7-foot giant grouper fish found in Antique

Antiqueños have been passing on stories of a giant fish that was bigger than a man. But what was thought to be a tall tale was recently confirmed when a seven-foot giant grouper fish washed ashore in the province.

The incident was tackled during last Sunday's episode of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.

The fish was discovered by 50-year-old resident Jessie Cacam who saw the beached fish while collecting plastic bags along the bay.,

"Nakita ko ang isda, eh di kinuha ko. Pero hindi ko kayang buhatin kaya naghanap ako ng mga taong tutulong sa akin," Cacam recounted.,

The giant grouper fish is the largest of all coral reef dwelling bony fishes with the scientific name of "Epinephelus lanceolatus." It can grow as long as seven feet and weigh as much as 600 kilograms.

It is considered as a relative of the lapu-lapu, which is also called pugaro.,
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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had listed the giant grouper as "vulnerable" on the Red List Category and Criteria.

According to University of Antique College of Fisheries dean Dr. Romeo Caturao, the grouper found in the province might have swimming near the shore because of the change in the seas' salinity.

"Ang sudden change of salinity, masi-stress iyong isda tapos mamatay," Caturao explained.

A giant grouper fish can be aggressive. A specimen had snatched a smaller shark from a fisherman's hook off the coast of Florida, The Guardian news site reported. — Trisha Macas/DVM/NB, GMA News