A species of fish that inhabited the planet even before the dinosaurs lived in the south of São Paulo. The grouper has been swimming through the planet’s oceans for at least 12 million years and now it can be better studied by scientists, without needing blood samples.
The partnership between the Meros do Brasil Project and the Butantan Institute celebrates a new technology that will being able to analyze the animal, which is at risk, without using invasive methods.
“With the partnership with the Butantan Institute, we open a new chapter in the science of being able to research health and several other factors, such as contaminants and environmental quality where these animals are living, through the mucus, which is a slime that fish produce. We researchers consider as if it were a fish organ, because it is antifungal, antibacterial, they They can only live because of this mucus that they themselves produce”, explains Jonas Rodrigues Leite, executive manager of the Meros do Brasil Project.
The news was celebrated at the São Paulo Aquarium, which houses some specimens of the animal. The Meros do Brasil project is maintained by Petrobras.
“Before we were working with an invasive technique, who took blood from fish, with greater management. Now with mucus it’s much simpler”, says Leite.
Animal characteristics
The fish, the largest species of grouper in the Atlantic Ocean, can reach 2.5 meters in length and weigh more than 400 kilos, despite its robust size, the species is described as docile and faces severe risks due to illegal fishing.
The animal’s life cycle is marked by dependence on coastal ecosystems. The young develop in mangroves and, as adults, migrate to reefs and shores in the open sea, covering up to 400 kilometers for breeding clusters that occur between December and March.
Risk of extinction
The largest species of grouper in the Atlantic Ocean, the grouper is classified as critically endangered in Brazil, where its capture, transport and commercialization have been prohibited by law since 2002.
The animal has suffered a population decline of more than 80% in the last 65 years in Brazilian waters. The main threats include sea pollution, mangrove degradation, and predatory fishing during spawning periods.
