Gulf Coney
Baqueta · also Cabrilla rosa
Hyporthodus acanthistius · Epinephelidae
- Category
- Grouper & Cabrilla
- Found in
- Pacific Baja, Sea of Cortez, Pacific Mainland
- IUCN status
- Vulnerable
- Mexico fish counts
- 24 counted
About Gulf Coney in Mexico
How to recognize it
The Gulf coney is a stout grouper with a dark red to reddish-brown head and body and pectoral fins darker than the body. Its best field mark is a prominent black streak like a mustache just above the upper jaw. It grows to about 3 feet, though most hooked fish are much smaller.
Where and when in Mexico
Known in Mexico as baqueta, and also as cabrilla rosa or cherna roja, it ranges from southern California to Peru and is common in the Sea of Cortez. It lives over rocky reefs and nearby sandy bottom, mostly in roughly 150 to 300 feet of water, and is uncommon in the shallows. A small number appear in Mexico Fish Reports' counts from Ensenada and San Felipe, logged under the older name “leatherback grouper.”
How it's fished
Most Gulf coney are caught by chance on deep bottom trips for other groupers and cabrillas, on dropper rigs or heavy jigs baited with squid, sardine or cut mackerel, or on live bait fished tight to the bottom.
Good to know
The IUCN lists the Gulf coney as Vulnerable, and like other deep groupers it is slow-growing and easily hurt by pressure changes. Releasing it with a descending device is the responsible choice.
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.
Where Gulf Coney are caught in Mexico
- Ensenada 21 counted · last Nov 2019
- San Felipe 3 counted · last Jun 2006
Fish counts by year
| Year | Kept | Released | Trips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 2006 | 18 | 0 | 3 |
From fish counts posted by the Mexican landings on Mexico Fish Reports. Years with no posted counts are not shown.
