According to a recent paper, an aquaculture escapee has become established in the coastal waters of Hainan Island, China. The Hulong Hybrid grouper is a cross between Epinephelus fuscoguttatus and Epinephelus lanceolatus and was first produced in Malaysia in 2007.
A popular food fish in Southeast Asia, the Hulong grouper, or Sabah Grouper, has high yields when farmed, but escapees have been sighted around Hainan Island for at least 12 years now, leading to a study confirming the first artificial hybrid marine fish to invade and establish a population in the wild.
“The growth and gonadal development status of this hybrid grouper indicate the long-term survival and population establishment of the Hulong hybrid grouper in the wild. The mechanisms of their introduction include unintentional escapees from the aquaculture industry as well as intentional releases.”
“The negative ecological impacts of the Hulong hybrid grouper on the biodiversity and ecosystem such as interspecies competition, disease transmission, and genetic pollution were further discussed.”
Super grouper
The Giant grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus, makes up one-half of the Hybrid grouper’s parentage, a fish capable of growing to 270cm/9 feet and weighing up to 400kg/880lb. Combine a huge predator with increased fecundity and hybrid vigor, and you have a super grouper that’s now been unleashed in the wild. This is one “species” we wouldn’t mind being overfished or eliminated in order to minimize its impact on natural habitats.
More info
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article, Front. Mar. Sci. Sec. Marine Ecosystem Ecology Volume 11 – 2024 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1438895/abstract
Main image credit by Calton Law.
