GAG GROUPER
Mycteroperca microlepis
English: gag grouper, charcoal belly, gag, gag-velvet rockfish and velvet rockfish
Spanish: abadejo, aguají, cuna, cuna aguají
Gag grouper are a mottled brownish gray in color with irregular square shaped patches on their sides. They have a large mouth and broad squared-off tail that provides a lot of swimming power. Their body has a 2:1 shape – that is they are trice as long as they are deep. Members of the sea basses family, they are shaped much like a freshwater black bass. As with many saltwater fish, they do have a sharp edge on their outer gill plates.
Gags can grow to more than 70 pounds, but are more common to 25 pounds. Most catches are fish in the five to ten pound range