View Single Post
Old 06-15-2004, 12:55 PM   #1
Dive4Blood
The Wizard Of HOD
 
Dive4Blood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Gulf of Mexico
Posts: 2,501
Thumbs up Interested In A Limited Goliath Grouper Harvest? Here's How We Get One.

A fellow dive club member just called me last week about an acquaintance he has with a very high ranking official in the FWC. In their conversations, this person has expressed the desire to get diver-based info on goliath grouper populations, and behavior around the state. He wants to take this info to form a springboard for a very possible limited harvest sometime in the near future.

I just got off the phone with this gentleman today, and although he declined that he be identified due to not wanting to get barraged with phone calls/emails, he is very interested in what we have to say. Ultimately, both he, and several other key personnel would like for a limited harvest along the lines of the alligator lottery to occur. A limited number of kill tags would be given out to those that apply, and for a fee would allow that fisherman to harvest a goliath. This is provided that the fisherman report the info regarding the catch, and surrender the filleted carcass for scientific study.

What he asking is for anecdotal info, photos, and video. Please reply on this thread in non-inflammatory manner, and provide your feedback. I am going to email him the link to this thread so that he, and his associates at the FWC may read, and see. They want to know:
*Where are you seeing them
*How many
*What size
*Their behaviors especially if they are aggressive
*What you have seen them eat
*If you have seen increase in their populations
*Anything else pertinent to determining whether a limited harvest can work.

Let's represent our spearfishing community, and flex our muscle in a constructive way. Thanks.

AJ Suarez

Last edited by Dive4Blood; 06-15-2004 at 01:01 PM.
Dive4Blood is offline   Reply With Quote