Palm Beach County

REEF RESCUE
P.O. Box 207 Boynton Beach, Florida 33 2! "!#$% #&&'(!!& Email) etich*cu+a,aol.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( 0u1lic Comment Joint Council Committee on #outh Flori+a Management 2ssues an+ !+ 3oc Goliath Grou%er Joint Council #teering Committee Meeting, January &, 4 5 6, 2014, 7ey argo, Flori+a $he %ur%ose of this corres%on+ence is to %ro"i+e %u1lic comment regar+ing the management of the Goliath Grou%er stoc8 in Flori+a .aters* For the last 20 years the Flori+a Goliath Grou%er has 1een %rotecte+ from ta8e* 9uring that %erio+ the %o%ulation has reco"ere+ from the 1rin8 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 a1sent from their historical range throughout the Cari11ean* :eginning in 2001, local +i"ers in 0alm :each County ;0:C< .itnesse+ the rea%%earance of Goliath Grou%er in local .aters* 2n #e%tem1er 200=, +i"ers 1egan to o1ser"e a+ult Goliath Grou%er congregating aroun+ offshore 0:C .rec8s* 2n that year as many as 30 a+ult Goliath>s .ere counte+ on the M?' Castor .rec8 offshore of 9elray :each* $he num1er of in+i"i+uals in these 0: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+ing e"i+ence that these congregations are in+ee+ s%a.ning aggregations* 2n a++ition, there is no. a resi+ent %o%ulation of Goliaths foun+ year@roun+ on 0:C reefs* $his success story shoul+ not 1e construe+ as an argument to allo. Ata8eB of the s%ecies, rather it shoul+ %ro"i+e +ocumentation that the 0: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 0:C aggregations has resulte+ in creating a tourist attraction for the 0:C #CC:! 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 D
To monitor, preserve and protect the coral reef ecosystem of South Florida through

research, education and public awareness

Palm Beach County

REEF RESCUE
south Flori+a economy* 0:C is the only +i"ing +estination in the .orl+ .here this autumn Goliath s%ectacle can 1e .itnesse+* Consi+eration shoul+ 1e gi"en to ma8ing 0alm :each County .aters a Goliath Grou%er ,orl+ 3eritage #ite, rather than an easily ex%loite+, unsustaina1le 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+ 1elo.( 2nsufficient +ata on genetic +i"ersity, .hat %o%ulations are re%resente+ in the 0:C s%a.ning aggregations* !re these fish from the Gulf of Mexico, !tlantic or the Cari11eanE ,hat im%act +oes the ionfish Ain"asionB ha"e on the sur"i"al of GoliathsE ,hat im%act has the :0 oil s%ill ha+ on the GoliathsE ,hat im%act has the loss of mangro"e ha1itat ha+E ,hat im%act has the colla%se of the 2n+ian /i"er agoon ecosystem ha+ on -u"enile Goliath sur"i"alE $hese are all Fuestions .hich must 1e ans.ere+ 1efore any further consi+eration is gi"en to reo%ening any form of a Goliath Grou%er fishery* #incerely, G+ $ichenor, 9irector 0alm :each County /eef /escue

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To monitor, preserve and protect the coral reef ecosystem of South Florida through research, education and public awareness