Island Grouper
Mycteroperca fusca
Protected Status
Quick Facts
About the Species
The island grouper is a shallow water fish that is found off the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores, and Cape Verde. The island grouper is listed as threatened throughout its range under the Endangered Species Act.
Where They Live
The island grouper is a subtropical, demersal species that is endemic to volcanic archipelagos of Macaronesia: Canary (Spain), Madeira and Azores (Portugal), and Cape Verde. This species is characterized as having both a “restricted” geographic range (i.e., less than 800,000 km2) and a “narrow” depth range (i.e., < 30 m). The island grouper is found predominantly near rocky or sandy-rocky sea-beds.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Chordata | Class | Actinopterygii | Order | Perciformes | Family | Epinephelidae | Genus | Mycteroperca | Species | fusca |
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Management Overview
The island grouper is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Regulatory History
In 2013, we received a petition from WildEarth Guardians to list the island grouper as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. On February 24, 2014, we published a notice that listing may be warranted for the island grouper and nine other fish species. We published the proposed rule to list the island grouper as threatened under the ESA on September 23, 2015. We published the final rule to list the island grouper as threatened under the ESA on October 20, 2016.
Key Actions and Documents
More Information
Documents
Status Review for Island Grouper (Mycteroperca fusca)
This report is the status review for the island grouper. This report summarizes the best available…