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Another species of great interest in aquaculture production is the grouper or orange-spotted grouper.
Another species of great interest in aquaculture production is the grouper or orange-spotted grouper.
It is a species of great potential; it is resistant and produces a good yield. Grouper pond production is becoming an attractive alternative to intensive shrimp production in countries where management problems have forced producers to abandon shrimp production. Groupers have already been tested in several countries as a potential species for mariculture and is being produced in areas such as China, Thailand, Taiwan, and Indonesia.
- Distribution: Groupers are found in the western Indian Ocean and from the south of the Red Sea to the east in the western Pacific, where it is distributed from the Ryukyu Islands to New South Wales. It extends eastward in Oceania only to Palau in the northern hemisphere and Fiji in the south.
- Feed: It feeds on small fish, shrimp and crabs.
- Farming: In marine cages, tanks and ground ponds.
- Repro: The main spawning period is from March to June. Females mature at the age of 2-3 years. The ova are pelagic; best survival of the larvae is achieved at about 30 °C.
