Giant grouper (Queensland groper, brindle bass)

The biggest reef-dwelling bony fish: a massive grouper with a huge mouth, small eyes and rounded fins. Young fish are yellow with big black blotches; adults turn mottled gray-brown with yellow-spotted fins. Cousin of the Atlantic goliath grouper.

50–300 lb.

About 9 ft (270 cm) and about 880 lb (400 kg).

Spiny lobsters and crabs, fish, rays, small sharks and young sea turtles.

A territorial giant that lives in caves, wrecks, jetties and reef ledges, often in the same hole for years; curious and slow, which makes it easy to spear or overfish.

Found from Red Sea & Arabian Gulf (Egypt, Oman, UAE), East Africa & Indian Ocean Islands, Southern Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives & Pakistan, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam), Indonesia (Bali, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Sulawesi), Philippines, China, Hong Kong & Taiwan, Japan & South Korea, Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory & Western Australia, South Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea, Guam & Northern Mariana Islands and Hawaii. Coral and rocky reefs, wrecks, harbors and estuary mouths from the Red Sea and South Africa (to Algoa Bay) across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia, southern Japan, Australia and the Pacific islands, including (rarely) Hawaii. Strangely absent from the Arabian Gulf.

Coral and rocky reefs, wrecks, harbors and estuary mouths from the Red Sea and South Africa (to Algoa Bay) across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia, southern Japan, Australia and the Pacific islands, including (rarely) Hawaii. Strangely absent from the Arabian Gulf.

3–650 ft, usually shallower than 160 ft.

Caves, wrecks and ledges in 20–150 ft.

Year-round.

Any time.

Not important.

Any.

Do not target it.

Do not target it.

If one grabs your bait, you'll need heavy tackle just to get it up; better to cut the line close to the fish.

Use non-stainless hooks on deep reefs so a lost hook rusts out.

Heavy reef tackle.

Heavy.

Don't fish for it. If you hook one by accident, keep it in the water, cut the leader close to the hook, and release it at once; use a descending device if it came up from deep water.

Divers can see giant groupers at many protected wrecks and reefs, such as Aliwal Shoal in South Africa and the Great Barrier Reef — they're worth far more alive.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Do not keep — protected.

Do not keep — protected.

Huge and powerful; don't try to lift one into a boat. Large individuals may carry ciguatera.

Protected in South Africa (prohibited species — it may not be caught or kept) and in Australia (Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia), and protected in many marine parks and other countries. Never keep one. Rules are set by each country and state — from licenses and bag limits in South Africa, Australia and the Gulf states to marine parks across the Indian Ocean and Pacific where fishing is limited or banned — check the local regulations where you fish.

Rare across most of its range because of spearfishing and the live-fish trade. Every giant grouper left alive helps.