(DRAFT) - Taxonomy
Species grouper, black
Species Id M010410
Date 27 AUG 96
TAXONOMY
NAME - grouper, black
OTHER COMMON NAMES - black grouper, marbled rockfish, black rockfish, snider grouper, carbarita and junefish
ELEMENT CODE -
CATEGORY - Fish
PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - Chordata,
CLASS AND SUBCLASS - Osteichthyes,
ORDER AND SUBORDER - Perciformes,
FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - Serranidae,
GENUS AND SUBGENUS - Mycteroperca,
SPECIES AND SSP - bonaci,
SCIENTIFIC NAME - Mycteroperca bonaci
AUTHORITY - Poey, 1860
TAXONOMY REFERENCES - 200
Taxonomy - 1 (DRAFT) - Status
Species grouper, black
Species Id M010410
Date 27 AUG 96
STATUS
Coded Status
Sport Fish
REFERENCES FOR STATUS - 200
COMMENTS ON STATUS -
Black groupers are actively sought by both commercial and recreational
fishermen throughout their geographic ranges. In south Florida, ciguatera
(poisoning from consumption of tropical fishes) is endemic. Many of the
reported cases from black grouper are reallly from incorrectly identified
fish smuggled in from the Bahamas, where ciguatera is much more common.
Life history data, especially on feeding habits, of the species implicated
are need to help prevent ciguatera. The toxin causes gastrointestinal,
cardiovascular, and neurological disturbances resulting in prolonged
disability and long and expensive recovery periods.*200*
Despite their economic importance, available information on the life history
of black and Nassau groupers is grossly inadequate for effective management
of the fishery. Few studies have been published on the biology of the
groupers and are mainly focused on tagging programs that describe movement
patterns.*200*
Status - 1 (DRAFT) - Distribution
Species grouper, black
Species Id M010410
Date 27 AUG 96
DISTRIBUTION
Distribution - 1 HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS
NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY CODES
NWI NWICLS NWIMOD NWISPEC
Marine RB.
Marine RF.
Estuarine AB3
REFERENCES FOR NWI - 200
COMMENTS ON HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS -
Like most species of groupers, the black, red and Nassau groupers are
secretive, occupying caves, ledges and crevices on reefs and shipwrecks.
The larger fish generally occupy the lower part of the depth range.*200*
The black grouper lives over rocky bottoms, coral reefs, and drop-off
walls; fish longer than about 65 cm TL are generally restricted to water
deeper than 20 m and small young of the year are usually in shallower
water.*200*
Habitat Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species grouper, black
Species Id M010410
Date 27 AUG 96
FOOD HABITS
TROPHIC LEVEL -
CARNIVORE
REFERENCES FOR TROPHIC LEVEL - 202
LIFESTAGE FOOD FOOD PART
General Crustaceans Not Specified
General Squid, Octopus Not Specified
General Fish Not Specified
REFERENCES FOR GENERAL FOOD - 202
COMMENTS ON FOOD -
All the groupers are carnivorous, feeding mainly on fishes, larger
crustaceans, and occasionally on cephalopods.*202* Black groupers are less
intimately associated with the bottom, and have more slender bodies and
bwtter developed canine teeth than do the red or the Nassau groupers,
suggesting a predominately piscivorous diet. Reported stomach contents
include clupeoid fishes, grunts, and coronet fish. Both black and red
groupers have been reported to prey on pink shrimp, Penaeus duorarum.*200*
Food Habits - 1 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species grouper, black
Species Id M010410
Date 27 AUG 96
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G = General A = Adult
LIM = Limiting RA = Resting Adult
J = Juvenile FA = Feeding Adult
RJ = Resting Juvenile BA = Breeding Adult
FJ = Feeding Juvenile P = Pupae
L = Larvae E = Egg
RL = Resting Larvae
FL = Feeding Larvae
LIFESTAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
FJ Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Rooted aquatic vegetation
G Water Depth Preference: Specified in Comments
G Coastal Features: Reefs
REFERENCES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 200
REFERENCES FOR FEEDING JUVENILE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 200
COMMENTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS -
Most grouper species apparently migrate vertically as they grow, the larger
fish living at progressively greater depths. However, adult groupers may
stay in the vicinity of specific reefs for long periods. Black groupers
tagged and released in inshore reefs in the Florida Keys displayed strong
home-reef specificity, and "even a hurricane failed to disrupt their
residence".*200*
COMMENTS ON RESTING JUVENILE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
Juveniles of grouper species are commonly found in inshore seagrass beds in
south Florida, and are often caught in shallower waters than those occupied
by adults.*200*
Environment Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species grouper, black
Species Id M010410
Date 27 AUG 96
LIFE HISTORY
Morphology:
The black grouper is a large species of Mycteroperca with a robust body,
relatively large scales, and rounded preopercle. The first three dorsal
spines are low, not forming an elevated lobe. Gill rakers are moderate in
length. The exposed surface of the maxilla is scaled. The upper lip is
broad, as wide as or wider than the shaft of the maxilla at the midpoint of
the supramaxillary groove. It is distinguished by its more elongated body,
which is not deepest at the origin of the dorsal fin, and in having 12,
sometimes 13, soft anal-fin rays. It differs from other species of
Mycteroperca in having a gently rounded preopercle, with no definite lobe
and only a slightly emarginated notch, and from other serranids in having
the bases of the soft dorsal and anal fins covered by scales and thick
skin.*200*
Color:
This species can change its body coloration and color pattern over a wide
range, from light tan or gray ground color with rows of rectangular darker
blotches, to dark reddish gray with short dark bands, to whitish with a few
dusky bars on the fin margins. In general, the appearance of the black
grouper resembles the yellowfin grouper (M. venenosa) and the gag (M.
microlepis), but the black grouper can be distinguished by its straighter
posterior caudal margin and rows of rectangular dark blotches on the body.
Blotches are larger and more quadrangular and regularly aligned in the black
grouper than in the yellowfin grouper; in addition, each pectoral fin of the
black grouper has a narrow orange margin, whereas each of those in the
yellowfin grouper has a broad yellow margin that sharply contrasts with the
spotted basal portion.*200*
Size:
Black groupers can reach total lengths greater than 1 m and weights of over
65 kg, but most of those caught range up to 70 cm TL and about 26 kg in
weight.*200*
Sex Reversal and Spawning:
Most serranids are protogynous hermaphrodites (fish are first females and
then change into males), and the sex of an individual cannot be accurately
determined unless it is ripe. There is differential distribution by sex in
black and Nassau groupers, but not in red groupers. The black grouper has
been reported to spawn off Puerto Rico in February and has been observed in
spawning condition in the Campeche Bank area in July and August. Off
Bermuda, spawning extends from May to early August; females may weigh up to
22.7 kg, but larger fish are usually males.*200*
REFERENCES FOR LIFE HISTORY- 200
Life History - 1 (DRAFT) - Management Practices
Species grouper, black
Species Id M010410
Date 27 AUG 96
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
RESULT MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Beneficial Providing artificial nesting/spawning sites
Existing Regulating harvest - setting size limits
Existing Regulating commercial harvest gear types
REFERENCES FOR BENEFICIAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 200
REFERENCES FOR EXISTING MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 200
COMMENTS ON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES -
The minimum size for any species (including species such as scamp and gag)
is 18 inches total length. New gear restrictions prohibit use of longline
nets and stab nets (also called sink nets) off the Atlantic coast of
Florida.
Artificial reef programs designed to improve recreational fishing in the
ocean have become popular in recent years; most activity in United States
waters has been in Florida. Artificial reefs consisting of a wide variety
of materials, ranging from abandoned vessels to designed and prefabricated
structures and even junk (debris, large appliances, etc.), have been placed
on the coasts of Florida (greatest activity has been in Dade County). A
controversy exists as to the best depths for artificial reefs. Among the
recreational fishermen, there seems to be a consensus favoring water about
73 m deep, where diving and spearfishing are discouraged and reefs tend to
attract large fish. The long-term effect of artificial reef placement would
seem to be that recreational catches of groupers would improve, perhaps in
some proportion to the numbers and kinds of artificial reefs installed. It
is not known if artificial reefs increase fish populations or just
redistribute them.
Size limits that maximize yield per recruit for gonochoristic (bisexual)
species would probably allow continued adequate reproduction of that species
regardless of fishing mortality if release-related mortality is low.
Protection of reproduction occurs because the size limit that maximizes
yield per recruit appears mathematically related to the downward inflection
of the von Bertalanffy growth curve. The inflection usually occurs at the
initial age of sexual maturity when the fish's energy is partially diverted
from somatic growth to reproduction. Thus, size limits that maximize yield
per recruit usually allow attainment of sexual maturity.*202*
Management Practices - 1 (DRAFT) - References
Species grouper, black
Species Id M010410
Date 27 AUG 96
References
200 * Jory, Darryl, Iverson, Edwin. 1989. Species Profiles: Life
Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and
Invertebrates (South Florida)--Black, Red and Nassau Groupers.
Fish and Wildlife Species Profiles 82(11.110) (ed.). Fish and
202 * Polovina, Jeffrey (Ed.) and Stephen Ralston (Ed.). 1987.
Tropical Snapper and Groupers: Biology and Fisheries Management.
Polovina, J. and Ralston, S. (ed.). Westview Press Boulder, CO
and London, England:659.
References - 1