Red Grouper
Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio) is a saltwater species. The first thing to check: the second dorsal spine is the longest, giving the spiny dorsal a straight, unnotched top edge. The look-alike to rule out is Gag Grouper: gag are grey-brown with worm-like markings, a notched dorsal edge and a wavy dark margin on the tail.
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| Scientific name | Epinephelus morio |
|---|---|
| Also called | Rock cod, cherna americana |
| Water | Saltwater |
| Group | Grouper |
| Temperature | Holds at depth in water from about 62 to 80 °F. |
How to identify a Red Grouper
- The second dorsal spine is the longest, giving the spiny dorsal a straight, unnotched top edge.
- Rusty red-brown body with scattered white blotches and pale spots, and a squared-off tail.
- Black spots on and around the cheek, and a bright orange-red mouth lining.
If you would rather not work through a key on a wet deck, photograph the fish and let the app name it — you get the common and the scientific name back, and the record is filed before you release.
Fish it is mistaken for
| Species | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Gag Grouper | Gag are grey-brown with worm-like markings, a notched dorsal edge and a wavy dark margin on the tail. |
| Nassau Grouper | Nassau have a distinct black saddle on the tail base and bold dark bars. |
Side-by-side comparisons
Read the full entry for Gag Grouper and Nassau Grouper.
Where it lives
Gulf of Mexico, Florida and the south Atlantic. Excavates and holds in bottom depressions over hard and live bottom, usually in 60 to 400 feet.
Temperature
Holds at depth in water from about 62 to 80 °F.
The conditions that matter
Red grouper are territorial bottom fish that stay on a spot rather than roaming, so a GPS-stamped record of productive bottom is worth more here than on almost any other species. Current and moon phase influence how willing they are to come off the bottom to a bait.
Global Fishing League records 18 weather and water readings against every catch automatically — tide stage, barometric pressure, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, swell, current, moon phase and more, taken at your GPS position at the moment you log the fish. Over a season that turns a hunch about red grouper into a pattern you can read.
See every reading recorded with a catch, or the guides to what each reading means.
Size limits, bag limits and seasons
Size limits, bag limits, slot limits and seasons are set by your state wildlife agency — and for many offshore and migratory species by federal regulators — and on many waters they differ from the statewide rule. They also change between seasons. Check the current regulations for the exact water you are fishing before you keep a fish — we do not republish limits here, because a number that is a season out of date is worse than no number.
What the app does do is make your side of it accurate: every catch carries a length measured from the photograph, a GPS position and a timestamp, exportable if you ever need to show your work for a tournament or a record claim. It is also what a Global Fishing League entry is built from — a record that verifies itself, without publishing where you caught the fish.