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

[snokat]

While this all gets hashed-out by the lobbyists, politcos and scientists, I'll be on the bottom enjoying the upcoming aggregation off Jupiter.
At least I hope to, if they haven't ALL been poached.
For now, I'll be shooting them with my Olympus.

 

[Vtdiver2]

Archman, thanks for answering my questions.
C-Dawg

 

[Jax Diver]

Archman:
I did not imply that restocking even a small area of the ocean would be like stocking an aquarium. I just meant that shipping juveniles would not be a big problem. However, if they are not protected, or enforcement is lacking, there would be no point. Plus, as you mentioned, how many would you have to "reintroduce" for the project to be viable. Who knows if these reintroduced fish would even form spawning agregations in their new homes?

The obvious solution is to not let the stock decline to the point where they are not considered critically endangered. I have no idea how countries, like Belize, plan to start rebuilding their goliath grouper stocks.

 

[archman]

Transporting of juveniles probably isn't much of a big deal, if we're talking critters no more than several inches long (anything bigger is logistically a hassle). Acquiring said juveniles in the first place is the primary bottleneck. I only see aquaculture as a viable method for this.

Regarding fisheries regulation (and enforcement) in Caribbean countries, it's slowly trickling up. In the Bahamas, for example, Nassau grouper are catch-restricted to varying degrees, and the idea of limited or no-take zones is being heavily pushed (usually by non-Bahamian organizations).

Saba has an outstanding marine park system in place. Or so I've heard, anyways. I'd really like to check it out for myself one of these days.

 

[Rick Murchison]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Ladies and Gentlemen.
In response to user concern over the overall tone and content of this thread, I have been through it from one end to the other.
I've tossed a lot, and done some extensive editing of some of your posts to keep them within TOS; there was an entire discussion within the discussion that was little more than mud-slinging - I have removed the whole thing. This may be viewed as throwing out the baby with the bathwater, but this baby wasn't worth saving!
I am restoring the thread with what's civil and on topic. The essence of the thread is intact. Please keep it that way.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Rick

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[Epinephelus]

From what I've seen up in "my" part of the Gulf, Jewfish populations are what I'd call "spotty," with no "overpopulated" sites. (West of Port St. Joe to the Mississippi line).
My gut feeling is that it's still a little early for any harvest, but as I haven't seen the sites down towards Tampa there may well be a few places where there'd be little or no impact - in any case, 800 fish over 24 months, for a study, taken from those sites where the fish are plentiful doesn't seem excessive to me. Just don't take any from up in the northern Gulf yet.
E

 

[Biminibill]

Rick,

Nice job! The post that started it all is gone as well as my responses to it. Problem solved. I would say "fair and balanced".


Bill

 

[Capt.Rich]

Thank you Rick!

 

[OneRestlessNative]

When are we humans ever going to learn that "WE" are the biggest problem in the factor to the never ending quandary in the balance of nature? "WE" try to manipulate mother nature to meet our needs while uncontrolled population explosions and destruction of the very environment that supports us. It truly breaks down to the fundamental core of our civilization and how we exploit everyone and everything around us for our own benefit. So much money and effort is put forth into the study of conservation and protection. Every angle is argued and disputed to the point of utter exhaustion. Yet we fail to recognize that our own need and greed of money, power, and accumulation of material wealth is the real issue at hand. Yet our population continues to explode further taxing the environment while agencies and groups flounder to study and regulate our impact. No effort or thought is ever put forth to understand our own "issues" as a species as a factor in this delicate balance on this planet we call home. Perhaps one day we will come full circle and realize the true nature of our problem. Until we re-evaluate and understand our place in this balance, we will always suffer this ongoing dilemma. Or even face the possibility of our own extinction on this planet after we tax mother nature beyond repair.

 

[DavidPT40]

Yet our population continues to explode

Thats a negative. Modern nations such as the United States, Japan, etc, are expected to have stabilized and even declining populations by 2050. Its only the developing and industrializing nations that are growing rapidly.