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Species Directory

Gulf Grouper

Overview Conservation & Management Resources
Gulf grouper are large, long-lived, and top-level predatory fish that live in shallow, coastal areas during their first 2 years of their life before moving on to rocky reefs and kelp beds. Learn more about gulf grouper fish.

Gulf Grouper

Mycteroperca jordani

640x420-Gulf-Grouper.jpg

Protected Status

ESA Endangered - Foreign
Throughout Its Range

Quick Facts

Weight
Up to 200 pounds
Length
Up to 5 feet
Lifespan
Up to 48 years
Threats
Bycatch, Habitat degradation, Habitat loss, Overfishing
Region
Foreign
Photo showing side profile of gray gulf grouper fish at the ocean bottom. Silhouette of another fish can see seen in the background to the right. Gulf grouper. Credit: Octavio Aburto, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Gulf grouper. Credit: Octavio Aburto, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

About the Species

Photo showing side profile of gray gulf grouper fish at the ocean bottom. Silhouette of another fish can see seen in the background to the right. Gulf grouper. Credit: Octavio Aburto, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Gulf grouper. Credit: Octavio Aburto, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Gulf grouper are large fish that live in shallow, coastal areas including estuaries, bays, and mangroves as juveniles, before moving on to rocky reefs and kelp beds as adults. They are late-maturing, long-lived, top-level predators found from Mazatlan, Mexico, to the Gulf of California and rarely along the outer southern coast of Baja California. 

Gulf grouper used to be common in the Gulf of California, but they became scarce, because commercial and recreational fisherman could easily catch them. All harvest of gulf grouper is currently prohibited in the United States. 

Gulf grouper are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to the conservation of gulf grouper. Our scientists use a variety of innovative techniques to study and protect this species.

Population Status

Gulf grouper were once considered abundant but are now considered rare. Their abundance has severely declined since the mid-20th century primarily because of direct harvest by commercial and artisanal fisheries. In the Gulf of California, gulf grouper were once abundant and represented approximately 45 percent of the artisanal fishery in 1960. This number declined to 10 percent by the 1970s, and gulf grouper now make up less than 1 percent of the fishery. Commercial landings of gulf grouper from the Pacific Ocean (U.S. vessels fishing in Mexican waters) peaked in the early 1950s, before the population declined to near commercial extinction by 1970. Based on recent fishery independent surveys and fisheries data, the gulf grouper has not recovered and is still considered very rare in the Pacific Ocean portion of its range. . Current gulf grouper distribution appears to be much more limited than their historical range.

Appearance

Gulf grouper are large and heavy-bodied. They are dark brown to gray.

Behavior and Diet

Gulf grouper eat many types of prey. They ambush and swallow prey whole using suction created by their protruding mouth. The size of their mouth determines the type of fish they eat. Adults eat only fish, while young grouper eat many different fish and invertebrates (e.g., shrimp and crabs).

Gulf grouper prefer to hunt at dawn and dusk when it is less bright and more prey are available. This timing could help them save energy when ambushing their prey.

Where They Live

Gulf grouper are found throughout the Gulf of California, to Mazatlán, Sinaloa (Mexico). They are naturally rare north of Bahía Magdalena in southern Baja California. There are a few records from extreme southern California but these are considered waifs.

Young grouper inhabit shallow, coastal habitats, such as mangroves and estuaries. Adult gulf grouper are mainly found around rocky reefs, underwater mountains, and kelp beds. They inhabit waters 16 to 100 feet deep during the summer months.

gulf grouper species range map World map providing approximate representation of the Gulf grouper's range.

Lifespan & Reproduction

Gulf grouper live for up to 48 years. Female gulf grouper become sexually mature when they are 6 years old. Gulf grouper are also likely protogynous hermaphroditic, which means that some or all individuals first mature as females and later transition into males. 

Adult gulf grouper gather in small to large groups to reproduce. They gather at reefs and underwater mountains and form spawning aggregations from April to June. Historically, spawning aggregations involved hundreds of individuals, whereas only smaller aggregations of tens of individuals have been observed within marine reserves in recent years.

Threats

Bycatch 

Gulf grouper become bycatch when they are harvested in a fishery but not sold or kept for personal use. Shrimp trawler fisheries sometimes catch juvenile gulf grouper by mistake. 

Habitat Degradation

Habitat degradation threatens gulf grouper. Activities that may degrade their habitat include the release of contaminants, such as urban runoff, wastewater, or oil and gas spills. Pollution can also reduce the amount of oxygen in the water or deliver chemicals that are toxic to these fish. 

Habitat Loss

Gulf grouper need healthy reefs to eat, reproduce, and grow, but development and chemical spills can  destroy reefs. Physical barriers, such as shoreline and offshore development can also threaten gulf grouper by limiting their access to important breeding or feeding areas. Juvenile gulf grouper inhabit mangrove forests, which have been heavily impacted by coastal development and pollution in Mexico.

Overfishing

Direct harvest of gulf grouper, especially at spawning aggregation sites, is the biggest threat to the species. The life cycle of gulf grouper makes them especially vulnerable to overfishing. First, adult gulf grouper gather in large groups at the same time every year to reproduce. Because this behavior is so predictable, they become easy targets for fishermen. Additionally, gulf grouper likely start life as females but later transition into males. Fisherman often target males because they are older and larger than females. This means that there are fewer male groupers, which can reduce spawning activity and successful reproduction. .

In areas with recreational fishing, fishermen catch gulf grouper. Even if these fisherman release grouper, they can still die from the injuries or stress caused by their capture.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Perciformes
Family Epinephelidae
Genus Mycteroperca
Species jordani

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 06/10/2024


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Related Species

Side-profile illustration of a gag grouper fish with brownish gray body and darker brown splotchy marks along the side. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jack Hornady

Gag Grouper

640x427-island-grouper.jpg

Island Grouper

Side-profile illustration of a black grouper fish with olive gray body and black blotches. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jack Hornady

Black Grouper

640x427-Nassau-Grouper.jpg

Nassau Grouper

Management Overview

Gulf grouper is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Image
750x500-gulf-grouper2.jpg
Gulf grouper. Credit: Octavio Aburto, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Conservation Efforts

Reducing Commercial and Recreational Fishing Impacts in the United States

There is currently no fishery for gulf grouper in the United States, where possession is prohibited. Gulf grouper may be caught incidentally as bycatch in various fisheries using hooks and lines, longlines, or traps.

Protecting Important Habitats

NOAA Fisheries protects important gulf grouper habitat through the ESA and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Working with these statutes, we can conserve important seagrass, mangrove, and reef habitats.


Regulatory History

In 2013, we received a petition from WildEarth Guardians to list the gulf grouper as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. On February 24, 2014, we published a notice that listing may be warranted for the gulf grouper and nine other fish species. We published the proposed rule to list the gulf grouper as endangered under the ESA on September 23, 2015. We published the final rule to list the gulf grouper as endangered under the ESA on October 20, 2016.

Key Actions and Documents

Actions & Documents

Final Rule To List the Island Grouper (Mycteroperca fusca) as Threatened and the Gulf Grouper (Mycteroperca jordani) as Endangered Under the

We, NOAA Fisheries, issue a final rule to list two foreign grouper species under the Endangered Species Act. We considered comments submitted on the proposed listing rule and have determined that the gulf grouper (Mycteroperca jordani) and the island…
  • Final Rule (81 FR 72545, 10/20/2016)
  • Proposed Rule (80 FR 57314, 09/23/2015)
  • 90-Day Finding (79 FR 10104, 02/24/2014)
  • Status Review for Island Grouper (Mycteroperca fusca)
  • Status Review for Gulf Grouper (Mycteroperca jordani)
  • Petition to List 81 Marine Species Under the Endangered Species Act (PDF, 538 p…
Final Rule,
National
Effective
November 21, 2016

More Information

  • Endangered Species Conservation
  • Endangered Species Permits and Authorizations

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 06/10/2024

Documents

Document

Status Review of the Gulf Grouper (Mycteroperca jordani)

This status review of the gulf grouper (Mycteroperca jordani) will be presented in six sections…

West Coast
More Documents

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 06/10/2024

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