OK everyone. I could not resist posting this short but awesome video of a goliath grouper aggregation in the waters off Jupiter, Florida.
Controversial? Yes.
But still, amazing creatures.
Goliath Grouper Aggregation
The video footage shows a large gathering of Goliath Groupers (Epinephelus itajara), which are probably the largest member of the grouper species.
Well, maybe the Warsaw grouper gets larger, but who’s arguing?
This is the giant of the grouper family, and formerly called ‘Jewfish’.
Today, they are considered ‘endangered’, and are protected. The regulations say that you are not supposed to even take them out of the water.
Well, they are more concerned with the larger fish, due to their skeletal structure not being able to handle the pressures of being out of the water.
The FWC says on their regulations page that “removing smaller goliath groupers from the water to remove hooks is not necessarily a bad practice, but this practice must be done with care”.
However, as the photos across the internet shows, many proud fishermen still take goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), out of the water for a quick photo before releasing them back to the depths.
It is certainly a magnificent fish species that many fishermen scream at everyday.
Because, they will take your hooked fish off of your line at a moments notice.
These days, most all bottom fishermen have experienced the sudden, and heavy tug of a goliath grouper as it ‘chomps’ down on the fish that is on your hook.
The video is from Eric Cheng.
