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Bank Sea Bass | Black
Grouper | Black Sea Bass | Gag | Jewfish | Nassau Grouper
Red Grouper | Rock Sea Bass | Scamp | Yellowfin Grouper | Yellowmouth Grouper
Bank Sea Bass ( Centropristis ocyurus)
| Description: pale olive or brassy brown in color
with indistinct black blotches that form vertical barrings (the blotch above pectoral fin
darker); wavy blue lines on head; lips purplish-blue; caudal fin tri-lobed on adults; edge
of nape unscaled.
Similar fish: rock sea bass, C. Philadelphica; other Centropristis. |
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| Where found: OFFSHORE in deep water with rocks and reefs.
Size:
usually 0.3 pounds (8 inches). |
Remarks: undergoes sex change, starting life as
female, changing to male after three or four spawining seasons; feeds on the bottom,
taking squid, crustaceans, and small fish. |
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Black Grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci)
| Description: olive or gray body coloration with
black blotches and brassy spots; gently rounded preopercle. (See Gag below)
Similar
fish: gag, M. microlepis; yellowfin grouper, M. venenosa. |
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| Where found: OFFSHORE species; adults associated with
rocky bottoms, reef, and drop-off 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. No Florida record because of identity confusion with gag,
which are mistakenly called :"black grouper." |
Remarks: spawns between May and August; protogynous
hermaphrodites, young predominantly female, transforming into males as they grow larger;
larger individuals generally in greater depths; feeds on fish and squid. |
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Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata)
| Description: basic color dark brown or black;
dorsal fin has rows and stripes of white on black; large males have iridescent blue and
ebony markings, and fatty hump in front of dorsal fin; females may have indistinct
vertical barrings; topmost ray of caudal fin much elongated in adults; caudal may be
tri-lobed; sharp spine near posterior margin of gill cover.
Similar fish: bank sea bass, C. ocyurus; other Centropristis. |
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| Where found: structure-loving fish, associated with
reefs and rubble OFFSHORE; smaller specimens often found in INSHORE finger channels.
Size: common to 1.5 pounds (13 inches). |
Remarks: spawns January through March; protogynous
hermaphrodites, older females becoming breeding males; omnivorous bottom feeders, diet
including small fish, crustaceans, and shellfish.
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Gag (Mycteroperca microlepis)
| 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 is square; gag has white margin on anal
and caudal fins, black does not; under 10 pounds, gag's spur or preopercle is distinctive,
where black is gently rounded.
Simliar fish: black grouper, M. bonaci. |
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| 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, tranforming into males as they grow larger; feeds on fish and squid.
Florida
record 71 lbs., 3ozs. |
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Jewfish (Epinephelus itajara)
| Description: head and fins covered with small black
spots; irregular dark vertical bars present on the sides of body; pectoral and caudal fins
rounded; first dorsal fin shorter than and not separated from second dorsal; adults huge,
up to 800 pounds; eyes small.
Similar fish: other grouper. |
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| 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 water.
Size:
largest of the groupers. |
Remarks: spawns over summer months; lifespan of 30
to 50 years; feeds on crustaceans and fish. NOTE: jewfish are totally protected from
harvest in Florida waters.
Florida record 680 lbs. |
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Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus)
| 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; black dots around the eyes; large
black saddle on caudal peduncle.
Similar fish: red grouper, E. morio. |
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| 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 overharvest. NOTE: all harvest of this
species is prohibited. |
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Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio)
| Description: color brownish red;
lining of mouth scarlet-orange; blotches on sides in unorganized pattern; second spine of
dorsal fin longer than others; pectoral fins longer than pelvic fins; squared-off tail;
margin of soft dorsal black with white at midfin; black dots around the eyes.
Similar
fish: Nassau grouper; E. striatus. |
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| Where found: bottom dwelling fish
associated with hard bottom; juveniles OFFSHORE along with adults greater than 6 years
old; fish from 1 to 6 years old occupy NEARSHORE reefs.
Size:
common to 15 pounds. |
Remarks: spawns in April
and May; prefer water temperatures between 66 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit; undergoes sex
reversal, young individuals female, becoming male as they age; lifespan of at least
24 years; feed on squid, crustaceans, and fish.
Florida record 39 lbs., 8 ozs. |
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Rock Sea Bass (Centropristis philadelphica)
| Description: color olive-brown or bronze, with dark
blotches forming vertical bars; dark black blotch on middle of dorsal-fin base; tip of
lower jaw purplish; bright blue and orange stripes and marking on head and fins; fully
scaled nape; tail tri-lobed in adults.
Similar fish: bank sea bass, C. ocyurus; other Centropristis. |
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| 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. |
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Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax)
| 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. interstitialis. |
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| 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; feeds on
small fish, squid, and crustaceans; undergoes sex transformation from female to male as it
becomes older.
Florida record 28 lbs. |
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Yellowfin Grouper (Mycteroperca venenosa)
| Description: color highly variable
greenish olive or bright red with longitudinal rows of 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. |
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| Where found: OFFSHORE on reefs
off southern portions of Florida
Size: common to 20 pounds. |
Remarks: undergoes sex reversal 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.
Florida record 34 lbs., 6 ozs. |
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Yellowmouth Grouper (Mycteroperca
interstitialis)
| 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. |
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| 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 reversal, young
individuals female, older individuals becoming male; young fish are bicolored, dark above
white below; feeds on small fish and crustaceans.
Florida record 28 lbs. |
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