Its range includes the Florida Keys in the US, the Bahamas, most of the Caribbean and most of the Brazilian coast. If that dinosaur didn’t come along and try to swallow that guy whole maybe a bull shark would have swam by for a tasty (bloody) treat. The 1990 fishing ban helped the South Florida population rebound. The proposal would allow no commercial catch and would spare both young goliath groupers and the very largest ones, allowing only the catch of those between 47 and 67 inches. "I've even had a GoPro camera and housing inhaled by a goliath grouper!" Answer Save. So yah, they get pretty damn big. "While a limited harvest of smaller-sized fish in south Florida is unlikely to harm the population, the FWC also wants to take into consideration stakeholder perspectives. Its range includes the Florida Keys in the US, the Bahamas, most of the Caribbean and most of the Brazilian coast. It's a fish that can reach the size of a grizzly bear, and it's loved by divers and despised by many fishermen. To allow a harvest of these beautiful creatures, especially in the face of the prevailing scientific evidence, would be folly and do real damage to local ecosystems and economies." The goliath grouper is the largest of the groupers in the Atlantic Ocean.

The world record for a hook-and-line-captured specimen is 308.44 kg (680.0 lb), caught off Until a harvest ban was placed on the species, its population was in rapid decline. The commission, a seven-member volunteer board appointed by Gov. 2. He will be missed. "The fishermen are overfishing those species, not the goliath grouper," he said. Known until 2001 by the politically incorrect name "jewfish," the goliath grouper had sustained a sharp decline due to overfishing for its meat, the loss of coastal habitat for young fish and the inherent vulnerabilities of a long-lived species that takes years to reach sexual maturity.

If that dinosaur didn’t come along and try to swallow that guy whole maybe a bull shark would have swam by for a tasty (bloody) treat. Rick Scott, will consider the issue at its December meeting, at the earliest. ← Four Florida State Football Players Make Classic Freshman Mistake by Releasing Terrible SongPetra Nemcova has still got one killer bikini body → For a few weeks each year, spawning aggregations of up to 100 goliath grouper occur at specific times and locations. The species had been targeted both commercially and recreationally since at … Brian Sanders of Davie has taken famous South Floridians including former Miami Dolphins' linebacker Zach Thomas and former pro wrestler Describing one his anglers managed to get to the boat, he said, "I'm sure it'd eaten everybody's fish for years." It’s a terrible idea, that dinosaur of a Goliath Grouper is going to try and swallow you, then swallow your fish, then swim out of there with no fux given.
Among trophy fish caught in the Florida Keys, the goliath grouper has long held special distinction.

Catch-and-release fishing for goliath grouper has long been allowed, provided the heavier ones are not removed from the water. Written comments to the wildlife commission in support of allowing them to be taken again describe similar experiences. "The spawning aggregations of these huge fish have grown in the past decade and divers now come from all over the world to see the magic, which in turn supports ecotourism in Florida," she said in comment emailed to the Sun-Sentinel. One approach suggested by the wildlife commission's staff calls for an annual lottery for 100 permits to catch a single goliath grouper per person, with fees of up to $300 per permit going to goliath grouper research.

The goliath grouper, capable of growing to 800 pounds, bobs around the reefs and swallows the occasional crab or passing fish.As fishermen tell it, … Colors vary slightly, with brown, yellow, gray or olive mottling and small, dark spots on the head and fins.

It has a broad head and rounded tail. The fish is recognized as "vulnerable" globally and "endangered" in the In May 2015, the Atlantic goliath grouper was successfully bred in captivity for the first time.As with other fish, the Atlantic goliath grouper is the host of several species of parasites, including the The Atlantic goliath grouper has historically been referred to as the "jewfish".