Epinephelus diacanthus, Spinycheek Grouper

Abstract

This widely distributed species primarily inhabits soft bottoms and can be common in parts of its range. Both juveniles and adults are heavily targeted by commercial trawl fisheries through much of its range, especially in India, but also Oman. The level of exploitation in Pakistan is not known. Some level of decline has occurred in several areas, but catch data do not indicate that declines have occurred at a level that qualifies under a Near Threatened or Threatened category, and catch and effort has been increasing. Therefore, it is listed as Least Concern with a strong recommendation to reduce fishing effort (especially on juveniles), improve fishery data collection and monitoring and conduct research on its life history. If effectively enforced, recent conservation actions undertaken in India to reduce fishing impacts may help avoid overexploitation. The change in status from the previous assessment reflects an improved application of the Red List categories and criteria, as well as a better understanding of available data.