Abstract
The Atlantic goliath grouperEpinephelus itajarais highly vulnerable to overfishing, yet little is known of its population status in Campeche Bank (southern Gulf of Mexico) and the Mexican Caribbean. By reviewing landings records, historical literature, and the local ecological knowledge of fishers, we documented historical practices, uses, and changes in the abundance and distribution of the goliath grouper in these regions. In both the Mexican Caribbean and Campeche Bank, goliath grouper populations were notably impacted by commercial fishing activities in the 1970s and 1980s. The catches during this period could only be sustained for a few years, after which the fishery collapsed. Our results from Campeche Bank indicate that populations persist in an area currently occupied by oil platforms. In the Mexican Caribbean, the extirpation of the goliath grouper may be close at hand, with local exceptions like that of Chetumal Bay. The results of our study indicate that the local goliath grouper populations are in critical danger of extinction, which must be taken into account during the next IUCN Red List regional assessment. In addition, the goliath grouper should be included in the Mexican list for endangered species (NOM-059-SEMARNAT).
Highlights
The Atlantic goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara is the largest member of the Epinephelidae family
We provide a historical outline of the changes in abundance and distribution of the goliath grouper in the Mexican Caribbean and Campeche Bank, 2 important fishing zones located around the Yucatan Peninsula, by analyzing catch records, historical literature, and the local ecological knowledge (LEK) of fishers
To assess the past importance of the goliath grouper fishery and its conservation status in the Mexican Caribbean and Campeche Bank with regard to its history of exploitation and past abundance, we followed the methodology proposed for a severely depleted grouper fishery in the Gulf of California (Sáenz-Arroyo et al 2005), which consisted of comparing information from grey literature sources, research archives, official landings data, and LEK of fishers
Summary
The Atlantic goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara (hereinafter goliath grouper) is the largest member of the Epinephelidae family. The goliath grouper possesses many characteristics that make it vulnerable to overfishing, including high longevity, late maturation, site fidelity, Juveniles have been associated with the presence of overhangs and complex structures that provide shelter, those in mangroves, which are fundamental to their development (Frias-Torres 2006, Koenig et al 2007). Adults have been associated with complex structures, including those that are artificial (Giglio et al 2014a, Collins et al 2015). It has been suggested that adult migrations among shallow areas and mangroves constitute a feeding strategy (Zapelini et al 2017), it has been proposed that goliath groupers can modify their feeding habits based on prey activity and availability (Collins & Motta 2017)
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