Gag Grouper

Mycteroperca microlepis

Gag Grouper
Photo credit: Robert Aguilar, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on Flickr

Status

Endangered

Physical 

The gag grouper is a brown-grey fish with dark blotchy markings on the body and dark lines around the eyes. They have dark fins with white edges on the anal (bottom) fin and tail. One characteristic feature is the serrated spur on the bottom of the cheek. Gag grouper are known as protogynous hermaphrodites. This means that they are all born female, and can change to male over time if no other males are present. Adults can grow up to 36 in (91.4 cm).

Image by Robert Aguilar, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on Flickr

Habitat

Their range includes North Carolina, the Yucatan Peninsula, and eastern Brazil. While juveniles have been spotted as far north as Massachusetts, they primarily live further south. Therefore, most gag grouper found in the Barnegat Bay are southern strays who made their way north. Juveniles live in estuaries and seagrass beds. Adults live offshore on rocky bottom or places with solid structures like reefs.

Feeding 

Gag grouper are predators who feed on fishes (including other gag grouper), crabs, shrimps, and cephalopods (squid). Juveniles feed mainly on small crustaceans (crab, shrimp) in shallow grass beds.

Uncover Other Inhabitants

UNKNOWN

There is limited data available to quantify Wetland and Riparian Buffer Preservation, or updated data to quantify Wetland Acreage. The BBP has obtained funding and will begin assessment efforts for both targets, in the next few years.

 

 Hard Clam abundance has not been updated since 2012. Recovery of the stock will be guided by the Fishery Management Plan for Hard Clams, which is under development with the NJDEP, BBP, and other organizations. Reclam the Bay and other partners have continued to plant clams for restoration purposes. Continued plantings in strategic locations which maximize survival and reproduction is one strategy to pursue in the coming years. This work can use a model developed by Rutgers with BBP funding which identified areas where planted clams could have the greatest dispersal of their larvae and thus potentially maximally contribute to the recovery of the stock.

 Water Withdrawals were over the target in the 2021 report; USGS has not yet completed its latest update, so a definitive determination of status is not available. However, additional NJDEP data show that it is likely that we continue to not meet the target. Per capita water use has gone down, demonstrating the effectiveness of water-saving appliances and practices, but that decrease has been offset by population gains. 


IN PROGRESS

New maps quantifying Submerged Aquatic Vegetation extent were developed, but poor image clarity resulted in a high degree of uncertainty in the total acreage. NJDEP and Rutgers are working to resolve the uncertainty of these maps, and improve the total acreage estimate. Funding has also been obtained for further research and restoration activities. Several groups are developing potential restoration actions.

The USGS has completed the first phase of its study to identify minimum ecological flows in select Barnegat Bay tributaries. USGS scientists compared streamflow statistics between historical and current time periods to better understand trends in watershed flow conditions. This work provides a foundation for developing ecological flow targets in the Barnegat Bay watershed.  Similar to SAV extent, funding (approximately $450K) has been obtained by the BBP to complete the remaining phases necessary for threshold determination.

 

TARGETS ACHIEVED

No targets can be considered “Achieved” at this time.

 

NOT ACHIEVING

Several Public Swimming Beaches exceeded their safe swimming standards more frequently than during their baseline time period (2016-2018).

While most beaches are routinely safe for swimming, several problematic areas such as Beachwood, Hancock, Windward, and several lake beaches need track-down studies and restoration to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

Acres of Approved Shellfish Waters decreased from the last report. While this decrease was small, it represents a loss of previously approved waters. Similar to public beaches, track-down studies and restoration work are needed to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

 

Gag Grouper

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Gag Grouper
Photo credit: Robert Aguilar, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on Flickr