Should the Goliath Grouper fishery be re-opened?

[bubblejunkie]

I've been spearfishing with you and I also have seen what a pretzel a 20 pound jack can do to a 5 foot long spear, let alone a baby GG would do. On the Gulf Coast it will take some discussion to thin the herd that have over taken many wreck sites over there. East coast, Jupiter and below does not see the numbers that the gulf side is seeing.



If we had the shallower wrecks out of Sebastian, say 30-80 feet between Bethel and the inlet they would be covered. Look at the SISA rock piles they are covered with them that either never leave the interior of very complex structure or stay way outside of it avoiding divers. We definitly have the fish poupulation just not the people diving them that the shallower gulf does. I'll bet I could tag 75ish within 1 mile of bethel bouy, and might not have to leave the bouy.

BTW, you've never seen a 20 lbs anything bend a shaft of mine

You going to make it up here for some decent fishing this year?

 

[Johnoly]

, you've never seen a 20 lbs anything bend a shaft of mine

People reading this don't know how many tournaments and glass that you have won like I do. There is not many spearo's more knowledgable and well versed on 2 coasts like you. I'm just an east coast only hunter. You have seen the Goliaths from both an east coast and Gulf experience and only a small hand-full of divers can claim multiple dual coast dives, to provide real world, in the water, eyeball to eyeball numbers.

We'll dive again soon!!

 

[cldomson1]

I've heard they are relatively easy to spear...just aim for the tail, they'll pull for a while but tire soon.

And I've heard they taste good under 200lbs.


Finally, anyone who wants to open it up to fishing and not spearing is clueless. A dead goliath is a dead goliath. And fishing release mortality is a bigger problem IMO than spearfisherman shooting undersize fish.

A slot doesn't make as much sense if there is a limited harvest. Plenty of breeders will remain. The juveniles are more inshore and in backwaters anyway. Once they move offshore, they grow fast to breeder size.

Can you tell they are annoying the crap out of us on every wreck dive here in the Gulf? I'm tired of playing tug of war with the bastards. And I really think they have affected the lobster populations here also.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[archman]

Can you tell they are annoying the crap out of us on every wreck dive here in the Gulf? I'm tired of playing tug of war with the bastards. And I really think they have affected the lobster populations here also.

Hopefully neither of *those* issues will ever make it into the mouth of a fisheries manager.

I propose a limited season on divers and spearfishers, for identical reasons!

Someone hit me...

 

[cldomson1]

Hopefully neither of *those* issues will ever make it into the mouth of a fisheries manager.

I propose a limited season on divers and spearfishers, for identical reasons!

Someone hit me...

Most spearfisherman I know are advocates for protecting our resources. We obey size and number limits just like fisherman for fish and like divers for lobster.

You should know that catch and release mortality is significant fishing in deep water and fishing with live bait and J-hooks. We were fishing in the middle grounds 2 weeks ago and caught and released at least 30 red brouper and 20 red snapper. We vented them and were using circle hooks, but I'm sure some died or were eaten. On my dive on the same spot, I shot one mangrove snapper and caught one lobster. I didn't kill any short fish and my bycatch was ZERO percent.

As for divers and lobster, you are totally off base there. We have strict limits and closures to protect them. And I don't think the Goliaths are following the rules!! And the commercial harvest with traps is exponential compared to our take. You may want to get some fact before you go bashing divers and spearfisherman on a scuba forum.

 

[archman]

As for divers and lobster, you are totally off base there. We have strict limits and closures to protect them. And I don't think the Goliaths are following the rules!! And the commercial harvest with traps is exponential compared to our take. You may want to get some fact before you go bashing divers and spearfisherman on a scuba forum.

Ouch!! A sensitive poster!! You may want to check my profile and posting record on these very topics, before you make (obviously impulsive) remarks. To think I neither fish nor understand fishing practices... good gravy.:shocked2: Did I mention commercial harvest? NO. Is my tongue-in-cheek comment about fishing for people a "bash"? Only if you have ZERO SENSE OF HUMOR. Boo! Boo!

As for "facts"... here, I'll (re)post the links from the third post on this thread. Plenty of that in there all about jewfish. Intelligent discussions too. Even from spearos.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ocean-conservation/172502-goliath-groupers.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ma...idas-goliath-grouper-still-need-our-help.html

That last sentence has humour in it. You're supposed to smile when you read it.

By the way, if anyone actually bothers to READ the earlier discussions, they'll see I support (limited) harvests.

 

[bubblejunkie]

I'm not very sensitive, otherwise I might remind people of their infancy in this sport. but heres my take I've had more than one Marine scientist tell me I was crazy and that the numbers I see arent reality and that the speicies is still in peril and that I should consider myself lucky to have seen more 4 or 5 at a time, I even offered to show him 30 on 5 different spots. Of coarse declined, I dont think he wanted to get wet.

Heres a question I've often wondered, How fast do these fish grow, I've seen 400 lbs to 20lbs on the same structure. If they are as old as some say, where did the 400 lbs 10-20 years ago when you didnt see them on every dive,? just hiding better than they do now? I do know in places they are much more shy than others, so a learned response to pressure, Maybe?

I'm not really the type to want to kill everyone of them, like I said they are useless over 200 lbs But no one can tell me that a limited harvest would hurt anything. I think they are cool to look at in some scenerios, I saw one eat a 50 lb jack one time and it was one of the cooliest things I've ever seen underwater, guess the guy and his Jack didnt think so.

of course I'm clueless.

 

[jnicholson1437]

Here is the teaser for our show...I hope you like it and tune in on January 27th for the full episode! It's sure to stir up the debate on the Goliath Grouper and get the conversation going in the right direction.

Episode 101 - Changing Seas - WPBT2 Public Television Series

Let us know what you think!

 

[bubblejunkie]

Well you had me for a minute, based on your list of scientists and contributors, I'd say just more fisheries trickery. So much for unbiased opinions and real scientific data, to much money involved for anything like that.

Quite common though GL to you.

 

[Johnoly]

.. It's sure to stir up the debate on the Goliath Grouper and get the conversation going in the right direction.

I'll take a guess that you have not secured financial disclosure forms from Koenig and Coleman. Not having disclosed their financial grant money source or who they are working with will really produce questions about their bias and therefore the show's episode. Since K & C accept outside grants, the show's producers need maintain disclosure credibility.