Abstract

The present work attempts to elucidate the current knowledge of the Black grouper (locally known as “negrillo”), Mycteroperca bonaci, from the northern Yucatan Peninsula in terms of fishing, management, and conservation. In the Western Atlantic, M. bonaci is considered by the IUCN as near threatened. In the northern Yucatan Peninsula, it is second as fishing target after the Red grouper (Epinephelus morio). While studies on the biology of M. bonaci have been progressively done, there has been an lag in applying results from such studies for better delineate proper strategies on management and conservation for this grouper. In terms of fishing, it accounts almost 40% of the total catch for some fishing vessels of the long-line industrial fleet of the region and it is captured with spear gun by lobster fishers in the Alacranes Reef as an incidental catch. Unfortunately, there is not a fishery assessment to determine the status of its fishery and no management strategy has been selected and applied by fishery authorities other than just follow the “grouper ban” for the region considering a one month, year-round ban (February 15 to March 15). There has not been any attempt to address any conservation strategy in the Yucatan other than recently attempting to find and document its spawning aggregations in the Alacranes Reef National Park.

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