8/13/2019 Reef Rescue Goliath Grouper Public Comment

1/3

Palm Beach County

REEF RESCUEP.O. Box 207Boynton Beach, Florida 332!"!#$% #&&'(!!&Email) etich*cu+aaol.com

---.ree're*cue.or/ January 6, 2014

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council

2203 North ois !"enue, #te 1100, $am%a, F 3360&

'ia email( gulfcouncil)gulfcouncil*org

Flori+a Fish an+ il+life Commission

'ia email( -essica*mcca.ley)myf.c*com

/e( ulic Comment

Joint Council Committee on #outh Flori+a Management ssues an+

!+ oc Goliath Grou%er Joint Council #teering CommitteeMeeting, January &, 5 , 2014, 7ey argo, Flori+a

$he %ur%ose of this corres%on+ence is to %ro"i+e %ulic comment regar+ing themanagement of the Goliath Grou%er stoc8 in Flori+a .aters* For the last 20 years the

Flori+a Goliath Grou%er has een %rotecte+ from ta8e* 9uring that %erio+ the %o%ulation

has reco"ere+ from the rin8 of extinction to le"els .hich ha"e %rom%te+ consi+eration

to reo%ening the fishery* hile the Flori+a %o%ulation has ma+e a limite+ reco"ery,Goliath Grou%ers remain asent from their historical range throughout the Cariean*

:eginning in 2001, local +i"ers in alm :each County ;:C< .itnesse+ the rea%%earance

of Goliath Grou%er in local .aters* n #e%temer 200=, +i"ers egan to oser"e a+ultGoliath Grou%er congregating aroun+ offshore :C .rec8s* n that year as many as 30

a+ult Goliath>s .ere counte+ on the M?' Castor .rec8 offshore of 9elray :each* $henumer of in+i"i+uals in these :C autumnal aggregations has continue+ to increase an+

in 2013 as many as 100 a+ult Goliaths .ere counte+ aroun+ the M?' Castor .rec8* $his

last year %hotogra%hers +i"ing on the Castor ca%ture+ images of eggs an+ milt %ro"i+inge"i+ence that these congregations are in+ee+ s%a.ning aggregations* n a++ition, there is

no. a resi+ent %o%ulation of Goliaths foun+ year@roun+ on :C reefs*

$his success story shoul+ not e construe+ as an argument to allo. Ata8eB of the s%ecies,rather it shoul+ %ro"i+e +ocumentation that the :C aggregations are "ital to the sur"i"al

of the s%ecies an+ .arrant the highest le"el of %rotection*

$he rarity of the :C aggregations has resulte+ in creating a tourist attraction for the

:C #C:! in+ustry* Not only +o the tri%s generate 100>s of thousan+s of +ollars for

the +i"e o%erators, ancillary tourist ex%en+itures for foo+, tra"el an+ lo+ging a++ to the

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DTo monitor, preserve and protect the coral reef ecosystem of South Florida through

1

8/13/2019 Reef Rescue Goliath Grouper Public Comment

2/3

research, education and public awareness

Palm Beach County

REEF RESCUE

south Flori+a economy* :C is the only +i"ing +estination in the .orl+ .here thisautumn Goliath s%ectacle can e .itnesse+*

Consi+eration shoul+ e gi"en to ma8ing alm :each County .aters a Goliath Grou%er

orl+ eritage #ite, rather than an easily ex%loite+, unsustainale fishery*

/egar+ing the .hole of the Flori+a Goliath %o%ulation, there is insufficient +ata to

consi+er the s%ecies reco"ere+ to the %oint of allo.ing Ata8eB* Just a fe. of the +ata ga%s

are liste+ elo.(

nsufficient +ata on genetic +i"ersity, .hat %o%ulations are re%resente+ in the :C

s%a.ning aggregations* !re these fish from the Gulf of Mexico, !tlantic or the

CarieanE hat im%act +oes the ionfish Ain"asionB ha"e on the sur"i"al of GoliathsE

hat im%act has the : oil s%ill ha+ on the GoliathsE

hat im%act has the loss of mangro"e haitat ha+E

hat im%act has the colla%se of the n+ian /i"er agoon ecosystem ha+ on

-u"enile Goliath sur"i"alE

$hese are all uestions .hich must e ans.ere+ efore any further consi+eration is gi"en

to reo%ening any form of a Goliath Grou%er fishery*

#incerely,+ $ichenor, 9irectoralm :each County /eef /escue

2

8/13/2019 Reef Rescue Goliath Grouper Public Comment

3/3

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DTo monitor, preserve and protect the coral reef ecosystem of South Florida through

research, education and public awareness

3