Credit: Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles
Family Serranidae
Description: brownish gray in color with dark worm-like markings on
sides; strong serrated spur at bottom margin of preopercle, less noticeable in
large specimens; fins dark, with anal and caudal having white margin; often
confused with black grouper; most noticeable differences are brassy spots on
black grouper; tail of gag is slightly concave, black grouper's tail is square;
gag has white margin on anal and caudal fins, black does not; under 10 pounds,
gag's spur on preopercle is distnctive, where black is gently
rounded
Similar fish: black grouper, M.
bonaci
Where found: adults offshore over rocks and reefs;
juveniles occur in seagrass beds inshore.
Size: common to 25
pounds
Remarks: forms spawning aggregations in water no shallower
than 120 feet in Middle Grounds area, January through March; current research to
identify similar aggregations off the Atlantic coast is ongoing; young gags are
predominantly female, transforming into males as they grow larger; feeds on fish
and squid
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