“Regulations are typically intended to protect these smaller fish to allow them the opportunity to contribute to the spawning population and the genetic diversity of the stock.”įishing permits will be awarded by lottery and cost $150 for residents and $500 for non-residents. “A 24- to 36-inch Goliath is not desirable, nor has it even reached maturity,” said Meaghan Emory with the Florida Skindivers Association. The rule spared the largest fish, setting a limit that essentially includes only juveniles to reduce the risk to reproductive adults, but the rule is still drawing criticism. The state began considering the move about five years ago as grumbling grew louder about massive goliaths on reefs gobbling up catches, but kept fishing off-limits. While the restrictions in dolphin fishing drew little opposition, loosening protections for goliath grouper have drawn fierce criticism. But whatever is causing this decrease in the abundance of the fishery, fish size, etc., we need to figure it out and we need federal help to do it.” “This is a big fishery that's not just Florida. “For years we've been asking for help to stop the long-lining activities and other things that may or may not be causing this,” Spottswood said. The number for private recreational boats was also halved, from a total of 60 fish to 30 fish. Under the new rule, anglers in state waters can keep just five dolphin, down from 10.
Numbers hit a high of nearly 30 million pounds in 1997 but dropped to just 5 million pounds in 2020. Since the 1990s, catch numbers have plummeted. Collection of Don DeMaria.Ĭommissioners also tightened restrictions on popular dolphin fish, or mahi-mahi, hoping to send a message to federal fishery managers who manage the population that migrates from New England to South America. “We have a stock that is rebuilding, and rebuilding in a way that allows a highly regulated limited take.”īy the 1980s, the number of goliath groupers had plummeted under heavy fishing, as depicted in this image from 1987. “It's not our job just to take away, it's our job to rebuild,” said Commissioner Robert Spottswood, who represents the Keys. The grouper must be between 24 to 36 inches. The commission excluded most of southeast Florida and the Dry Tortugas in an attempt to protect grouper that inhabit the state’s ailing reef and which draw divers from around the world. The brief spring season lasts from March to May. Under the rule, up to 200 fish can be caught and kept along the Gulf coast and in Atlantic waters north of Martin County each year. The giant fish nearly went extinct in the 1980s following decades of heavy fishing on reefs where they hunker down and grow to several hundred pounds or more, invincible to most predators. Florida wildlife managers adopted new rules Thursday that loosen restrictions for one of the state’s most iconic fish and tighten them for another.Īs expected, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a controversial rule for goliath grouper that will allow limited fishing for the first time in 30 years.
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