Counting Coup on Goliaths

My assignment was to head upriver out of Flamingo and catch as many goliath grouper as possible, and that's exactly what we did.

Captain David Lee, long-time guide there, would take me up as far as Shark River, checking out some spots along the way, then out to his favorite Gulf wrecks. With us was Capt. Mark Cowart of Hollywood, another Flamingo guide. The trip seemed like a good idea, while researching the latest on Florida's recovering goliath grouper fishery. Getting yanked around by wreck-happy gag grouper or oversize dock snook is one thing, but getting hammered by goliaths next to solid structure seemed like the ultimate angling struggle. It would be a desperate encounter with a fish often described as having the dimensions of a Volkswagen Beetle.

After only a few hours of actual fishing, we caught and released 17 goliaths. The biggest fish, just offshore, appeared to weigh 400 pounds, a beast that jerked me around like...well, maybe not like a rag doll, but with considerable vigor. Coaxing him away from structure meant goosing the 23-foot boat forward with a 250-horse outboard, and hanging on. That biggest one seemed more cow than fish, wallowing and thrashing like an alligator with attitude. It had a huge belly that had held countless fish, lobsters and crabs in its 25 years or so. It was only half as big as these guys get. It snacked on a 2-pound jack crevalle like it was an appetizer, maybe hoping to score a big permit or snook from us later on. The 20/0 circle hooks worked to perfection, making for easy releases.

Later that day we anchored inside Shark River in 12 feet of water, a spot offering low-relief rock bottom. The surrounding trees made it seem like we were sitting on a peaceful, freshwater lake—but those dark waters hold many bull sharks and other critters you wouldn't want to meet up with on a black night. Already that day, sharks had devoured a double-header hookup we had of jack and snook. Bull sharks hide and strike when you least expect, making it possibly the worst place in Florida to fall overboard. Curiously, the sharks never attacked our hooked goliaths—perhaps sharks can somehow sense that paybacks are hell. Or they just get along.

Down below, goliath grouper must have swarmed, and we fought double-headers and singles as the tide slowed and turned. More strikes were missed while pictures were taken, and sometimes we didn't even have a line in the water during their key feeding period. They preferred our live finger mullet on a knocker rig (smaller egg weight against the hook) and put up spirited battles on 30-pound spin gear, even making short runs. Others inhaled slabs of mullet fillet from a pair of 21⁄2-pound mullet caught two days previous. One goliath crushed the mullet's head flat while thoughtfully munching it, but then spit it out. At that spot we landed 13 goliaths ranging from 3 to 20 pounds. Taken with other goliaths caught earlier that morning in the creeks while snook fishing, it was a reminder that the goliath population is flourishing along Florida's Southwest coast.

Recent action with goliaths had piqued my attention. While aboard the charterboat Irresponsible out of Fort Pierce with Capt. Dave Brooker—nearly 200 miles north of Flamingo—we had stopped in the inlet on a day when the Atlantic was swept with rain squalls offshore, and enjoyed grouper action in calm water. At least eight goliath grouper had been hooked, along with some undersize gags, and those landed were easily released—at least those that could be dragged up from rough bottom. They're a sturdy fish and seem to do well in warm, low-oxygen water, since they don't move around much. They're certainly more sturdy than snook, which endure lots of catch-and-release fishing. Small goliaths easily pose for a quick picture in the boat, but bigger fish should always be left in the water, the angler posing at the gunnel.

I had last dealt with goliaths in the Western Gulf in 1979. While spearfishing, we were towed underwater by these fish for 10 minutes along the bottom in 30 feet, under and around various obstacles coated with razor-sharp marine growth, in zero visibility below the nelphloid layer, which is an underwater fog bank of silt. Failing to wear gloves and long clothes would have meant stitches at the local hospital. Both goliaths were bigger than me but were finally boated in triumph. Hours later, however, it seemed like a waste. Cleaning them was like butchering hogs, and the meat had layers of fat running through it. Since that day we had left these fish alone.

In Florida, however, this recovering species, protected since 1990 in all U.S. waters, has caused a stir in some angling circles. Especially in Southwest Florida, which remains apparently the epicenter for goliath populations. The vast mangrove jungles of the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands afford ideal habitat for growing juvenile goliaths. Other venues, perhaps Belize, may afford good mangrove habitat, but goliaths are not protected there. Protection is why we have this exploding goliath population off Southwest Florida; some anglers and guides there are quick to support at the very least a partial reopening of the fishery. They're tired of huge and greedy goliaths grabbing their hooked snapper, grouper, permit, kingfish, even 3-foot blacktip sharks, and barging back into that favorite hole, to nap heavily and digest another fine seafood dinner. Some of the wrecks are declared unfishable, or a waste of gamefish such as permit, because of goliath predation.

The theory goes that if federal fisheries authorities have removed goliaths from the “species of concern” list, then things are better, right? Well, yes and no. Anglers may be up to their armpits in hungry goliaths off Fort Myers, but that doesn't mean they're thick everywhere else. Atlantic coast anglers haven't reported as much of a resurgence in these fish, and north of Crystal River in Florida, you won't find them that often on the Gulf side, except for specific wrecks and artificial reefs they favor. That leaves angler harvest in question. With a large number of fishermen roaming Florida waters, the harvest impact would be sudden and probably dramatic. One option might be a tight limit in the Southwest region only, which many would heartily endorse.

One problem is that Florida has most of the mangrove trees in the U.S., which are critical for raising young goliaths. Frigid weather and mangrove trees don't mix well, and young goliaths are equally intolerant of cold weather.

Mangrove trees are so critical for juvenile goliaths, it makes one wonder what happens to young goliaths spawned in western Gulf states, where there are no mangroves at all. There are obviously adult goliaths at many wrecks within 10 miles of the coast, undisturbed by divers, yet you never see young goliaths in Texas or Louisiana's shallow water. This may indicate that mangroves are extremely important to these fish, and almost all goliaths in the western Gulf arrive by migrating.

Combine that unsettling idea with the fact that goliaths gather in spawning aggregations, subject to being wiped out by unchecked harvest, and you've got a species perhaps more vulnerable than the Nassau grouper—which at least scatters across shallow coral and rock and doesn't require threatened mangrove trees during its juvenile years. Strong as the goliath is with its unmatched size, it appears this giant has serious weaknesses in today's world.

“Goliaths don't normally migrate, but those western Gulf fish could have come from as far away as Belize,” says Dr. Felicia Coleman, who has been studying goliaths for some time at the Florida State University of Biological Science. “Storms can move them around. So can red tide or cold weather, both of which they're intolerant of. They will also move 100 miles to a spawning aggregation, then right back to their favorite spot.

“We're trying to census the population,” says Coleman. “How they're distributed, and we're looking at offshore sites all around Florida. Trying to get some sense of the population. We have the state's list of artificial reefs, and volunteers sending us sighting reports. You have to sample many spots, not just the good ones.

“Goliaths spawn offshore but based on our studies, mangrove trees are critical for their survival. You don't see the juveniles over oyster bottom or mud bottom. Spawning aggregations have been observed relatively close to mangrove trees.”

For tag and release fishing, Coleman says they catch and tag plenty of these fish, even with acoustic abdominal tags. “Capturing goliaths is stressful on the fish, but groupers are a hardy animal. Repeated capture of the same animal would probably alter its ability to spawn or anything else, but we don't have any data on that. I think smaller goliaths caught in shallow water would be okay. It's deeper water that really causes damage on bottom fish, with mortality up to 80 percent.

“Lifting a big one onto the boat would not be particularly good for the fish. And, when they hang around a spot, word gets out and the probability of the same fish getting caught is higher.”

Perhaps higher than any other species.

As for a future harvest in Florida, Coleman says, “One of the things that our group has shown is that juvenile habitat presents a bottleneck to population growth. Juvenile habitat for goliath grouper is mangroves, a habitat type that has suffered significant decline. Without complete protection and dedicated, large scale restoration of mangroves in South Florida, it is unlikely that goliath grouper could recover sufficiently to support a fishery.”

Some anglers would quickly disagree with that. “The argument that we shouldn't allow harvest of goliaths solely because their overall habitat is not as broad as it once was, pretty much flies in the face of contemporary fish and game management,” said Jeff Weakley, Florida Sportsman editor. “Elk once ranged across the entire continent of North America, except Florida and Alaska. Their range has contracted over time due to a variety of factors—and probably will never attain the size it once was. Nevertheless, today elk populations are stable in many states, where sustainable non-commercial hunting provides huge economic benefits to communities and priceless satisfaction for hunters, with the enthusiastic support of game managers.”

There's been some discussion, raising the issue on whether to reopen harvest on goliaths, but nothing official on that yet, says Mark Robson, Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries Management with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “We're waiting to see the next stock assessment, which would certainly help. Without a harvest, it's difficult to get data. They seem to be on the road to recovery; we're certainly seeing more and bigger fish. On the federal side, they're still considered overfished. Our Florida regulations match those of the Feds. Our approach is when we get a stock assessment that suggests changing management of the species, we will address it.

“I think the issue for goliaths is that because of their life cycle in a state like Florida with high angler activity, that would mean limited harvest. They aggregate and can be easily targeted. We would have to take a very cautious approach on this. We certainly want to take a look at the status of the fishery. Some new information may be forthcoming next year.

“Another possible advantage for harvest is that we would at least be able to gather data on their age and growth. That gives you a good picture of the demographics of the population. That's a fundamental piece of information we need on how they're doing in the wild.

“The Commission has even discussed long-term possibilities if harvest was allowed. Perhaps a lottery system that would serve to raise revenue for the benefit of the species. That's a long-range issue, of course. We want to try to stay on the same path that the federal South Atlantic and Gulf Management Councils, and NMFS want to take, and coordinate our efforts with them. Right now, the South Atlantic managers want to stay with no-harvest.

“People look at goliaths as a large and valuable animal, especially for divers. There is also a big role in the environment for a big critter like that. They're an impressive fish, and we have to consider their complete role and value out there.”

Harvest or Protection?


Viewpoints from different Florida captains:

Capt. Dave Lee in Homestead: “I think they need to bring the harvest back, one per boat, with a slot size of 30 to 40 inches. They need to, because there are so many of them. Maybe put a season on them. Especially in the Southwest region, anyway. If they leave the breeders alone, it shouldn't hurt.”

Captain Mark Cowart in Hollywood: “They should keep it closed. They took a species that was nearly wiped out and brought them back. It's now a thriving fishery, if they leave it alone. These fish may eat their habitat out, but they move on and other fish move right back in.”

Captain Dave Palmer in Fort Pierce: “My opinion on the fishery would be to err on the side of caution. I think the numbers are coming back, but we should wait a year or two, make sure the stocks are holding up strong and then maybe allow one fish per boat with a slot size and require a special stamp like we have for snook and lobster.”

Captain Spencer Slate (dive boat operator) in Key Largo: “In the 30 years I've been diving, I've never seen so many goliaths. We should continue the ban. Nobody eats them anyway. Goliaths are not a nuisance to us, they're wonderful creatures. It's nice we've brought their populations back. It's great for our economy. We're tickled to have them back.”

Mail your comments on the status of goliath grouper to:


Goliath grouper Comments


Division of Marine Fisheries Management


620 S. Meridian


Tallahassee, FL 32399

Hunting the Big Boys

Shore-bound anglers are gearing up with big tackle and going after these giants, releasing them. Dave Palmer, who works at the Snook Nook in Stuart, fishes for goliaths at night from shore and bridges. He sets out his favorite bait, a stingray (which he gigs and freezes, stacked in plastic bread trays). His tackle is a huge 14/0 outfit, with piano wire leader and a 20/0 circle hook. Baits are often set out with a kayak, up to 200 yards away in boat channels. Palmer then returns to fish from shore. He's battled and landed a number of big goliaths to 300 pounds from shore, mostly at night when things are quiet. He says passers-by can't understand why he uses tackle that big on land. There's a good reason, however; huge fish lurk in Florida bays. Another angler, Shane Edgar of Bonita Beach, shot amazing photos of his friends catching and releasing seven huge goliaths in the Florida Gulf Coast surf on a single night. They can be viewed on the Florida Sportsman forum at: outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=510735

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