Look my my friend Shadow the Goliath Grouper, swimming with me at her home in Juno Beach, Florida. What a large but peaceful creature that many divers here have many friends with many different individuals! But now the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission may be needlessly kill this endangered peaceful creature!
CALL TO ACTION
Goliath grouper are slow-moving, curious fish that can weigh up to 800 pounds. Goliath groupers were once a popular fishing target which forced them to the brink of extinction. The Goliath grouper became a prohibited species in 1990, and in 1994 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added the goliath grouper to the list of critically endangered species. Despite protections over the years, the goliath grouper remains listed as critically endangered worldwide.
Some fishermen complain to the FWC about goliath groupers taking trophy fish off their lines and blame them for the dwindling number of reef fish at popular fishing locations. Scientific analysis of goliath grouper stomach contents has found that the vast majority of the goliath’s diet consists of baitfish or crustaceans rather than gamefish. The fishermen who are complaining fail to consider the impact THEY have on the reef fish, the effects of overfishing, commercial fishing, habitat loss, pollution, and red tide, all of which can disrupt the balance of underwater ecosystems. Over-fishing is the main reason for declining fish and lobster stocks, not Goliath Groupers, as some fishermen claim with NO scientific data to support them.
Email or call the FWC Commissioners and state that you oppose the proposal to allow a limited “harvest” of the critically endangered goliath grouper.
Email: marine@myfwc.com
Phone: 850-487-0554.
Sign & share our petition.
