Should the Goliath Grouper fishery be re-opened?

I have wanted to do a show on the Goliath Grouper ever since I started in television back in 2002.  I had heard so many great fishing stories from my in-laws about the massive beasts of the sea and how much fun it was to catch and spear them.  When I began spearfishing in 2000 I didn't fully understand what they were talking about until I experienced the monster first hand.  While lobstering in the Florida Keys during Mini-Season I was surprised by the loud and deeply resonating boom I kept hearing coming from inside the coral head I was tickling lobster out of.  I had no idea what was making that sound, but soon learned as I peeked inside a hole in the formation.  It was the biggest fish I had ever seen!  Being from Oklahoma and also spending a good portion of my life in the Colorado Rockies I was way out of my element, yet extremely fascinated.  Over the years I have had many more close encounters with the giant sea bass called Goliath, but never have lost my fascination for the creature. 

When Alexa (the Producer of Changing Seas) told me that I would finally get a shot at filming a Goliath Grouper show I could hardly contain myself.  Finally I would get to film and document what I was hoping would proclaim what every fisherman and spearfisherman had been dying to hear.  The Goliath is back and ready to be fished once again!  I was convinced from listening to fellow fishermen and seeing first hand that on many reefs and wrecks the Goliath had recovered from its dismal numbers to once again rule the reef.  I had heard how some fishermen couldn't get their bait to the bottom without hooking into a Goliath.  I had also heard of the massive amount of juvenile Goliaths taking bait and would-be catches from many a flats fisherman, particularly along the west coast of Florida and The Ten Thousand Islands.  While all of these stories may be true, what I learned first hand changed my own personal opinion. 

The Goliath while back in large numbers in some areas is still not protected anywhere but here in the States, that was my first concern.  The biggest concern however was that most of these areas where fishermen are having fits with the massive numbers of the fish are aggregation sites.  Meaning that in the summer months the Goliath come in mass to spawn and then afterward disperse.  Putting two and two together wasn't hard for me, recreationally the summer months are the best fishing months of the year.  It's no wonder myself and my fellow fishermen and spearfishermen were encountering the beasts in such large numbers.   We were simply stumbling upon the spawning aggregations, which no doubt gives a false sense of how many Goliath there really are.  Not to say that there aren't wrecks or reefs which are home to a good number of Goliath year-round, I am sure there are.  But there used to be hundreds of these fish where maybe there is 20 or 30 now.  While 20 or 30 may sound like a large number consider that since the fish has been protected we have only added more fishermen to the reefs and wrecks and it wouldn't take long before an open season on Goliath would dwindle 20 or 30 fish to 2 or 3.  These fish take so long to become sexually mature and reproduce, that if fishing for the Goliath was not properly managed then we would find ourselves right back in the same boat.

As a spearfisherman I have never encountered a more docile and easy prey than the Goliath grouper.  It rarely retreats and is slow when it does.  This makes them an easy target for a spear.  The problem here is that even though they are an easy target they would not always be an easy kill.  Unless the spearfisherman is skilled and educated in proper shot placement a large number of speared Goliath would easily get away only to die elsewhere.  As a fisherman I am not going to lie feeling the tug of a Goliath on the other end is an exciting experience, and I hope that someday we can keep some of what we catch. 

For me right now there is still just too many unknowns, like how many are dying despite the fishery being closed at the hands of angry fishermen who are killing them out of frustration.  Or how many of these so called Goliath honey holes are just their summer mating grounds.  I propose that as fishermen we listen to and work with the scientists.  I don't necessarily agree with everything the scientists have to say, but unless we find a middle ground how can we expect progress.  The Goliath IS making a comeback and it may be that we will be fishing them again in the near future, but not if we are unreasonable about it. 

Everyone has their ideas of how we could make it work, and I will give my own in a second, but being open minded and considering both sides may not be so bad after all.  The first episode of Changing Seas "Super Grouper" does just that in my opinion.  You get to hear from the leading scientists on the recovery of the Goliath, and some of the fishermen and spearfishermen in our community. 

I found myself intrigued most of all by the very man who asked that we put a stop to fishing the Jewfish back in 1990, Don DeMaria.  Here is a man who has no background in science, and as a spearfisherman noticed the rapid decline of the Jewfish first hand.  He started keeping tabs on their numbers and realized it wouldn't be long before they were totally fished out.  I think it speaks volumes that a guy who has single-handedly killed more Jewfish than one could ever imagine, realized the importance of proper wildlife management.  I know that Don would prefer that they are never fished again, for lots of reasons, andhe makes a great point in the show which cannot be overlooked.  Don said that they are more valuable to Floridians alive than dead because of their value to local tourism.  Where else can a diver or snorkeler get up close and personal with such a massive fish.  Think of the tourism money that brings into our local economy, whereas the commercial market for Goliath fillets wouldn't last long nor be very profitable. 

Now for my idea, and I would love to hear yours, and get a dialogue going on this topic.  What if we did open a limited season on the Goliath in the near future?  Starting with specialized tags limited by a yearly lottery. And also implemented a mandatory fishing and spearfishing educational course required to learn proper techniques for harvesting the Goliath and other gamefish properly.  Too many fish with spears in their sides only shows not only bad aim but poor decision making on the part of uneducated fishermen.  The Goliath take zones would be decided by scientists and fishermen working together to identify locations where they may be too plentiful.  At the same time identifying the areas where it is clearly an aggregation site and keeping those off limits.  That's roughly my two cents and I want to encourage you to watch the show and draw your own conclusions. 

- Jeremy

Comments

[nike dunk]

Nice topic.thanks for this post, it helped me a lot. I like it Thanks for this nice article.

[Elizabeth]

my God, i thought you were going to chip in with some decisive insght at the end there, not leave it with �we leave it to you to decide�.

[Rochelle]

The topic covered is very well done. I was referred here by a friend, thanks to him i bookmarked along with http://www.rapidhawk.com which has some good topics.

[Rerto Jordans]

I'm glad to be of your space. The pictures are good-looking, and writing is very good!

[Manuel Marcial]

Ditto on the commentaries By Ray Odor, et al re GG'S. My own experience of them after 30 years spearfishing the Key West waters, principally in the mangroves, is agreement about a successful resurgence of their numbers. They are to be found virtually around every corner and sometimes pairing up with regular grouper side by side, something I had not previously seen. And yes, I have had one take a yellowtail off my spear...I would hope for A) no commercial taking of GG's, and B) a tag system allowing for say two a year per licensed fisherman. As to dangers, I have first hand knowledge of two young boys lobster diving in the San Bernardo Islands, Colombia, where one of them was streaming up to the surface with two lobsters in each hand trailing down by his feet when a huge GG took the guy in his mouth up to the waist. His buddy jabbed the fish with his barbed pole and the GG spat him out. The young man's hair turned prematurely white after that experience and his lower body looked like a coarse sanding machine had been run over it. My assumption is that the GG was going after the lobster and the boy was in the way. Since then, I have always, when backing away from them, kept the pointy end of my speargun down between my feet. I may be overdoing it, but I am always extra cautious when I am in the water with something as big as I am.

[Scott]

Ray:

Had you watched the program you have seen that not only were many of your concerns very well addressed, but also there has been a great amount of research done on Goliath Grouper to date.

Just because there seems to be a correlation between to events (eg. absence of legal size snapper/grouper on wrecks or lobsters on ledges and the presence of Goliath Grouper). does not prove cause and effect. The absence of certain species has more to do with overfishing, both commercial and recreational, than it does with the Goliath Grouper. Poaching is also a serious problem, especially in the Florida Keys with lobster.

Most fishermen and divers simply can not bring them selves to admit that they may be a big part of the problem, and therefore blame the Golaith Grouper for eating all "their" fish and lobster. Ray, remember when you got busted poaching lobster in the Keys, taken to jail and later you wrote a song about it? Come on Ray, admit it, you are part of the overfishing problem, just like all of us are!

[Scott]

Ray:

Did you even bother to watch the program before posting on this site?

[Ray Odor]

Who’s eating your lunch?
Goliath Grouper???

Ten plus years ago, the Goliath grouper was placed on the endangered species list.
This was deemed a good move, due to no regulations on catch, and restaurants buying them for pennies on the pound and selling them all the way from Key West to New York as Snapper fingers and Grouper filets. No one wants to see that condition exist again.
Time has marched on. The wreck or rock structure that once held one or two of these giants now is home to several dozen of them. The Goliath that weighed 250 pounds ten years ago has become a Giant of 400 to 500 pounds, requiring twice as much food. Likewise, the wrecks and rock structures that used to be teaming with Snapper, Grouper and Grunts, are sometimes almost barren, many sucked in by the giant vacuum machines. As a spear fisherman, I have many times had to race to a ‘free shafted’ fish to grab him before the Goliath did.
Most times he won. Not to sweat, there are still schools of Amberjack that frequent the wrecks. Watch out if you spear or catch one and he gets near the bottom, reel him fast as you can or get to your speared fish quickly or the big G will get him.
We have urged the fisheries commissions, both State and Federal, to come up with a plan to allow the taking of this food fish on a limited basis. Each time, we are told, “we have to do more research on the fishery”. How do you research a fishery if you have no samples coming out of the water? How would you examine stomach contents if you have no available stomach? How can you count the herd if you don’t go down where they live? We tell you there are hundreds of them and they devour crabs, lobster, grouper and all sorts of sea life, yet in the six years since the NMFC promised to take a hard look at it, little or nothing has been done.
I have made a schedule below to add a little impetus to your start.

1.Decide on a limited tag issue system, i.e. the Gator hunt or Lobster stamp.
.This would provide a control record for those targeting the species.
2. There would be no charge to the person requesting the tag, however, he/she would be required to sign a waiver that would indicate they must contact the specified scientist or marine biologist on reaching shore with their catch. The stomach contents could be taken by the contact or saved on ice for them to pick up.
The length, girth and estimated weight would be given to the contact, and, if possible, a picture. If the fisherman was a diver, the estimated size and number of the herd should be noted. Underwater pictures would be valued.
3. Tags should be evenly dispersed between divers and fishermen.
4. Tags should be dispersed in every portion of the state, so the stomach contents in one area would not be the determining criteria.

RAY ODOR

www.spearfishing.cc 813-971-3368
fishship@tampabay.rr.com
Fax 813-364 6367
Ray Odor

[Chris Koenig]

I think discussions of how and when there should be a limited take are premature, and possibly irrelevant. The best estimates of the present level of recovery show that the population is still below SPR of 50%. However there is a great deal of uncertainty about this number. The uncertainty arises partly because of a poor knowledge of historical abundance and partly because our poor knowledge of present abundance. There is little we can do about the historical uncertainty, but the uncertainty around the present stock size can be reduced by accurate estimates of regional age distributions, regional population abundance estimates, more information about their reproductive biology, and a few other things. We are in the process of obtaining these data and have already made great advances in our knowledge of their reproductive biology, diet, regional abundance, habitat preferences, and the details of juvenile nursery. We have published and are in the process of publishing this information in scientific journals, and our final report will be finished in April 2009.

The stock assessment people at NMFS will use data from our study and from the studies of others to assess the gg stock, then decisions will be made based on the law about the state of recovery.

An issue often overlooked by those proposing to "thin out" ggs in areas of relatively high population density is that of population expansion from centers of abundance. If SW FL contains the dominant juvenile habitat and the most important spawning areas, as our data indicate, then adults will be most abundant off SW FL, especially as the population expands. Thinning out the center of abundance will likely reduce the rate of population expansion and reduce the rate of recovery over the range of recovery in SE US. Thus, thinning out will retard gg population recovery.

I believe that fishers will learn to adapt to ggs, even in areas of high gg abundance. For example, I recently heard a presentation by someone whom I admire as being a progressive thinker. He showed that ggs avoid certain types of artificial reefs but are attracted to others. Then he explained that fishery species (groupers and snappers) are of similar abundance on both types of reefs. His suggestion, of course, was to build artificial reefs that do not attract ggs and to fish those. This is a first step, but fishers should think about how to adapt to a species that is here to stay, and has been here for millions of years before us.

[Don DeMaria]

What most folks fail to realize is that simply prohibiting the commercial take of Goliath Grouper, while allowing a recreational hook and line harvest, will not solve the problem.

Those interested in catch statistics should go back to amendment 2 (gulf Council) and they will clearly see that the recreational take between 1979-1987 was 2,570,389 pounds, compared to a commercial take, for the same period, of only 698,315 pounds.

The majority of the recreational landings were by hook and line. Yet, some continue to advocate allowing only a recreational hook and line take of Goliath grouper, if the fishery is ever opened again. It does not make much sense to me to give those most responsible for the over harvesting of Goliath grouper (recreational hook and line sector) exclusive rights to the resource!

Certainly, commercial spearfishermen harvested a lot of Goliath grouper when the fishery was open. I definitely took many of them. However, looking at the statistics commercial spearfishermen (gulf wide) only accounted for 13% of the landings (79-87).

Then there is the matter of fishing mortality (F), which is presently estimated at 5%. This includes illegal poaching, bycatch (longlines, etc.), release mortalaity, etc. At F=5% there is less than a 40% chance that the Goliath grouper will recover to the required 50SPR level within the next 10 years. So, if the fishing public (divers, hook and line fishermen, long liners, etc.) continue to kill these fish, either intentionally or unintentionally, the Goliath grouper may never recover to the level specified by NMFS and never be reopened.

My opinion, from what I see and hear, is that with a complete closure on goliath grouper we may be at MSY (maximum sustainable yeild) now, since F is so high. As, Bill correctly pointed out, many Goliath grouper ate still being killed.

Everywhere else, other than the southeast US, Goliath grouper are not ony overfished, but considered critically endangered by the ICUN. No where on this planet is there an overabundance of grouper of any sort. What we have here, in south Florida, is a very unique situation. I just wish others would see it that way and allow the Goliath grouper to recover to an acceptable level.

[Bill Parks]

It still amazes me that there are so many people who blame the GG for the lack of fish. These are people who know nothing of its life history, what it eats or how much and yet they scapegoat the animal instead of accepting that overfishing is the culprit. Here's a new flash: GG are a very low metabolism animal and as such require a surprisingly small amount of food. Also, while they will certainly grab a wounded fish, on their own they prefer slow moving and spiney things like porcupine fish, crabs and the like. Yes, they eat lobster....a few, certainly not enough to make any measurable difference in the lobster population.

On the East Coast along Martin, Palm Beach and Broward Counties the GG population was increasing for a time but now has gone back down somewhat. Why? Because GG poaching has increased. We have a narrow continental shelf here with limited habitat and the GGs, like any other reef species, gravitates toward the best of that habitat - the wrecks and larger ledges. So do the grouper, so do the divers. Spearfishing divers return to the same wrecks and reefs over and over again to shoot snapper and grouper and over time the GGs have learned that the spear represents a source of an easy meal. Often GGs will attempt to steal fish off a spear and have to be kicked away, while at the same time the diver has to guard his catch closely. Some spearfishing divers, particularly some commercial divers see this nuisance as unacceptable and the practice of powerheading the GG to remove them from the equation has become more widespread. Most do not keep the fish; they just kill it to get rid of it. Once it occurred to these poachers that the chance of being caught was next to nil, they started killing a lot of fish. Some have been so confident that they've even been heard bragging in their respective local dive shops that they've been "thinning the herd". Occasionally one of these powerheaded GGs is found shoved up inside a ledge or a wreck decomposing. The bottom line is that along the narrow SE coast there will never be an opportunity for GG to recover enough to allow a legal harvest. What is just as sad is the fact that spearfishing with scuba may someday be banned here, as it is in most places in the world, because of abuses like this. The arrogant, bragging poaching hunter today will be the first once to cry foul if his own transgressions get his tanks taken away from him.

[Lee Starling]

Only an amatuer with unrelistic expectations would use just a spear , a powerhead is the appropriate gear selection choice for harvest

[Cheryl Carroll]

I look forward to your broadcast. The fact is that with catch and release mortality poaching and other considerations the Feds probably will not change the status of these fish anytime soon. Many fishermen complain about the numbers of these fish and Goliath's take from the reefs, however when the numbers of Goliath Grouper was at it's peak so was the number of other grouper, lobster and game fish in general. A lot of people like to blame Goliath comeback for the poor state of fishing in Florida, and that argument just doesn't hold water. The decline of fisheries in general has more to do with commercial and recreational take than the actions of marine apex predators.

[J Gamble]

The east coast and west coast needs to be divided into small sub sections and studied indipendently. Many researchers have commented on the fact that the GG population is coming back slowly off the S.E. coast of Florida but the central gulf coast is inundated with GG. By doing research by region scientists can get a better picture of the populations as a whole.

I'm not really sure that GG should be opened up in any capacity on the East cost north of the Keys. GG must be opened up to harvest on the gulf coast. The over abundance in the gulf is causing damage to the severe lobster population. Many shallow reefs and artificial reefs in less than 20 feet of water have dozens of GG ranging from 30-300lbs. Having few predators to keep these fish in check has allowed the population to grow unchecked.

[Jeremy Nicholson]

Jason I really like your ideas. I love the idea of a limited lottery and allowing only educated fishermen an opportunity at a Goliath would be key as far as I am concerned.

As a hunter I believe in proper Wildlife Managment and the only way this can happen is if fishermen and biologists are working hand in hand.

[Jason]

continued...

This way, valuable data can be gleaned from a harvest that can help to reduce the large, densely populations on some wrecks and reefs, which will ultimately reduce the pressure on surrounding fish and lobster populations.

[Jason]

Some spots definitely need to be thinned. I don't always agree with old Don, as I'm not quite sure he understands just how many there are today. But I do agree with him in this: no commercial harvest, EVER, no open season.

As it stands today with nothing other than visual observation at a multitude of sites off the Florida coast, I would support a state sponsored, limited lottery season with all fish harvested to be inspected by a local FWC data collector, and surveys regarding the harvest site. LIke the alligator harvest, only smaller in number. Permits and tags required, if you have a fish without a tag, you are fined.

[E. Bravo]

Jeremy I have read your article and appreciate your perspective of the Goliath Grouper fishery. It seems in large part you support a closely controlled limited harvest aimed at both collecting the data that scientists lack in order to make a more complete assessment of the status of the population and a equitable and fair system that addresses a way to distribute tags to the recreational user group sector. Such data should prove invaluable to any scientific community who is sincere about completing a comprehensive population study and management plan for this magnificent natural resource.