Black Grouper
Cherna negrillo · also Abadejo negro
Mycteroperca bonaci · Epinephelidae
- Category
- Grouper & Cabrilla
- Found in
- Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean
- IUCN status
- Near Threatened
About Black Grouper in Mexico
How to recognize it
Despite the name, the black grouper is usually olive to gray, patterned with dark, rectangular blotches and fine brassy hexagons that look like chain links. The edge of the tail and the soft fins carry a narrow dark border, often bluish. The yellowfin grouper is similar but has yellow-tipped pectoral fins, and the gag tends to show worm-like marks rather than squared blotches.
Where and when in Mexico
Known as cherna negrillo or abadejo negro, this big grouper lives on the coral reefs and rocky ledges of the Mexican Caribbean and the southern Gulf. Reef walls and drop-offs off Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos and the Mahahual coast hold fish, as do the offshore ledges of the Campeche Bank. It can be caught through the year, and large fish are present wherever reefs are less pressured. Typical catches weigh 10–40 pounds, with heavier fish possible on remote reefs.
How it's fished
Captains drop live bait such as grunts, pinfish or small jacks on heavy tackle near reef edges, or slow-troll big deep-diving plugs along the reef wall, a method that produces many of the bigger fish. Vertical jigs also take them. The fight is short and brutal; a black grouper that reaches a ledge is usually lost, so drags are set tight.
Good to know
Groupers in many parts of the Caribbean carry some ciguatera risk, and the biggest individuals pose the greatest concern, so local advice on which fish to keep is worth heeding. Black groupers grow slowly and are sensitive to fishing pressure; releasing large spawners helps sustain the reefs.
Fishing rules in Mexico
- General limit: 10 fish per angler per day, max 5 of one species
Source: NOM-017-PESC-1994 §4.9.1 (2013 mod.). Rules change; confirm current limits, seasons and permits with CONAPESCA before you fish.
