Reef_Haven
Contributor
[I:As I said above, the age structure of the population is critical in determining SPR and federal law mandates that determination. There are only 2 alternatives for getting age structure from the goliath grouper population: 1. take fin rays and let the fish look "mutilated" for about a year, or 2. kill 800 to 1000 goliaths to sample otoliths (ear stones) which are located in the brain. We are aware of no other alternatives. We choose to keep the fish alive so the ecotourism trade can benefit from these spectacular animals.
The reason why we are sampling in your area off PB and Martin Counties is because that is the spawning area for the Atlantic coast of Florida. We have documented the fish traveling over 200 miles to get to your area just prior to the start of the spawning season in August. If we sample there, and during the spawning season (Aug and Sep) we will have a representative sample of ages from the entire region. Spawning is winding down now, so the fish should be moving back to their home sites soon.
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The problem with surveys is the data can be skewed towards any desired result.
Surveying a spawning area, and believing it will provide the representative sample of all ages in a population is like taking a survey at a strip club to determine the percentage of adults in a city.