The grouper species peacock hind (Cephalopholis argus) (Serranidae: Epinephelinae), a reef fish predator that is native over most of the IndoPacific region, was introduced to the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) in 1956 as part of an introduction program of snapper and grouper species intended to enhance nearshore fisheries (Randall, 1987). Today, this non-native predator occupies a dominant positio...

The objective of the current study was to determine acute plasma stress responses in two size groups of juvenile Epinephelus akaara (average body weight: 8.4±2.1 and 3.3±0.6 g; 150 and 120 days after hatch, respectively) exposed to abrupt salinity drops (from 34 practical salinity unit, PSU seawater to 18, 10 PSU (experiment 1) or 26, 18, 10 PSU (experiment 2), respectively). Plasma glucose, gl...

Survival of embryos largely depends on yolk processing during early development. Proteolytic enzymes, cathepsin B & D (ctsb & ctsd) are known to have some important roles in yolk processing of various fish species. Mature female red spotted groupers were injected with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) to induce ovulation. The fertilized eggs and embryos were sampled at 0, 4 and 24 HPF (hours p...