Red tide florida goliath grouper skin#
“These fish have become a nuisance to divers, as they opportunistically feed on the catches of spearfishers,” said Meaghan Emory, fisheries conservation chair for the Florida Skin Divers Association, which represents people who spearfish. “These species are important to the ocean and they should not be taken for personal pleasure or for food.”Īlthough catch-and-release fishing already is allowed, many people who fish or spearfish want to be able to take them, saying they’ve become abundant, steal their catches and help drive a decline in reef fish. “We need to protect goliath grouper forever, in perpetuity, like we do with turtles, manatees, dolphins, whales,” Cousteau said during the meeting Wednesday. Among the organizers of the opposition was Jean-Michel Cousteau, head of the Ocean Futures Society and son of environmental pioneer Jacques Cousteau. An online petition headed “Save the Goliath Grouper” generated more than 59,000 signatures.
The wildlife commission received more than 3,000 public comments by last week, 98% favoring a continued ban on killing goliath groupers, according to the commission. The number of fish wasn’t specified, but a previous proposal called for 100 per year, a number that several commissions called inadequate. The commission’s staff now will draft a formal proposal specifying how many fish could be caught, how licenses would be distributed, and any restrictions. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 6-1 to take steps toward lifting a 31-year ban on catching the goliath grouper, a species that can reach upwards of 600 pounds and lives among the reefs and wrecks of the South Florida coast.Īlthough less well known than such Florida species as the alligator or panther, the goliath plays a growing role in the economics of Florida’s dive industry, with dive shops taking clients to photograph the giant fish, many of whom appear equally curious about their human visitors.
A proposal to allow goliath groupers to be killed won preliminary approval Wednesday from the Florida wildlife commission, over the objections of many scientists, conservationists and divers.
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