The goliath grouper has become a very hot topic recently in the state of Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been receiving many complaints about goliath groupers bugging divers and being a “nuisance” to commercial fishermen. These complaints have created questions as to whether or not the harvest of goliath grouper should be reopened in the state and federal waters of Florida. Several meetings have been held by the FWC, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, but a decision has not yet been made to open up the goliath grouper for harvest. A multitude of information points to the conclusion that the goliath grouper should not be reopened for harvest because the population is not yet healthy enough.

HISTORY/BACKGROUND
The goliath grouper is a large saltwater fish in the grouper family that can be located along the coast of Florida on reefs and shipwrecks. Goliath groupers are mostly brown and yellow with small black spots and five dark stripes that are usually only visible when the fish is still in a juvenile state. The goliath grouper can reach up to 800 pounds and grow to be 8 feet or longer. This is one of the largest fish in the grouper family, second only to the queensland grouper. Because of its gigantic size, it was a very common target for fishermen and spear fishermen for many years. The goliath grouper was so overfished that the population was reduced to dangerously low levels by the 1980s. Then in 1990, state and federal fishery management councils prohibited the harvest of goliath grouper.

POPULATION TOO LOW FOR HARVEST
The goliath grouper should not be open to harvest because the population of the goliath grouper is still too low.  The population of goliath groupers took a large hit in the 1970s and 1980s before they were put under state and federal protection. Since then the species has been able to rebound to much higher numbers. However, the population is still not in shape to be opened to a public harvest. These low population levels are mainly due to the cold snap in 2010 which killed thousands of young goliath groupers. This cold snap may have set back the goliath grouper recovery by at least five years because most groupers at the age of five and under died. As stated by Florida State University professor Chris Koenig “the cold snap has made it impossible to open up the fishery now. The earliest fishery managers should consider any change would be 2015, and the catch should only be for recreational harvest, not commercial” (O'Hara). Many divers and fishermen state that there are too many goliath groupers on reefs and ship wrecks but these claims are not fact. More research needs to be done in order to obtain proper data on the population of the goliath grouper.

ECONOMIC BENEFITS AND SIGHTSEEING DIVERS
Another reason to keep the goliath grouper species protected is that they provide economic benefits for the coast of Florida. Diving is a very popular attraction in Florida because many people enjoy looking at the natural beauty of life underwater. Floridians and tourists go out on dive charters to go sightseeing at coral reefs and ship wrecks to see fish and other underwater life. Goliath groupers on their own are an incredible sight to see just based on their sheer size and nature. A dive charter boat operator stated that even expert divers are amazed by the sight of goliath groupers (O’Hara). Sightseeing divers enjoy looking at and taking photographs with these massive fish. In a survey done by the University of Florida, results showed that “87 percent of sightseeing divers said goliath grouper encounters were a desirable experience” (Lollar). These goliath groupers can become a large attraction for sightseeing divers and tourists who pull in business for local dive charters and coastal cities in Florida.

EASY TARGETS

Goliath groupers are an easy target for fishermen and spear fishermen and if they are reopened for harvest now, they will likely be reduced to a very small population again. Goliath groupers are a very large and slow moving fish with few natural predators. They are also curious and have little fear of divers and will approach a diver if they see one, instead of running away.  This makes goliaths easy prey for spear fishermen and very susceptible to overfishing. This is exactly what happened before goliath groupers were placed under protection in 1990. People would set out to kill goliath groupers to hang as trophies on the docks, and commercial fishermen would target goliaths in order to sell them to seafood restaurants. The goliath grouper was so overfished that the species was pushed to becoming critically endangered. As indicated by the FWC “goliath grouper are highly vulnerable to overfishing and more information about their life history is needed to conclusively determine if they could withstand harvest pressure without jeopardizing the stock” (General Information).

FALSE ACCUSATIONS
Commercial fishermen believe that goliath groupers are becoming a nuisance to their businesses. They say that the grouper are eating snapper and spiny lobster and reducing their populations. Because of this they think that thinning out the goliath grouper population will help increase the snapper and spiny lobster populations. However, the diet of the goliath grouper contradicts the claims made by these commercial fishermen. As illustrated in a National Geographic article, “studies have repeatedly shown that the lumbering goliaths feed almost exclusively on small, slow targets (crabs, not lobsters, make up more than half their diet)” (Holland). They also feed on other invertebrates and occasionally small fish. Therefore, goliath grouper cannot be the cause of the declining spiny lobster and snapper population. In order to find the actual cause of the decline of the spiny lobster and snapper population, Marine biologist Sarah Frias analyzed the food web of the goliath grouper, spiny lobsters, and snappers. She concluded that the main cause of the reducing populations was overfishing (O’Hara). Thus the claim made by the commercial fishermen has no scientific evidence to back it up and has been proven to be false.

SOLUTION
Now the solution to the debate on whether or not to reopen the harvest of goliath grouper has become clearer. The best way to allow the population of the goliath grouper to recover is for it to remain under protection until at least 2016. In 2015 another stock assessment will be done on the goliath grouper in order to obtain more information on the status of the population. After this data is obtained the committee of the FWC, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council should meet in order to vote on whether or not to reopen the harvest of goliath grouper to the public. If the population is sufficient the committee should open up the goliath grouper for harvest but only for recreational fishing, not commercial. This will allow the goliath grouper to maintain a balanced population in which fishermen can harvest the goliaths and the goliaths can remain an attraction to sightseeing divers.

CONCLUSION
The goliath grouper should not be reopened for harvest until at least the year 2016 because the population is not currently healthy enough. Goliath groupers need more time to rebound from their extremely low numbers in the 1980s, they provide an attraction for sightseeing divers, and they would be vulnerable to overfishing if opened for harvest. In 2016 the goliath grouper may be ready for harvest but until then we should collect more information about the species and more data on their population levels.