Sailor’s Choice, Haemulon flavolineatum

Sailor’s Choice, Haemulon parra, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Miami, Florida, February 2022. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Aidan Perkins, Long Island New York.

Sailor’s Choice, Haemulon parra, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Miami, Florida, February 2022. Length: 14 cm (5.5 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of James Lafontaine, Long Island, New York.

Sailor’s Choice, Haemulon parra, Juvenile. Fish caught off the Dania Beach Pier, Dania Beach, Florida, April 2019. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches).  Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Sailor’s Choice, Haemulon parra. Fish caught off a coastal pier in Marathon, Florida, March 2014. Length: 24 cm (9.4 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ryan Crutchfield, Tampa, Florida.

Sailors Choice, Haemulon parra. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key West, Florida, August 2014. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Photograph courtesy of Dean Kimberly, Atlanta, Georgia.

Sailors Choice, Haemulon parra. Fish caught from coastal waters off Big Pine Key, Florida, April 2018. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Marc Eberlein, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Sailor’s Choice, Haemulon parra. Fish caught off a coastal pier in Key Largo, Florida, December 2013. Length: 29 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

The Sailor’s Choice, Haemulon parra, is a member of the Grunt or Haemulidae Family, that is known in Mexico as boquilla. Globally, there are twenty-one species in the genus Haemulon, and all twenty-one are found in Mexican waters, fourteen in the Atlantic and seven in the Pacific Ocean.

The Sailor’s Choice has an oblong compressed body with a depth that is 35% to 39% of standard length. They have a dull pearly gray coloration with a grayish belly. Each scale of the body has a distinct olive-brown spot that forms interrupted oblique and wavy streaks. They have a black spot on the lower edge of their gill cover. All their fins are dusky with the pectoral fin being lighter than the others. Juveniles have a series of brown longitudinal stripes and a dark spot at the base of their caudal fin. Their head has a sloping profile and a yellow line over the eyes. Their mouth is large and not as red as in other Grunts. Their body tapers to a notched caudal fin. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 8 rays; their dorsal fin is forked with 12 spines and 16 to 18 rays; their pectoral fins are moderately long; and, their pelvic fins are located behind the base of the pectoral fins.

The Sailor’s Choice is found in large mixed schools, which include various snappers, within shallow coastal reef environments at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). Juveniles inhabit seagrass beds and will enter brackish waters. They reach a maximum of 41 cm (16 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.51 kg (1 lb 2 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off the Seven Mile Bridge, Little Duck Key, Florida in February 2022. They are nocturnal carnivores feeding on small fish and mollusks. Reproduction occurs via pelagic eggs. The Sailor’s Choice is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Sailor’s Choice is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.

The Sailor’s Choice is most likely confused with the Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus (same body shape and general appearance; much smaller mouth) and the Gray Snapper, Lutjanus griseus (lacks forked tail). “Sailors Choice” is also used incorrectly by many to name the Pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides and the Pigfish, Orthopristis chrysoptera.

From a conservation perspective the Sailor’s Choices is currently considered to be Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are small in stature but viewed as excellent table fare. They are caught on a limited basis by commercial fishermen utilizing nets and traps and sold fresh. They are often encountered by divers as they are common on inshore reefs but normally flee.