The yellowfin grouper is a coral reef

Coral reef

Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...

 fish native to the western Atlantic, Caribbean Sea

Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....

, and Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...

. It is generally a denizen of the deeper reef areas but it may venture into shallower waters, especially during the cooler seasons.

The fish is variable in color but is usually similar in appearance to the Black Grouper

Black grouper

The black grouper is one of the best known of the large group of Perciform fish called groupers.-Description:The black grouper is a large marine fish, growing up to 150 centimetres in length and 100 kilograms in weight. It has an olive or gray body, with black blotches and brassy spots...

. It is distinguishable by the bright yellow trim on the pectoral fins. The yellowfin grouper is a hearty fish, often reaching 10 kilograms. It is considered quite tasty and is one of the more popular Gulf gamefishes. It has been known to be a cause of ciguatera toxin poisoning

Ciguatera

Ciguatera is a foodborne illness caused by eating certain reef fishes whose flesh is contaminated with toxins originally produced by dinoflagellates such as Gambierdiscus toxicus which lives in tropical and subtropical waters. These dinoflagellates adhere to coral, algae and seaweed, where they are...

, however. An attractive animal, the Yellowfin Grouper is a popular aquarium fish.

This species is one of the main catches in the fishing industry in Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

. It is considered overfished

Overfishing

Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....

, and is currently threatened in several areas.

External links

• Mycteroperca venenosa FishBase
  FishBase
  FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...
  
  . Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
• IUCN Red List 2004