Puerto Rico Dive Sites

Goliath grouper

Epinephelus itajara · Also called: jewfish, Mero batata, mero grande, mero guasa

Protection: Fully protected in Puerto Rico: DRNA bans fishing for, keeping, selling or pursuing it.[1]

Facts

  • The largest grouper in the Atlantic, up to 8 feet. Mottled yellow-brown to gray, with small eyes and a rounded tail. Juveniles live in mangroves.[2]
  • Treat big ones with caution: they may open the mouth and shake at intruders, and very large ones have stalked divers.[2]
  • Any goliath caught must go back to the sea, alive or dead.[1]
  • Harvest has been closed in federal waters of the US Caribbean since 1993.[3]

Where it's been reported (1)

From the sources on each dive site's page. Sightings are never guaranteed.

  • Las Cuevas · Isla Desecheo“goliath grouper” (SSI (Scuba Schools International))

Sources

  1. Reglamento de Pesca de Puerto Rico - 2010 (Reglamento Núm. 7949), Art. 4, 8, 14 and 22 · Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA) (accessed 2026-10-22)
  2. Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara) species profile · Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida (accessed 2026-10-22)
  3. Atlantic Goliath Grouper · NOAA Fisheries (accessed 2026-10-22)

Last checked 2026-10-22