WE NEED TO ACT NOW! Florida's goliath grouper still need our help.

[BHB ScubaTroll]

As for the Jewfish, I was simply making the point that I am suspect of the motives behind a new regulatory proposal that seeks to harvest 800 grouper in the name of research. Eight or even eighty fish, maybe. But 800? This seems at odds with the fact that is currently a crime to harvest one here.

In Miami they are not a plentiful as they are on the Eastern GOM. I have been on dives where there were so many, they could not be counted with any accuracy. I stopped at 3 dozen that were relatively stationary on that count (that was only one side of the wreck)...

The law was placed some 20 years ago due to over hunting... Prior to that time, they were hunted like any other game fish by divers (using a power head). 800 from the eastern GOM will not harm the ecosystem as much as you would think, and could help bring back the smaller grouper population that is dwindling fast in the GOM...

I have done my fair share of hunting GG before the laws were changed. I see no issue with 800 or more for research and food. I will leave it to the experts to decide how many they believe is needed from the vast numbers in the GOM...

It is rare that I dive without seeing one or more on every dive in the GOM. That is different when I dive the Atlantic. I would not jump to any conclusions on either coast if I was not actively diving both....

 

[Wayward Son]

the biggest prob with GG's is that we just don't have much in the way of hard science to base decisions on.

I don't have an ax to grind on it other than that. I don't care if I get to hunt or H&L them or not. I just want such decision about managing them to be made on the basis of facts, not our precious little feelings.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

the biggest prob with GG's is that we just don't have much in the way of hard science to base decisions on.

I don't have an ax to grind on it other than that. I don't care if I get to hunt or H&L them or not. I just want such decision about managing them to be made on the basis of facts, not our precious little feelings.

Agreed. If the facts lead to the conclusion that the population needs controlling to save another species, etc. then, the decisions should be based on facts and honest studies, rather than the feelings of a few individuals

 

[Wayward Son]

It may turn out that there are specific areas that have excess numbers that need reduction, but other areas do not. I typically see 1 to 2 GG's per site out of Panama City, for example, so quite likely they may be best left alone for more time. But I do hear from divers who see them in considerable numbers on sites off other sections of the coast.

Without some hard data to work with, it's all speculative & you can't really make sound decisions.

 

[archman]

If one is loosely acquainted with certain country's current practices of "scientific whaling", then I could easily see how a tagline about harvesting jewfish could be misconstrued. In fact, when I first read this thread, I thought this very thing.

The difference here I'm presuming is that the whaling research is well-known to be a facade, whereas this proposed jewfish thing has discrete goals and direct applications to the fisheries management community.

In the Bahamas, jewfish (and most other large grouper) are incredibly thin on the ground. But if one harvests from areas where they have repopulated to (what is presumed) historic levels, there should be no foul.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

If only we had better shark protection.....then there would be more sharks eating more GGs and they wouldnt be a problem.....100 million sharks a year slaughtered....everytime I hear or see that, I cant believe it........

Less bigger sharks, more bigger grouper.....Just another way of throwing mother nature a curveball.....

 

[Capt.Rich]

Capt. Rich, is anyone allowed to attend this meeting or is it closed? My schedule is open and I would like to attend. I have been interested in what is going to happen with our grouper and this seems to be the place to find out that information.

Thanking you in advance for your response,

-MissD

Miss D,
I'm not sure if its open to the general public or not. I would assume it is. I will have to check and see.

 

[Capt.Rich]

the biggest prob with GG's is that we just don't have much in the way of hard science to base decisions on.

I don't have an ax to grind on it other than that. I don't care if I get to hunt or H&L them or not. I just want such decision about managing them to be made on the basis of facts, not our precious little feelings.

Exactly right wayward!
The science needed to study them is the same as the science needed to study a pinfish. And to do it correctly, some animals must be harvested.

Unfortunately when it comes to many species there are those who express anthropomorphic like feelings.
The Goliath grouper is just a fish, albeit a big fish. No more, no less.

 

[Walt Stearns]

Someone coined earlier on this thread coined me as miss-guided, I think not. I have been around, and to a lot of different places than most are aware. I appreciate the feedback and look forward to hearing from others as well as your self here on Scubaboard and a few other forum sites I post on.

That is very true decisions about managing this fish should be made on the basis of fact from reliable data, not subjective hearsay. The study that is currently underway by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service and FSU (Florida State University) two years away from completion.

I have been over to the Eastern Gulf of Mexico numerous times and have seen the numbers many here speak of on the wrecks and towers between Tampa and Key West. And we have them here in a goodly amount off Palm Beach and Martin County too.

But, when you look at the entire picture, those two regions make up a very small area these fish should be found. To say they are plentiful in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and the middle to upper Keys would really be a stretch. Out side Florida waters the fish is critically endangered, as they are being fished out (along with just about everything else), down the Central American Coast and across the Caribbean.

And no, I am not anti spearfishing, but I am not a fan of those who do it commercially either. I still on the occasion pull the trigger little myself. Granted, not as much as I did during the late 70’s and early 80’s.

If things are handled right, we might see a limited size/season opened for them like we do for snook.

 

[Missdirected]

Miss D,
I'm not sure if its open to the general public or not. I would assume it is. I will have to check and see.

Thank you, I would appreciate that.