

That is in addition to the previously listed species:

Epinephelus akaara - Hong Kong grouper, EN

Epinephelus albomarginatus - White-edge rockcod, VU

Epinephelus drummondhayi - Calico grouper, CR

Epinephelus itajara - Goliath grouper, CR

Epinephelus lanceolatus - Brindled grouper, VU

Epinephelus marginatus - Dusky grouper, EN

Epinephelus nigritus - Warsaw grouper, CR

Epinephelus striatus - Nassau grouper, EN

The IUCN Red List threat categories are the following, in descending order of threat:

EX - Extinct or Extinct in the Wild

CR - Critically Endangered

EN - Endangered

VU - Vulnerable

Hi all,

 

As some of you know I was in an IUCN workshop in Hong Kong not long ago. There we decided which species should be listed as endangered in the IUCN red list. Here is the list of species that we added to the list:

 

Cromileptes altivelis - Humpback grouper, VU

Epinephelus bruneus - Longtooth grouper, VU

Epinephelus flavolimbatus - Yellowedge grouper, VU

Epinephelus gabriellae - Multispotted grouper, VU

Epinephelus niveatus - Snowy grouper, VU

Mycteroperca fusca Island grouper, EN

Mycteroperca interstitialis - Yellowmouth grouper, VU

Mycteroperca jordani - Gulf grouper, EN

Mycteroperca olfax - Sailfin grouper, VU

Mycteroperca rosacea - Leopard grouper, VU

Plectropomus areolatus - Squaretail coralgrouper, VU

Plectropomus laevis - Blacksaddled coralgrouper, VU

 

That is in addition to the previously listed species:

 

Epinephelus akaara - Hong Kong grouper, EN

Epinephelus albomarginatus - White-edge rockcod, VU

Epinephelus drummondhayi - Calico grouper, CR

Epinephelus itajara - Goliath grouper, CR

Epinephelus lanceolatus - Brindled grouper, VU

Epinephelus marginatus - Dusky grouper, EN

Epinephelus nigritus - Warsaw grouper, CR

Epinephelus striatus - Nassau grouper, EN

 

The IUCN Red List threat categories are the following, in descending order of threat:

 

EX - Extinct or Extinct in the Wild

CR - Critically Endangered

EN - Endangered

VU - Vulnerable

This is a major problem.

When I used to dive in the Bahamas, South Florida and Carribean 30 years ago there were lots of good sized grouper around. Now you rarely see any. We as a species need to start conserving our resources. If we need fish as a food source then we must develop sustainable farming techniques.

Luiz

that interests me ... i dont dive as much as i used to .. but ...

here in Cayman Nassau and Goliath Groupers seem to be doing better than they ever have. Goliath are the Jew Fish right ? why did we change their names ?

Is there some info somewhere on how this is worked out .. and rough numbers in certain areas .. i find it quite interesting .. especially as i spend a lot of time in the Bahamas where the local fisherman would pull any of those available to them out the water in as many numbers as they could.

Giles

here in Cayman Nassau and Goliath Groupers seem to be doing better than they ever have. Goliath are the Jew Fish right ? why did we change their names ?

Hi Giles,

In places like the Caymans where the diving industry is pushing for conservation, they are doing better than they were 5-10 years ago, but not nearly as good as 30 years ago. We have fisheries statistics that indicate declines of up to 90% in Nassau Grouper and more than that in Goliath Grouper everywhere, including in the Caymans. There is a record of a spawning aggregation of Nassau Grouper that was completely wiped out in the late 90s in Little Cayman. The fishermen managed to catch about 10 thousand Nassaus from this single aggregation, and up to this year they haven't came back.

Now for the name change, hehehe, these common names are regulated by the American Fisheries Society, and you know that the Americans are going through an epidemics of political correctness. The name "Jewfish" offended a Jew person (and I am sure it offended *only* this person, because I've talked to many Jews about it and none seemed offended by having a fish named after them), and wrote a letter asking AFS to officially changed the name. I talked to the guys that run the committee and asked if they were also changing the "Black Grouper" to the "African-American Grouper", hahaha...

Luiz

What still shocks me is how many dive resorts and livaboards still serve grouper. After a day of diving in Belize, i was so saddened to see huge grouper lying on the dock. Most folks shared in eating them for dinner. Of course i refused and always will.

Why are divers, who should care the most, still so apathetic about the fish they freely choose to eat...when they know BETTER?

Why are divers, who should care the most, still so apathetic about the fish they freely choose to eat...when they know BETTER?

That really puzzles me too. I highly doubt that someone that goes out in a safari to Africa would eat elephant or lion for dinner.

There is a record of a spawning aggregation of Nassau Grouper that was completely wiped out in the late 90s in Little Cayman. The fishermen managed to catch about 10 thousand Nassaus from this single aggregation, and up to this year they haven't came back.

On a thursday a report was made public about a MASSIVE spawning site for grouper .. and the researchers were so happy ... they had to tell everyone ... unfortunately .. they told everyone the day before a fishing competition in Cayman .. the competition entrants over doubled in 24 hours (all the boats coming down from Miami etc) ... there was no time to stop it or put a law in place and the first day of the competition every boat headed to Little Cayman for that area which had been in the paper with a map even pointing it out !!!

The next day that area was off bounds .. but the damage had been done.

I like our rules here in Cayman .. it allows us a little fishing, conching and lobstering .. but the numbers seems to be doing OK .. and the 100% no go areas are full of these used to be endangered animals here.

Hell we even had a crocodile or 3 this year !!

The grouper that we get served here in Cayman I believe comes from the US .. this is what we have done for a long time here .. to meet demands of tourists. I love eating fish .. but I am carefull to the extent my education of endangered animals allows me to be .. we even have the safe to eat fish guide in a few restaurants and I believe that is how all fish is imported here too.

Now for the name change, hehehe, these common names are regulated by the American Fisheries Society, and you know that the Americans are going through an epidemics of political correctness. The name "Jewfish" offended a Jew person (and I am sure it offended *only* this person, because I've talked to many Jews about it and none seemed offended by having a fish named after them), and wrote a letter asking AFS to officially changed the name. I talked to the guys that run the committee and asked if they were also changing the "Black Grouper" to the "African-American Grouper", hahaha...

what a completely ironic name change !!!

people and their political correctness .. I was on tour once .. and I said to the group .. "follow the black man" .. now my colleague and friend at the time was Dennis a Jamaican .. who was black. This lady from Washington comes to me and tells me i disgust her and I should not treat dennis like that .. he isn't a black man and i should not refer to him as such .. he is an african american .. i politley replied to her .. mam he's the only black person here .. it was a distinguishable way for me to point him out verbally.... and mam just for the record .. he is from Jamaica, he hasnt even been to America or Africa so i would choose to to insult him and call him american of any variety.

anyways ... how does the jewish community feel about a fish which was named after them being replaced with a jew killing giant name ? thats got to really wind that guy up that complained in the first place !

I mean Goliath was old testiment .. so surely he has read about him ?