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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Goldblotch grouper
Epinephelus costae
Στήρα – Στήρα μεσογείου

Sustainability Status

No accurate stock assessment

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation
Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Legal

Minimum Size

45 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

45 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

June – August

Advice for Consumption

Think before consuming this species.

Greek legislation does not establish a closed season for this species, leaving both juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected. Respect minimum sustainable size limits and do not consume this species during the breeding season.

Choose sustainable seafood!

Archipelagos Tips

Select larger-sized fish and check that it has no spearfishing marks.

This species is widely supplied to the market illegally through spearfishing, as spearfishing is permitted only for personal use and fish caught in this way cannot be sold commercially. When purchasing or ordering this species, ask to see the whole fish and check for signs of spearfishing, such as entry marks on the body or the top of the head.

Common names

FR

Mérou royal

it

Cernia dorata

es

Falso abade

tr

Istirye

pt

Garoupa-dourada

nl

Gouden tandbaars

de

Spitzkopf-Zackenbarsch

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Data deficient (DD)

Description

The head and body beige-brownish, with darker fins and two dark head lines. Adults are brown or greyish brown with a distinct yellow blotch below the spinous dorsal fin.

It looks like Epinephelus marginatus (Dusky grouper) both have a similar body shape, and the Dusky grouper often has yellowish blotches on its body, which can be mistaken for the Golden grouper.

Did you know?

Golden groupers live in nests or holes!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Hyperbenthivorous/piscivorous.
Feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and fish.

habitat

Found on sand, mud or rock bottoms.
Juveniles form small groups in shallow water.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 140 cm
Max weight: 35 kg
Depth range: 1-300 m

breeding & Growth

It is a protogynous hermaphrodite. Individuals are born female and change into males as they grow larger.
Typically spawning during the summer months, typically from late May to August.
Growth rate: Slow (k = 0.12yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: ~30 years (estimated)
Max reported age: 12 years
Distribution: Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, especially the Western area.

appearance changes

Undergoes dramatic color and pattern changes throughout its life, with distinct differences between juveniles and adults. Although adults typically exhibit the yellow blotch characteristic, they can change color so that the blotch disappears. Instead, they can be marked by longitudinal stripes that are another characteristic trait of this species.

Reproductive Cycle

It is a broadcast spawner. A single mature female produces between 450,000 and 880,000 eggs per spawning season.
In the Mediterranean, they reproduce once per year during releasing these eggs in multiple batches.
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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms