Red Grouper
Cherna americana · also Mero americano
Epinephelus morio · Epinephelidae
- Category
- Grouper & Cabrilla
- Found in
- Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean
- IUCN status
- Vulnerable
About Red Grouper in Mexico
How to recognize it
A stout, reddish-brown grouper with scattered small white spots and faint pale blotches on the sides, and tiny dark dots around the eye. The margin of the tail is almost square, and the second dorsal spine is the longest, which gives the front of the fin a slightly peaked profile. The inside of the mouth is often red or orange, a useful check when comparing it to other groupers.
Where and when in Mexico
Officially cherna americana and widely called mero in Yucatán, the red grouper is the backbone of the Campeche Bank fishery, the wide shelf off the Yucatán Peninsula worked by fleets from Progreso, Sisal, Celestún, Campeche and Ciudad del Carmen. It also occurs off Veracruz and Tamaulipas and, less abundantly, along the Caribbean coast. Adults live over limestone ledges, holes and hard bottom, often in moderate depths. Recreational anglers find most fish in the 5–15 pound range.
How it's fished
Bottom fishing is the standard approach: cut fish, squid or whole sardine on circle hooks with heavy sinkers dropped onto rocky patches, with a strong rod to turn the fish before it reaches a hole. Charter boats out of Progreso and Campeche also catch them on vertical jigs, and some anglers slow-troll deep-diving plugs over hard bottom.
Good to know
Mexico closes red grouper fishing on the Yucatán Peninsula during part of the spawning season; check current rules before booking a trip. Years of heavy commercial harvest have reduced the Campeche Bank stock, so selective harvest and venting deep-caught fish for release are worthwhile.
Fishing rules in Mexico
- Seasonal closure for Gulf groupers reported Feb-Mar - verify
- General limit: 10 fish per angler per day, max 5 of one species
Source: Verify with CONAPESCA; NOM-017-PESC-1994 §4.9.1 (2013 mod.). Rules change; confirm current limits, seasons and permits with CONAPESCA before you fish.
