Anormalidades esqueléticas em meros

The Goliath grouper, Epinephelus itajara, is the largest serranidae of Atlantic Ocean, reaching over 350 kg. Due to overfishing and the loss of habitat, the species is included in the red list of threatened species of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Specimens collected in a shrimp farm in Northeast Brazil showed skeletal anomalies. The rate of fish with skeletal malformations was of 18.2%. This is the first report of skeletal anomalies in Goliath grouper.