venezuelan grouper
Mycteroperca cidi · Epinephelidae · predator
Grouper of shallow reefs of the South American Caribbean, reaching 114 cm. It is sold fresh and has little presence in recreational fishing.
Also called: badejo-venezuelano, cherna blanca, cuna blanca, venezuelan grouper
- maximum
- 114 cm
- record/max.
- 15.0 kg
- depth
- 5–8 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the venezuelan grouper
who is the venezuelan grouper
Fish of the family Epinephelidae, the family of the groupers. It reaches 114 cm and 15 kg. Juveniles live in shallow waters, over sand near reefs and seagrass. Large adults are fished between 20 and 40 m. It eats fish and crustaceans, like the other groupers. It occurs mainly off the coast of Venezuela and has recent records in Jamaica. It goes fresh to market and is of no great importance to recreational fishing.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the venezuelan grouper; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Adults greyish brown and juveniles greenish brown, with irregular brown blotches over the body. The soft dorsal and anal fins have a white edge and a dark band just below. The forehead is convex between the eyes, and the preopercle has large serrations at the angle. It looks like the black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) and the yellowfin grouper (Mycteroperca venenosa), which live in the same region, so juvenile colour is the best clue.
where found
It occurs in the Caribbean, mainly off the coast of Venezuela, with records in Jamaica, Colombia and Trinidad.
Habitat: Shallow reefs and sand bottoms with seagrass; large adults between 20 and 40 m.
rules for the venezuelan grouper
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It has no venomous spine. It is a large reef fish, so handle with care, without holding it by the mouth.
in the kitchen
It is sold fresh at the market.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00912, b = 3.05; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Mycteroperca cidi (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Mycteroperca cidiNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: