Is grouper a saltwater fish or a freshwater fish? Let's make it clear in one go

Grouper is also known as shiban, kuaiyu, black catfish, etc. It lives in crevices among rocks by the sea. It is rich in nutrients, and its flesh is tender and white, similar to chicken, so it has long been known as "sea chicken." It is also called the carp of the sea; in fact, its edible value and taste are higher than those of carp, and it is more expensive than common fish. Now let's take a look at whether grouper is a saltwater fish or a freshwater fish!

Is grouper a saltwater fish or a freshwater fish?

There are both marine and freshwater groupers. Grouper mostly inhabits tropical and temperate seas, preferring sea areas with rocky reefs, gravel, and coral reef substrates near coastal islands. It generally does not form schools, and the water layer it inhabits rises and falls with changes in water temperature. Freshwater grouper can grow in freshwater and can also grow in seawater with a salinity below 10‰. In the Minjiang River system and tributaries of the Yangtze River in western China, there is also a native grouper with a relatively smaller body size.

What does grouper eat?

Grouper is a carnivorous, ferocious fish that ambushes benthic crustaceans, various small fish, and cephalopods. It likes calm water and fears waves, likes warmth and fears cold, and likes clear water and fears turbidity. It is often seen on the seabed at depths of 10-15 m, especially in areas with many rocky caves and corals. In summer it is distributed at depths of 10-30 m, and in midsummer it also appears at depths of 2-3 m. In autumn and winter, when water temperature drops, it swims to deeper waters of 40-80 m. Its suitable temperature range is 15-34°C, with the optimum water temperature being 22-28°C. It has a wide salinity tolerance and can survive in sea areas with salinity above 10‰.

What kinds of grouper are there?

1. Orange-spotted grouper: The orange-spotted grouper is a tropical middle- and lower-layer fish. It prefers sea areas with rocky reef substrates. It is ferocious in nature and likes to eat fish, shrimp, crabs, etc. When hungry, it cannibalizes its own kind. It can live in waters with salinity of 11-41‰ and is distributed in sea areas such as the East China Sea and South China Sea of China.

2. Red-spotted grouper: The red-spotted grouper is a warm-water middle- and lower-layer fish. Adults feed on fish, shrimp, and crabs. It is a hermaphrodite, with females maturing first. Artificial breeding has now been carried out. It is distributed in Taiwan, China, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, as well as India and Japan.

3. Green grouper: The green grouper is a warm-water middle- and lower-layer fish. Larvae and juveniles feed on plankton, and adults feed on fish, shrimp, crabs, etc. It is a hermaphrodite and is a species for shallow-sea aquaculture in China and Southeast Asia. It is distributed in Taiwan, China, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and Japan.

4. Oblique-banded grouper: The oblique-banded grouper is a euryhaline fish, mainly distributed in the Red Sea. It often inhabits continental coasts and large islands, but can also be found in estuaries and waters 100 m offshore.

5. Freshwater grouper: Freshwater grouper is native to Central America. It was introduced to Taiwan in 1988 and is a common freshwater aquaculture species in southern Taiwan. In 1996, aquaculture units in Guangdong and Jiangxi introduced it from Taiwan, and in 1999 it was introduced to the Jinan Freshwater Aquaculture Science Research Institute.