Diversity and Current Status of Grouper Fish, Epinephelus Bloch, 1793 in Indian Coastal Waters

The grouper fish, Epinephelus Bloch, 1793 represents an iconic genus of the family Serranidae and order Perciformes. They are highly-prized food fishes intended for subsistence, artisanal, recreational and commercial fisheries throughout their geographic range. Despite their economic importance, the status of grouper fishes has been increasingly imperiled through overfishing activities. The conservation efforts have also been constrained with this highly skewed Epinephelus. Hence, in order to save this esteemed resource, effective conservation and rehabilitation strategies need to be planned and implemented in the country. However, it requires the knowledge of the current status of grouper fish diversity which is not yet carried comprehensively. Hence this study was proposed to review the systematic study of the genus Epinephelus to fill the gaps in diversity studies of India. The study also documented the present IUCN status of the listed species of Epinephelus under different categories of conservation status.