A 1996 review of the term's history from its first recorded usage in 1697 concluded that the species' physical characteristics were frequently connected to "mainstay caricatures of anti-Semitic beliefs", whereas the interpretation that the fish was regarded as kosher food had little support.

[6] Alternate explanations include derivation from the Italian word "giupesce", which means "bottom fish", or mispronunciation of the name "jawfish".

[9] The species ranges in coloration from brownish yellow to grey to greenish and has small black dots on the head, body and fins.

[10] Atlantic goliath groupers are highly susceptible to rapid population decline due to overfishing and the exploitation of spawning aggregations.

[17] High mercury concentrations in older males may lead to liver damage and/or death and reduce egg viability.

[18] The degradation of mangroves, which serve as an important nursery habitat for the species provide a major threat to juvenile survival.

Recreational fishing of the species would be permitted in all state waters except those of Palm Beach County south through the Atlantic coast of the Keys.

[19] The proposal was approved in March 2022, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission planning to issue 200 permits per year through a lottery system, which came into effect in the spring of 2023.