Goliath Groupers: Better in the Water than on the Plate

Atlantic Goliath grouper are iconic to Florida divers, but a new government proposal to permit Goliath fishing -- it has been banned for 30 years -- has been met with trepidation by scientists at Florida State University. They fear that although the species has recovered to some extent, it is still vulnerable to cold snaps and red tides. Combined with the loss of mangrove forests in South Florida, a critical habitat for young grouper, they make the Goliath grouper unsuitable as a fishery species.

Furthermore, adult Goliath grouper carry heavy loads of toxic mercury in their livers and muscles, making them unsafe for human consumption. Federal and state agencies may be debating re-establishing the fishery, but scientists say the fish pose health risks.

Of course, divers thrill at the sight of up to one hundred fish, some individuals approaching eight feet long, forming spawning groups each year. The economic value of Goliath grouper to the Florida economy is far greater in the water than on a plate.

It's the same with Nassau groupers. They were once common in the Caribbean, but not so much during that last two decades. It's not all bad news: REEF has just released the results of its Grouper Moon Project outlining how, during the last 20 years, due to management techniques including a ban on fishing during the spawning season, the critically endangered aggregations in Little Cayman and Cayman Brac have tripled.

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