Species profile
Black Grouper
Mycteroperca bonaci
At a glance
Black Grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) is an IUCN Near Threatened bony-fish species regulated in 4 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.
The strictest bag limit is 1 (Florida); the most generous is 4 (Florida).
Across 4 jurisdictions with stated minimum sizes, the average minimum is 24.0 in.
Confirmed by 235 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Florida, Texas, and New York the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Black Grouper can weigh over 100 pounds and exceed 4 feet in length.
- All Black Grouper begin life as females; some later transform into males.
- They can live over 30 years, making large adults especially valuable to protect.
- Black Grouper are ambush predators that inhale prey with a rapid, vacuuming strike.
- They are commonly found on coral reefs from Florida through the Caribbean.
Where Black Grouper are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Black Grouper
Background
The black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) is one of the best known of the large group of perciform fish called groupers. Other common names include black rockfish, bonaeci arara, and marbled rockfish. Other fish are sometimes called the black grouper including the similar gag grouper (Mycteroperca microlepis), the misty grouper (Epinephelus mystacinus), and the critically endangered Warsaw grouper…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Black Grouper article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other bony fish on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.