Endangered fish with a squeeze of lemon

A seafood restaurant in Singapore has proudly caught and served an endangered Australian marine treasure.

It is the giant of the coral reef. A gaping, upturned mouth and mottled skin give it an appearance that could be described as one that “only a mother could love”.  Yet divers around the world treasure the sight of him.

The Queensland grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) is a rare gem. Its humongous size and gentle nature make it a fascination among reef-goers. Even though they are protected and the aquatic emblem of Queensland, they are not safe outside Australian waters.

Unfortunately for the 150 kg grouper, it was captured in the waters off Sabah, Malaysia. Here there are no restrictions on catching this species even though it is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The Queensland grouper has a wide distribution throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific region and therefore can be found outside of Queensland.

The owner and chef of the Second Kitchen restaurant in Singapore, Mr Johnny Tan, described the fish as an "underwater gladiator" that "took nine fishermen one hour to capture" and needed to be brought in with a forklift. The fish represents a S$15,000 profit for the restaurant but a huge loss to biodiversity as it is a rare but important apex predator.

The Queensland grouper is the largest bony reef-dwelling fish in the world. It can grow as large as 3 meters long and weigh up to 600 kg feeding on fish, molluscs and even juvenile sharks and turtles – all swallowed whole!

The population of these amazing fish took a significant hammering before fishing restrictions were put in place in Australia. They are still under threat from human activities and therefore restrictions need to be put in place throughout the grouper’s distribution, not just in Australia.

I have personally swum with an infamous Queensland grouper named 'Gus' off Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef. Being in the presence of the gentle giant was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. If these grouper populations are not protected everywhere, people may miss out on the thrill of ever seeing one in the wild. Not only that, but the reef ecosystems that we love to explore would be further upset by the imbalance of losing a top predator.