Mycteroperca venenosa
Caribbean grouper with oval clusters of dark spots and a yellow pectoral fin tip. Near Threatened worldwide, it has closed seasons in Puerto Rico and Mexico and is closely linked to ciguatera.
Also called: badejo-ferro, serigado-ferro, yellowfin grouper
The badejo-ferro (guajil), called yellowfin grouper in English, lives in the western Atlantic, from Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to São Paulo. Adults stay on coral and rock reefs, usually at 5 to 35 m, and juveniles in shallow seagrass beds. It has two color forms: a greenish one from shallow water and a reddish one from deeper waters. It eats mostly reef fish and squid. It grows slowly and lives up to about 15 years, which makes it sensitive to fishing; the IUCN rates it Near Threatened. It takes natural bait and jigs near the bottom and sometimes strikes trolling baits at the surface. In the Caribbean it is one of the species most often cited in ciguatera cases.
Robust body, olive-green or reddish, with rounded dark spots grouped into ovals on the head and body. The outer third of the pectoral fin is bright yellow, the easiest mark. In Brazil the name badejo-amarelo is used in the regulations for another species, Mycteroperca interstitialis, which is brown and has yellow around the mouth. The badejo-quadrado has rectangular blotches and no yellow pectoral fin.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
In Brazil, the literature records the species as far as São Paulo, on reefs and shoals; it is easily confused with other groupers.
Habitat: Coral and rock reefs; juveniles in shallow seagrass beds.
coast
states
Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo
In the Caribbean, Puerto Rico closes fishing from February to April, and Mexico from February to March. Brazil has no specific closed season.
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Hunts by day, with peaks at dawn and in the late afternoon.
A tropical reef fish; cold fronts reduce its activity.
A churned sea after a cold front shuts down bottom fishing.
Effect poorly known; spring tides move more bait on the reef.
Little effect at depth.
Not applicable at sea.
Anchor and hull knocking on the reef scare fish.
Strong wind makes it hard to hold position over the spot.
Moderate current activates feeding at the reef edge.
Usually 5 to 35 m.
lures
natural baits
accessories
On feeling the strike, lift the fish in the first few meters: once it is in its hole, it cuts the line on the coral.
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Near Threatened in the global assessment, which has no legal effect in Brazil. We found no specific Brazilian federal rule for the species.
In Puerto Rico, fishing for badejo-ferro (guajil) is prohibited from February 1 to the end of April, and fish caught must be returned to the sea, alive or dead. In federal waters around the island, beyond 9 miles, the same period applies to yellowfin, red, black, tiger and yellowedge grouper.
In Mexico, catching all grouper species, a group in which the official standard includes the badejo-ferro (cuna de piedra), is prohibited from February 1 to March 31 in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean off Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, up to the Belize border. Bottom longlines are also prohibited during the period.
In federal waters around Puerto Rico, beyond 9 miles from the coast, the recreational angler may keep a maximum of 5 fish per day from groupers, snappers and parrotfish combined (up to 15 per boat when there are 3 or more people aboard). The limit does not apply to anyone with a commercial license from Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
If it comes from more than 15 to 20 m, use a descender. Support its belly and do not hold large fish by the mouth alone.
White, prized flesh, but it is one of the species most associated with ciguatera in the Caribbean: follow local guidance on size and area before eating it.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01096, b = 3.04; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana para o gênero e o formato do corpo, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
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