World Aquaculture Magazine - September 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEP TEMBER 2021 23 mainly among mangrove roots and associated with the bottom (Cervigón 1991, Botero and Ospina, 2003, Cervigón 2005). In the Atlantic Ocean, the goliath grouper inhabits tropical waters of the coast of South America to the southeast of Brazil, the entire Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic to Florida. In the Pacific Ocean, their counterpart — the Pacific goliath grouper E. quinquefasciatus — can be found from the Gulf of California to Peru (Cervigón 1991, Acero et al. 2002). In Colombia, the distribution range of goliath grouper is quite wide throughout the entire coast and islands of the Caribbean Sea (Polanco et al. 2017). The species is a solitary, sedentary, long-lived fish that prefers confined spaces such as natural caves. Their size at sexual maturity is 113 cm in males and 128 cm in females, which are reached between five and seven years (Bullock et al. 1992, Gómez-Chanchong et al. 2004, Polanco et al. 2017). The goliath grouper has extraordinary potential as a candidate for aquaculture due to its very fast growth rates, large size, adaptability to captivity, high market price and the exquisiteness of its meat. Hence, selecting and working with a species such as the goliath grouper is of paramount importance. The research and development work being carried out by private and government entities in Colombia aims to advance the knowledge and establish the fundamental basis for the development of full-cycle aquaculture of goliath grouper for commercial purposes and for conservation of this species in Colombia and elsewhere. Since 1990, the Centro de Investigación, Educación y Recreación (CEINER; Center for Research, Education and Recreation) —Oceanario Islas del Rosario in Cartagena, Colombia, has carried out research focused on controlling reproduction of this species to diversify aquaculture in Colombia and as a strategy for conservation. In recent years, under the leadership of CEINER, joint research has been carried out by the Autoridad Nacional de Introduction Marine fish farming is a growing industry worldwide. Despite this, very few species have been studied at a scientific level capable of supporting continuous quality production, which is essential for their commercialization. In general, aquaculture of marine fish is dominated by a few species and activities are almost entirely centered around cage culture in coastal waters. It has been a historically traditional activity, and the main species are those that have been cultivated for a long time, particularly in Asia (FAO 2005). The collapse of some important fisheries and the focus of production exclusively on the most studied and cultivated temperate marine fish species in the West (sea bream and sea bass, for example), point to the urgency of diversification, making it essential to introduce alternative species for aquaculture (Pintos et al. 2003). In Colombia, the limited number of marine species being studied has been hindering aquaculture expansion. The need to generate scientific knowledge to improve the diversification of marine species and their sustainability and conservation is recognized. One of the most ecologically important marine fish species of the Atlantic Ocean is the Atlantic goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara , or mero guasa as it is commonly known in Colombia. It is the largest representative of the Serranidae family, reaching weights of more than 400 kg and lengths of more than 2 m (Acero and Garzón-Ferreira 1991). This serranid has suffered a severe population decline throughout its distribution range due to overfishing. It is listed as a “critically endangered” species in the Red Book of Marine Fishes of Colombia, and worldwide it is categorized as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Goliath groupers are characterized as demersal and as adults are found in a variety of habitats ranging from shallow water bottoms, river mouths, rock formations, artificial structures and coral reefs. During juvenile stages, they can be found in estuaries, Closing the Reproductive Cycle of the Goliath Grouper in Colombia Jaime Rojas, Adrian Devia, Paola Pinzon, Adriana Cortina, Marco Garzon, Silvia Sierra, Rafael Vieira, Linda Güiza, Mabel Mendoza, Andres Suarez, Jaime Faillace, Rafael Vergara, Maria Rosa Angarita and Daniel Benetti ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 2 4 ) FIGURE 1. The Center for Research, Education and Recreation – Oceanario Islas del Rosario, located on San Martin de Pajarales Island, Rosario Islands, Cartagena, Colombia.