Save our Jewfish, aka Goliath Grouper news...

[Tony Grogan]

To better understand the role of spawning site fidelity in the movement of Goliath groupers, please read my friend Dr Bob Ellis's paper attached. Bob just published it and is one of the lead scientists who works on Goliath groupers for FWC. He works for their research arm on the west coast of Florida. Bob and I go back a long way when he was frequently on my boats as a graduate student of Florida State University.

Spawning Migrations of the Atlantic Goliath Grouper along the Florida Atlantic Coast

Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), the largest reef fish in the Western Atlantic, exhibit high site fidelity to home reefs but also undertake annual migrations to distant spawning sites. Once relatively common throughout Florida and the Caribbean, the species; is now considered...

www.mdpi.com

http://www.spearboard.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=249561&stc=1&d=1696184833

 

[thomschoon]

I paid my money and will see how the lottery goes. I buy a license and donate money every year, and fish very little. I think a spear season would be smarter as there would be less damage due to dead by catch.

Meeting a grouper on a night dive was one of my favorite dive memories and would like my grandson to enjoy the same.

Just my $.02

 

[Superlyte27]

You're reading comprehension is challenged CuzzA. The nonscientist author of the article explained a decline is happening at the same time as FWC is opening up fishing. It did not say there was a cause and effect.

The REEF organization has been documenting this for quite a while as shown by the attached chart showing the decline in population over Decades of REEF counting Data.

On top of this, the scientisIs I volunteer with and the divers at the variou spawning aggregation sites are reporting declines in spawning counts from these fish which have high site fidelity where they return to the same sign year after year to spawn. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure if there is a decline in spawning numbers whatever the reason, there will be a decline in spawned juvenile fish inevitably.

View attachment 804087

I think your reading comprehension might be in question as well. It was implied more than once that the data can’t be trusted as numbers are skewed to support the bias/narrative in order to keep protecting the fish.

And please know, I don’t care either way. Kill ‘em, don’t kill em, who cares. Manatee, Bald Eagle and Whale-shark all taste delicious.

 

[tridacna]

Terrific! We need one more person to contribute and a volunteer permit-getter.

I’m in. DM me and let me know details.

 

[tursiops]

I’m in. DM me and let me know details.

We still need a Florida resident volunteer to apply for the permit.

 

[scubadada]

To better understand the role of spawning site fidelity in the movement of Goliath groupers, please read my friend Dr Bob Ellis's paper attached. Bob just published it and is one of the lead scientists who works on Goliath groupers for FWC. He works for their research arm on the west coast of Florida. Bob and I go back a long way when he was frequently on my boats as a graduate student of Florida State University.

Spawning Migrations of the Atlantic Goliath Grouper along the Florida Atlantic Coast

Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), the largest reef fish in the Western Atlantic, exhibit high site fidelity to home reefs but also undertake annual migrations to distant spawning sites. Once relatively common throughout Florida and the Caribbean, the species; is now considered...

www.mdpi.com

http://www.spearboard.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=249561&stc=1&d=1696184833

I have 129 dives on the Castor in Boynton Beach between 2009 and 2023. I have a fair idea of the number of Goliath Grouper on the Castor during aggregation and at other times. There are a number of Goliath Grouper on the Castor year round, I would estimate this number to be between a dozen or two. You will encounter them on any dive.

The number of Goliath Grouper during aggregation has varied very significantly. For me, the peak during aggregation occurred between about 2011 or 12 and 2016. During these years, there were many, many Goliath Grouper on the Castor, their location based on the current. During a brisk north current, there would be a very large number stacked up at the bow and quite a few at the stern structure. When the current was minimal, they would often group off the port bow and the port stern.

The stern structure of the Castor was knocked off to the starboard in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy in October. This did not seem to affect the Goliath Grouper aggregation. The bow of the Castor was knocked off to the starboard in October of 2016 by Hurricane Matthew. This event seemed to affect the Goliath Grouper aggregation in a very major way and the aggregation has been significantly less ever since. The bow was knocked further to the starboard by Hurricane Irma in September of 2017.

Obviously, I do not know what appears to have decreased the Goliath Grouper aggregation at the Castor, but I wonder if part of the explanation is the change in the environment due to the hurricanes. Perhaps it is just not as desirable location as it once was.

I did 3 dives on the Castor on my recent visit to Florida in September. The first dive had ripping current and poor visibility, I did not make it to the bow. The second dive was perfect, moderate current, good visibility. There were 16 Goliath Grouper stacked up on the bow, not as many as in the old days, but more than I've seen in a while. The third dive was an easy swim to the bow, but only a single Goliath Grouper.

Trip Report - Finally, back at home 2023 #2

I was last down in June, first time this year since recovering from my broken leg at the end of last year. I had a great trip to Malpelo at the end of July. I flew down from Philadelphia to PBI on Tuesday. The plane was completely full. Airport at both ends was a breeze. Effortless car rental...

scubaboard.com

 

[Tony Grogan]

I think your reading comprehension might be in question as well. It was implied more than once that the data can’t be trusted as numbers are skewed to support the bias/narrative in order to keep protecting the fish.

And please know, I don’t care either way. Kill ‘em, don’t kill em, who cares. Manatee, Bald Eagle and Whale-shark all taste delicious.

Maybe it would be better if you and CuzzA read actual scientific papers instead of journalist interpretations. Then you can show us your reading comprehension skills after you dive into the science itself. Try this paper which was the basis of the journalist article you had such a trouble misunderstanding.

Absolute Abundance Estimates of Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara) on Spawning Aggregation Sites

Absolute Abundance Estimates of Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara) on Spawning Aggregation Sites

Reliable data on Atlantic Goliath Grouper abundance are prerequisite to informed management decisions, particularly as the State of Florida reopened a limited harvest on the species in 2023 after a 32-year moratorium. Limited data exist for this purpose and fisheries data have been unavailable...

www.mdpi.com

 

[Rilelen]

We still need a Florida resident volunteer to apply for the permit.

I'm a Florida resident with a saltwater fishing license - I'd be happy to volunteer to help make this happen.

 

[CuzzA]

I think your reading comprehension might be in question as well. It was implied more than once that the data can’t be trusted as numbers are skewed to support the bias/narrative in order to keep protecting the fish.

And please know, I don’t care either way. Kill ‘em, don’t kill em, who cares. Manatee, Bald Eagle and Whale-shark all taste delicious.

Grilled manatee kabobs are so good. Haven't tried bald eagle, yet.

 

[CuzzA]

I paid my money and will see how the lottery goes. I buy a license and donate money every year, and fish very little. I think a spear season would be smarter as there would be less damage due to dead by catch.

Meeting a grouper on a night dive was one of my favorite dive memories and would like my grandson to enjoy the same.

Just my $.02

Buying a fishing license is the easiest way to contribute. They auto renew and lifetime licenses make great gifts for children.


That said, I think creating false demand for the Jewfish program is misguided. FWCs goal is to find a balance between harvest and conservation, fishing effort is part of that equation. Submitting permit applications shows there's effort and supports those who want to see the species opened up with a regular season. Bears and alligators are two examples of species that were over harvested and the FWC has found a way.