Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus
Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Silver Palm Park, Raton, Florida, January 2016. Length: 7.0 cm (2.8 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Big Pine Key, Florida, April 2019. Length: 12.1 cm (4.8 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, April 2023. Length: 12.8 cm (5.0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Aidan Perkins, Long Island, New York.
Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Big Pine Key, Florida, February 2017. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Marc Eberlein, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Pompano Beach, Florida, December 2016. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key Largo, Florida, August 2018. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michigan.
Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key West, Florida, August 2014. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Dean Kimberly, Atlanta, Georgia.
Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters of Yal-Ku, Quintana Roo, April 2017. Photograph courtesy of Juan Rojo, Akumal.
The Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus, is a member of the Grunt or Haemulidae Family, and is known in Mexico as burro payaso and bandera. Globally, there are ten species in the genus Anisotremus, of which six are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic Ocean and two in the Pacific Ocean.
The Porkfish has a deep body with a depth that is 48% to 52% of standard length. They have a silvery-gray overall appearance with yellow fins and 2 distinguishing vertical black bars, the first running through their eyes and extending well into their snout and the second beginning just in front of their dorsal fin and reaching their pectoral fins. They also have yellow horizontal stripes on their sides. All their fins are yellow. They have short heads with blunt snouts and small mouths with thick lips. Their anal fin has 3 spines, the second being the longest, and 9 to 11 rays; their caudal fin is forked; and, their dorsal fin in continuous but deeply notched with 12 spines, the fourth being the longest, and 16 to 17 rays. They have 13 to 15 gill rakers. They are covered with rough scales.
The Porkfish is a demersal species that is found around rocky reefs and caves at depths up to 26 m (85 feet). They reach a maximum of 38 cm (15 inches) in length and 1.0 kg (2 lbs 3 oz) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.13 kg (2 lbs 8 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off, Florida, August 2022. They are preyed upon by groupers, sharks, snappers and other large piscivores. The Porkfish 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 Porkfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
The Porkfish is virtually identical to the Panamic Porkfish, Anisotremus taeniatus, a Pacific Ocean only species (yellow color with silvery-blue stripes) and can also be confused with the Blue-and-Gold Snapper, Lutjanus viridis (more aerodynamic body) and the Silvergray Grunt, Anisotremus caesius (lacks black line through eye).
From a conservation perspective the Porkfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are pursued by both commercial and recreational anglers and sold commercially throughout Mexico by the major food stores including the greater Cabo San Lucas area, Baja California Sur (where the fish are in terrible condition beat-to-hell, having been transported from the Atlantic). They are reported to contain ciguatoxin.