| State backs limited fishing of goliath grouper | |
| By Jim Turner |
Source: fox13 |
10/6/2021 |
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Credit: Angela Collins |
Three decades after the state banned the harvesting of goliath grouper, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved plans Wednesday that would allow about 200 of the fish to be killed annually.
Over the objections of dive operators, the commission voted to move forward with a draft rule allowing up to 200 fishing permits a year for juvenile goliath grouper, with the first harvest expected in 2023. |
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Commissioner Robert Spottswood said the "limited" harvest should help the agency better determine the overall stock of the fish in the next three to five years.
"This stock is rebuilding," Spottswood said. "We're hearing that it can easily sustain this very small harvest of fish. We're going to learn something from it. And more importantly, we're going to give some access that we can give safely and sustainably back to the stakeholders that own the resource. And I believe it's time we do so." |
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