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The Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) is a critically endangered reef fish that has suffered from overfishing. In Brazil, the species has been under a fishing ban since 2002; however, there are no evidences of population recovery. In this context, data to help improve management programs are sorely needed. We assessed fisheries landings and interviewed key informants to investigate fishing, habitat use, and occurrence of goliath grouper in Abrolhos Bank, eastern Brazil. In mangroves, longline was the main fishing gear used to catch the species. Informants reported higher abundances of goliath grouper in red mangroves (Rizophora mangle) within shallow and complex channels. In marine reefs, the species was caught mainly through spearfishing. Goliath grouper occurrence was associated with coral and rocky reefs and was described as an aggregation site of up to 20 individuals. Informants also reported a decline in goliath grouper abundance across all habitats, primarily due to overfishing. Aggregation and nursery sites were mapped and described as essential for goliath grouper conservation. In Brazil, a scarcely enforced fishing moratorium alone is insufficient to guarantee the recovery of goliath grouper populations. Besides increasing the moratorium enforcement, we suggest implementing no-take zones, which encompass both nursery habitats and seasonal aggregation sites described in this study.

BackgroundGroupers are a vulnerable but economically important group of fish, especially for small-scale fisheries. We investigated catches and local ecological knowledge (LEK) of diet, habitat, and past fishing experiences.MethodsLandings, prices, interviews, and restaurants demand for two species, Epinephelus marginatus (dusky grouper) and Epinephelus morio (red grouper), were registered.ResultsWe visited 74 markets and 79 sites on the coast of Brazil in 2017–2018, and we interviewed 71 fishers: Bahia (NE), Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (SE), and Santa Catarina (S). The landings sampled of dusky grouper (2016–2017) in Rio de Janeiro were: n = 222, size 38–109 cm, weight 1–24 kg, average 3.84 kg; in São Paulo, São Sebastião were: n = 47, size 39–106 cm, weight 2–8 kg, average of 2.77 kg; and at Santos: n = 80, 26–120 cm, weight 0.36–15 kg, average 2.72 kg. Red grouper was observed in markets in the northeastern Brazil. We did not observe Epinephelus marginatus from Bahia northward; a maximum size of 200 cm was reported south of the Bahia, besides Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo coasts, 20 years ago (or longer) by 12 fishers. Local knowledge of fishers was important for grouper data of habitat and diet; the reproduction period was identified by fishers as September to March.ConclusionsGroupers can be considered as a cultural and ecological keystone species. We suggest protective measures: 1) fishing zoning, 2) islands (MPAs) with the surveillance of fishers, 3) late Spring and early Summer as key periods for management (grouper reproduction), 4) studies on grouper larvae, 5) mapping of fishing spots, 6) studies on local knowledge. Collaboration with small-scale fishers and local knowledge could contribute to low-conflict management measures. In that regard, integrative models of management from Latin America, by using local knowledge and citizen science, could produce successful grouper management for Brazilian data-poor fisheries, a contrasting reality to the Mediterranean areas. Finally, the distribution of E. marginatus in Brazil leave us with questions: a) Have dusky groupers disappeared from Bahia because of a decline in the population? b) Was it uncommon in Northeast Brazil? c) Did changes in water temperatures forced a movement southward?