There won't be a harvest of Goliath grouper.
It hasn't happened since 1990, and it won't be allowed in Florida waters for the foreseeable future. That was the word handed down by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Thursday at its meeting in Fort Lauderdale.
One of the largest fish inhabiting Florida's reef systems and estuaries is the Goliath grouper. It weighs 300 to 600 pounds and spends most of its time swimming slowly around its territorial reef or jetty, pier or bridge.
Divers and dive charter operators were urging the seven-member, governor-appointed volunteer commission to avoid changing fishing regulations for Goliath grouper.
Harvest and possession of Goliath groupers — formerly known as jewfish — have been prohibited in Florida and U.S. federal waters since 1990. It remains critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature list.
Anglers and some recreational divers who spearfish and harvest spiny lobster claim the Goliath grouper is an opportunistic predator responsible for overeating prime target species, such as snapper, lobster and snook.
The FWC completed a stock assessment in 2016 and in 2017 directed staff to explore whether there was an option or demand to open the fishery for limited harvest.
Tom Ingram of Tallahassee, president of the Diving Education and Marketing Association, was the first speaker Thursday during the public comment phase of the meeting.
He urged commissioners to continue protection of the Goliath grouper, likening it to the manatee, another beloved iconic Florida creature, which also happens to be slow moving and requires close management to keep its population numbers robust.
A total of 56 people signed up to address the commission, with the majority siding with leaving protections in place.
Tony Brogan, administrator and founder of Spearboard spearfishing forum, advocated to save the Goliath grouper. During his address, he mentioned how the International Game Fish Association world record for Goliath grouper was 680 pounds, but a spearfishing record during the 1980s was 800 pounds.
Two speakers have quoted scripture in various ways, including a rabbi from St. Petersburg, who actually read Hebrew to the commissioners and leads a small group of people who believe in faith-based conservation.
Tripp Aukeman of Coastal Conservation Association of Florida said the recreational angling organization supports a limited harvest of Goliath grouper.
Don DeMaria, a dive charter operator from the Gulf Coast, said he once dove with noted marine conservationist Phillippe Cousteau and son, Fabien, on a small reef off Fort Myers. They had encountered a spawning aggregation of more than 100 Goliath grouper. DeMaria said Cousteau told him he had never seen anything like it in the world and that we should preserve it.
"This issue has the potential to cause embarassment to the commission and governor similar to the black bear hunt a few years ago," DeMarina told the commission.
Sharks
On the first day of meetings Wednesday, commissioners directed FWC staff to develop draft regulations concerning the fishing for large sharks from Florida beaches.
The practice, which has become more controversial since the advent of social media, is being blamed for the deaths of large sharks, such as hammerhead sharks or tiger sharks and causing more shark-human interactions in the surf zone.
Follow Ed Killer's FWC Meeting coverage live throughout the day on Twitter at @tcpalmekiller.