Fishy Business in the Florida Keys

It is more than likely that while visiting the Florida Keys, tourists like yourselves will go snorkeling and/or scuba diving and come across hundreds of fish species, and will probably not be able to name the majority of species if not experienced. While snorkeling through reefs located off the coast in Key Largo, there were several species that can easily be identified by looking at key features of the fish. Most of the fish species were smaller in the reef and lower on the food chain such as the Sergeant Major, Bermuda Chub, Yellowtail Snapper, Blue Striped Grunt, and the Bluehead. Along with the smaller species, there were some larger species that were spotted during the dives such as the Barracuda, Nassau Grouper, and the Stoplight Parrotfish. In most species, key characteristics set each apart and make it easy to identify which type of fish it is. The three most abundant of the small species resulted in being the Sergeant Major, Bermuda Chub, and the Yellowtail Snapper, which all look completely different and are the quickest to note. For the Sergeant Major, the fish has 5 black vertical stripes along its body and, at times, will also have some yellow spotting within the bars.

The Bermuda Chub was also abundant within the reef, with a body shaped roughly like a football, and a yellow stripe that sits alongside the gill plate also with yellow-white markings along the body.

For the last of the most abundant in small species noted to be seen in the reef, the Yellowtail Snapper, is the brightest of the three with the bright yellow tail and bright yellow bar horizontally along the mid section.

In the larger species that were seen, the Barracuda is most prevalent. It’s elongated body and intense set of teeth are very off putting and this fish is easily spotted from a distance. It is best to steer clear from these fish, to avoid being bitten if they feel threatened.

Overall, the islands are best known for their coral reefs and a booming snorkeling/diving businesses all along the coasts of the Florida Keys. With some knowledge of identifying key characteristics on fish, even beginners will be able to name the majority of fish species that reside in the local coral reefs.    

Florida Reef Fish Identification ,Snorkeling Companies in Key Largo

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