Fish ID

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER

Description: uniformly dark brown, with no distinctive markings; dorsal fin with 10 spines; second spine very long (much longer than third); caudal fin squared-off; rear nostril larger than front nostril.

Young: caudal fin yellow; dark saddle on caudal peduncle; some whitish spots on body.

Size: to 1.8 m (6 ft.) and 263 kg (580 lbs.).

Habitat: deep rocky ledges and sea mounts, in 90-300 m (300-1000 ft.); young are sometimes caught in inshore waters.

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER

Description: color tan or brown with darker spots; spots, or a network of spots, fused into lines; distinct yellow wash behind the jaws; yellow around the eyes; outer edges of fins yellowish.

Similar fish: scamp, M. phenax.

Where found: OFFSHORE over reefs and rocks; not as common as scamp in the Gulf; range limited to southern Florida.

Size: common to 15 pounds.

Remarks: undergoes sex change, young individuals female, becoming male; young fish are bicolored, dark above, white below; feeds on small fish and crustaceans.

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER

Description: color highly greenish olive or bright red with longitudinal rows or darker black blotches over entire fish; outer one-third of pectoral fins bright yellow; lower parts of larger fish with small bright red spots.

Similar fish: black grouper, M. bonaci; other grouper.

Where found: OFFSHORE

Size: common to 20 pounds.

Remarks: undergoes sex change from female to male in latter part of life; specific name translates to “venomous,” alluding to the fact that this fish, perhaps more frequently than other groupers, is associated with ciguatera poisoning; feeds on fish and squid.

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER

Description: color light gray or brown; large adults with elongated caudal-fin rays; reddish-brown spots on sides that tend to be grouped into lines; some yellow around corners of mouth.

Similar fish: yellowmouth grouper, M. interstitalis.

Where found: NEARSHORE reefs off the northeastern coast, and on OFFSHORE reefs in the Gulf.

Size: generally smaller than gags or blacks.

Remarks: spawns in late spring; feed on small fish, squid, and crustaceans; undergoes sex transformation from female to male as it becomes older.

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER

Description: color brownish red; lining of mouth scarletorange; blotches on sides in unorganized pattern; second spine of dorsal fin longer than others; pectoral fins longer than pelvic fins; squaredoff tail; margin of soft dorsal black with white at midfin; black dots around the eyes.

Similar fish: nassau grouper, E. striatus.

Where found: bottom dwelling fish associated with hard bottom; juveniles OFFSHORE along with adults greater than 6 years old; NEARSHORE reefs.

Size: common to 15 pounds.

Remarks: spawns in April and May; prefer water temperatures between 66 and 77 degrees F; undergoes sex change, young individuals female, becoming male as they age, lifespan of at least 25 years; feeds on squid, crustaceans, and fish.

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER

Description: color light background with brown or red-brown bars on sides; stripe in shape of tuning fork on forehead; third spine of dorsal longer than second; pelvic fins shorter than pectorals; lack dots around the eyes; large black saddle on caudal peduncle.

Similar fish: red grouper, E. morio.

Where found: range limited to south Florida; somewhat site specific; smaller individuals NEARSHORE, adults OFFSHORE on rocky reefs.

Size: most catches under 10 pounds.

Remarks: forms large spawning aggregations, making this species highly vulnerable to over-harvest.

NOTE: all harvest of this species is prohibited.

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER
Description: olive or gray body coloration with black blotches and brassy spots; gently rounded preopercle; (see gag, next page) Similar fish: gag, M. microlepis; yellowfin grouper, M. venenosa.
Where found: OFFSHORE species; adults associated with rocky bottoms, reefs, and dropoff walls in water over 60 feet deep; young may occur INSHORE in shallow water.
Size: common to 40 pounds, may attain weights exceeding 100 pounds; they are mistakenly called “black grouper.”
Remarks: spawns between May and August; protogynous hermaphrodites, young predominately female, transforming
into males as they grow larger; larger individuals generally in greater depths; feeds on fish and squid.

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER

Description: brownish gray in color with dark worm-like markings on sides; strong serrated spur at bottom margin of preopercle, less noticeable in large specimens; fins dark, with anal and caudal having white margin; often confused with black grouper; most noticeable differences are brassy spots on black grouper; tail of gag is slightly concave, black grouper’s tail is square; gag has white margin on anal and caudal fins, black does not; under 10 pounds, gag’s spur on preopercle is distinctive, where black is gently rounded.

Similar fish: black grouper, M. bonaci.

Where found: adults OFFSHORE over rocks and reefs; juveniles occur in seagrass beds INSHORE.

Size: common to 25 pounds.

Remarks: forms spawning aggregations in water no shallower than 120 feet in Middle Grounds area, January through March; current research to identify similar aggregations off the Atlantic coast is ongoing; young gags are predominantly female, transforming into males as they grow larger; feeds on fish and squid.

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER

Description: head and fins covered with small black spots; irregular dark vertical bars present on the sides of body; pectoral and caudal fin rounded; first dorsal fin shorter than and not separated from second dorsal; adults huge, up to 800 pounds; eyes small.

Similar fish: other grouper.

Where found: NEARSHORE around docks, in deep holes, and on ledges; young often occur in estuaries, especially around oyster bars; more abundant in southern Florida than in northern waters.

Size: largest of the groupers.

Remarks: spawns over summer months; lifespan of 30 to 50 years; feeds on crustaceans and fish.

Florida record: 680 lbs.

NOTE: jewfish are totally protected from harvest in Florida waters.

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER

Description: color olive-bronze, with dark blotches forming vertical bars; dark black blotch on middle of dorsalfin base; tip of lower jaw purplish; bright blue and orange stripes and markings on head and fins; fully scaled nape; tail tri-lobed in adults.

Similar fish: bank sea bass, C. ocyurus; other Centropristis.

Where found: OFFSHORE; differs from other sea basses in that it is often found on sandy or muddy bottoms.

Size: small species, rarely more than 10 inches.

Remarks: spawns January through March; young adults are predominantly female, transforming into males as they grow older; maximum size about 10 inches.