Humpback grouper (Cromileptes altivelis)

Species information

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Threats

The humpback grouper is threatened in Southeast Asia, where it is heavily exploited and its habitat is being degraded. This species is one of the most highly valued species in the live food fish trade centre in Hong Kong, where many tonnes are sold, coming principally from Indonesia, the Philippines and the Chinese Islands (1). Large adults are most likely to be harvested for the food fish trade, while smaller individuals that are used in the aquarium trade tend to come from hatchery produced mariculture (8).

Conservation

The humpback grouper is reportedly farmed commercially in Bali, Indonesia, although the annual production is not known. Furthermore, cultured animals are presently sold in the aquarium market rather than for food, for which individuals must be harvested from the wild. There is a minimum capture size of 40 centimetres for this species in Queensland and recreational fishers are restricted to one fish each (1).