Fish Species Gulf of Mexico fishing charters

  Grey Triggerfish

Other Names :Trigger, Triggerfish, Common Triggerfish, Gray TriggerfishRange & Habitat :The gray triggerfish is found Gulfwide in offshore waters 40-200 feet deep. It is most common near wrecks, rocks, reefs, and offshore oil and gas platforms. Juveniles are often nearer to shore. It is most common in the northern Gulf.Identification & Biology :Triggerfish get their name from the large trigger-like first dorsal spine, followed by two smaller spines, the second of which can lock the large spine upright. The body of this species is deep and very compressed laterally. The color is a drab gray overall. Younger fish have several darker, blotchy bars that fade with age. They have tiny chisel-like mouths and sandpaper-like skin.

The gray triggerfish uses its powerful jaws and teeth to eat shelled animals such as barnacles, snapping shrimp, crabs, mussels, and sea urchins. It also eats planktonic larvae of fishes and crustaceans. Gray triggerfish are slow-growing, reaching sexual maturity at 12 inches and 3 years old. Females live longer and grow larger than males. Spawning takes place offshore in a guarded nest during the early summer months.Size :They average 1-3 pounds, but larger fish are not rare.Food Value :Excellent, but they are difficult to clean

  Dolphin

Other Names :Mahi Mahi, Dorado, DolphinfishRange & Habitat :Gulfwide in all blue waters. Most commonly found near seaweed patches and rips, and floating objects.Identification & Biology :This fish may be one of the most colorful fish in the open Gulf of Mexico. It is azure blue to emerald green on its back, with cadmium yellow sides and a lighter belly. These bright colors are quickly lost when the fish dies after being boated. The large colorful dorsal fin extends almost the length of the back. Large mature males develop blunt, vertical heads. This fish is difficult to separate from its less common relative, the pompano dolphin. The only sure way to do so is to inspect the shape of the tooth patch on the tongue. In dolphin it is round; in pompano dolphin it is noticeably squarish in shape.

If ever the motto ‘Live Fast — Die Young’ could be applied to a fish it would apply to the dolphin. It has an explosively fast growth rate. It may be the only fish for which scientists can measure their growth rate on a daily basis. In the Gulf of Mexico, dolphin grow at the rate of 5 inches per month, topping out at a maximum size of 42 - 5 feet in length in 2 years. Then they die! Scientists estimate that 100% of Gulf of Mexico dolphin die before they are 2 years old. Dolphin are eating machines. In the Gulf of Mexico and south Atlantic, they eat more triggerfish than anything else, followed by decapods (shrimp relatives), squid, jacks, and flying fish.

Dolphin begin spawning when they are almost 21 inches long, during their first year of life. In the Gulf, spawning occurs in the summer in high-salinity offshore waters at water temperatures of 75°F or higher. Particularly high numbers of larval (baby) dolphins have been found near the Mississippi River Delta. They spawn repeatedly during the season, laying 85 thousand to 12 million eggs per spawn, with larger fish producing more eggs.

More females than males are caught in the fishery. It seems that small fish of both sexes, and females of all sizes, spend more time around floating objects and seaweed rips, and are therefore easier to locate. Large males spend more time in open water traveling between female-dominated schools near floating cover. This makes females (and small dolphins) easier for fishermen to find and therefore catch.Size :Small schooling dolphin, mixed with pompano dolphin, average under 3 pounds. Larger fish commonly run to 20 pounds with large males growing to over 50 pounds.Food Value :Very good

  Goliath Grouper

Other Names :Jewfish, Spotted Jewfish, Giant Sea Bass, Goliath GrouperRange & Habitat :Goliath groupers are found Gulfwide, although apparently no spawning takes place in the northern or western Gulf. These fish form spawning aggregations of a few fish up to 100 fish, which have been found only off the southwest tip of Florida and in the Caribbean. They are now most common in these areas and uncommon elsewhere, although populations appear to be recovering. Very young goliath grouper are found inshore, in mangrove swamps, and even stagnant, brackish-water canals. Mangrove swamps seem to be very important for this life stage of the fish. Goliath grouper are not deepwater fish, almost never being found as deep as 150 feet. They strongly prefer cover such as large rock ledges, shipwrecks, and offshore oil and gas platforms.Identification & Biology :Adult goliath grouper (over 4 feet) are brown in color with darker brown spots on the body and fins. The spots on the tail fin are arranged in dark vertical bars. Young fish are generally lighter in color, with 5 dark vertical bands on the body. Goliath grouper, compared to other groupers, have a flatter head and small, beady eyes. Their fail-sure identifying feature is that all the spines in the spiny part of the dorsal fin are shorter than the soft part of the dorsal fin.

Adult goliath grouper will stake out a territory and show very little inclination to move, except to form spawning aggregations. They live to at least 37 years of age and grow very large, fueled by a diet heavy in crustaceans such as spiny lobsters, crabs, and slipper lobsters. They also eat some fish and at least two studies show sea turtles in their diet. Young goliath grouper also consume quantities of shrimp.

Their large size and territoriality make them very fearless and easy to approach by divers. Spearfishing is thought to be the chief cause of their overharvest from the offshore oil and gas platforms of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Until the 1960s, the recreational harvest of goliath grouper from other areas in the Gulf was quite limited. As the use of LORAN navigational systems spread to recreational fishermen and LORAN coordinates for shipwrecks and reefs were published in books and sportfishing magazines, fishing pressure on the fish increased. They are now under complete protection from harvest.Size :Goliath grouper will grow to over 7 feet in length and 700 pounds.Food Value :None; it is a protected species.