(Goode & Bean 1879); SERRANIDAE FAMILY; also
called black grouper, charcoal belly, cuna
aguají, badèche baillou, badejo-da-areia
The distribution of gag grouper extends in
the western Atlantic from North Carolina,
USA (with juveniles occurring as far north
as Massachusetts) to the Yucatan Peninsula,
Mexico; it is rare in Bermuda and absent
from the Caribbean and Bahamas. Gags are the
most common grouper on rocky ledges in the
eastern Gulf of Mexico. Juvenile gags reside
in estuaries and seagrass beds while adults
are usually found offshore on hard substrate
in water 60 – 250 feet deep (rarely to 152
m) and occasionally inshore on rocky or
grassy bottom. Adults are either solitary or
found in groups of 5 to 50 individuals.
The coloration is extremely variable but
generally brownish gray overall with a
pattern of dark, worm-like or kiss-shaped
markings along the sides. Gags can be
distinguished from black grouper,
Mycteroperca bonaci, that often occur in the
same habitat by the distinctive color
pattern and the shape of the preopercle. The
gag has a noticeably notched preopercle (the
middle bone of the gill cover) with a
distinct lobed appearance while black
grouper have an evenly rounded preopercle
with no definite lobe below.
Bottom fishing is the most effective method
of catching gag. Anglers commonly use depth
recorders to locate rocky outcrops and
irregular bottom where gags congregate,
anchoring when a likely area is located.
Wrecks and oil rigs in shallow shelf waters
of the Gulf also attract many gags. They are
an excellent light-tackle target for those
fishing relatively shallow waters and the
white flaky flesh of gags makes it excellent
eating.
Spawning aggregations of gags in the Middle
Grounds of the Gulf of Mexico from January
through March. Young gags are predominantly
female, transforming into males, as they
grow larger
