The Atlantic goliath grouper has been referred to as the jewfish, but in 2001 the American Fisheries Society stopped using that term because they felt that it was “culturally insensitive”
The Atlantic goliath grouper or itajara (Epinephelus itajara) is a large saltwater fish of the grouper family found primarily in shallow tropical waters among coral and artificial reefs at depths from 5 to 50 m (16 to 164 ft). Its range includes the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, most of the Caribbean, and practically all of the Brazilian coast. On some occasions, it is caught in New England off Maine and Massachusetts. In the eastern Atlantic Ocean, it occurs from the Congo to Senegal.
Young Atlantic goliath grouper may live in brackish estuaries, oyster beds, canals, and mangrove swamps, which is unusual behavior among groupers.
Atlantic goliath grouper
They may reach extremely large sizes, growing to lengths of up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and can weigh as much as 360 kg (790 lb). The world record for a hook and line-captured specimen is 309 kg (681 lb), caught off Fernandina Beach, Florida, in 1961.[2] They are usually around 180 kg (400 lb) when mature. Considered of fine food quality, Atlantic goliath grouper were a highly sought-after quarry for fishermen. The grouper’s inquisitive and generally fearless nature makes it a relatively easy prey for spear fishermen. They also tend to spawn in large aggregations, returning like clockwork to the same locations, making them particularly vulnerable to mass harvesting.
Until a harvest ban was placed on the species, its population was in rapid decline. The fish is entirely protected from harvest and is recognized as a critically endangered species by the IUCN.[1] The US began protection in 1990, and the Caribbean in 1993. The species’ population has been recovering since the ban; with the fish’s slow growth rate, however, it will take some time for populations to return to their previous levels.
Goliath grouper eat crustaceans, other fish, octopuses, young sea turtles, sharks, and barracudas. It is known to attack divers, and has even been seen attacking large lemon sharks.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_goliath_grouper
LOL!! The Jewish people should demand that the name be restored!
The problem with protecting the Goliath is that large ones stake out a reef and devastate all the other fish except the smallest and fastest