'Tax man' collects portion of rare grouper caught off Florida

Florida guide William Delph explained that an apex predator moved in as the yellowfin grouper was being reeled to the boat.

A Florida fishing guide on Tuesday boasted of catching a large yellowfin grouper, minus a portion collected by the “tax man.”

“This one is very rare!” William Delph of Delph Fishing explained via Instagram. “For those of you who don’t know, this is a Yellowfin Grouper, otherwise known as a ‘Fireback.’

“These grouper are extremely rare to catch down here. Unfortunately, a shark decided to have a taste of this guy before we could get him in the boat.”

A shark is universally referred to as the “tax man,” or “tax collector,” when it claims claim parts or all of an angler’s catch.

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Delph, who was fishing at the Dry Tortugas, did not provide a weight for his catch.

The Florida record for yellowfin grouper stands at 34 pounds, 6 ounces.

The world record is 47 pounds, for a fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas in 2021.

Yellowfin grouper reside mostly near offshore reefs, where they prey mostly on smaller fish and squid. They’re named because of the bright yellow coloration of their outer pectoral fins.