The heaviest grouper ever caught and certified as an IGFA world record was this 680-pound goliath grouper caught on May 20, 1961, off Fernandina Beach, Florida, using a Spanish mackerel as fishing bait. This particular species of grouper is considered endangered today and protected in the United States and Caribbean.

How big is the biggest Goliath grouper?

8 feet Goliath grouper is the largest of the Atlantic groupers. This giant can reach 800 pounds (455 kg) and over 8 feet (2 meters) in length. The Florida record is a 680-pound goliath grouper caught off Fernandina Beach in 1961. The species had been targeted both commercially and recreationally since at least the late 1800s.

Can a giant grouper eat a human?

In fact, many people familiar with them call the fish “gentle giants.” Its still smart to stay away from fully grown goliath groupers. They could eat a person if they wanted to! However, in general, its the fish that are threatened by humans, not the other way around.

Can you eat Goliath grouper?

Eating Goliath Grouper You can find Goliath grouper on the menu in other countries, such as Cuba, so it is definitely a fish that can be eaten. It is not as tender as some fish, but it makes excellent fish stew and chowder, which is how the fish is often prepared. The meat is not as tough as the older groupers.

What animals eat groupers?

Predators of groupers include large fish such as barracuda, king mackerel and moray eels, as well as other groupers. The sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) and the great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) are also known to feed on groupers. Large adults of this species likely have very few natural predators.

Are groupers aggressive?

Goliath Grouper. This large, solitary fish will defend its territory when threatened, with aggressive body language and a rumbling sound it makes with its swim bladder. Its large, thick, elongated body can grow to over 8 feet long (and up to 800 pounds), from rounded snout and small eyes, to short, fan-like tail fin.

Do Goliath grouper have worms?

Their diet largely consists of invertebrates like worms, snails, crabs, shrimp and lobsters (see note), as well as slow poisonous fish like catfish, stingrays, pufferfish, cowfish and burrfish.

Is black grouper good eating?

Black grouper has a mild but very unique taste. The flavor of this species is distinctively delicious when compared to other grouper and finishes with a nice lobster and shrimp flavor due to the groupers diet of shellfish.

Do groupers have teeth?

They swallow prey rather than biting pieces off it. They do not have many teeth on the edges of their jaws, but they have heavy crushing tooth plates inside the pharynx. They habitually eat fish, octopuses, and crustaceans. Groupers are also one of the only animals that eat invasive red lionfish.

Has anyone been eaten by grouper?

For example, The New York Times reported in 1895 that a fisherman caught a 1,500-pound Goliath grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. In the 1950s, two children jumped off a bridge in the Florida Keys but only one came up; the other child was said to have been eaten by a Goliath grouper.