The Goliath Grouper and sedar resolution Process Alex Gramovot

The dispute began to arise in the past 20 years when recreational anglers, commercial fisherman and divers have been reporting a population explosion of goliath grouper on reefs statewide. In theory, this is a great thing; it means that the conservation efforts taken by the state and federal fisheries departments have been working and the stocks of this fish are rebounding. However, many of the reports given to the goliath grouper hotline run by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission claim that many of the reefs are being overrun by this grouper and that they are killing off all other species of fish in the area. This claim has been investigated by the Florida State University Coleman Biology Lab and disproven; their research used stable isotope analysis of stomach contents and concluded that the goliath grouper due to its sedentary nature feeds nearly exclusively off lower trophic levels. Basically, this fish sits in a hole and waits for a smaller fish to swim by and eats it. They are not active predators and do not feed on other game fish like snappers and other groupers, which is what many are claiming.

MODELED CONSUMPTION RATES OF GOLIATH GROUPER RELATIVE TO TOTAL LENGTH (TL). GRAPH SHOWS THAT AS THE FISH GROWS THEIR WEIGHT-SPECIFIC CONSUMPTION RATES DECLINE. THUS, A LARGE INDIVIDUAL EATS MUCH LESS PER BODY MASS THAN A SMALL INDIVIDUAL.

REGRESSION OF SPECIES RICHNESS (ALL REEF FISH) ON GOLIATH GROUPER DENSITY (NO. PER REEF SITE) OFF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ON HIGH-RELIEF SITES (R2 = 0.38; P<0.01). DASHED LINES DENOTE 95% CONFIDENCE LIMIT

The list of stakeholders that are affected by this issue is nearly endless, due to the range of this fish and the impacts that fishing has on the statewide economy. At the federal level, stakeholders include NMFS, DEP (Department of Environmental Protection), USFWS (United States Fish and Wildlife Service) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). At the level (focusing on Florida), FWRI (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute), FWC, FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection), CCA (Coastal Conservation Association), countless other interest groups and universities all have stake in the conservation of this species. On the other side of the spectrum are the commercial and recreational anglers who claim that their livelihood or recreational fishing spots are being overrun with this massive fish.

Even though the preliminary data suggests that there is not a problem with the goliath grouper population, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has created Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR), which is a process which aims to increase the quality and reliability of stock assessment data through a series of workshops, and recommend appropriate actions to be taken by the various agencies who have jurisdiction and policy making power. SEDAR 23 focused on the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Goliath Grouper and is the focus of this case study. Many other SEDAR workshops have occurred and addressed other marine fisheries management issues from the lowly Menhaden to the top predator in these waters, sharks. All of the SEDAR workshops are public meetings, and participants are drawn from all over to try to include a broad range of perspectives in the assessment of the issue. One of the key aspects to SEDAR’s success is their emphasis on stakeholder and constituent involvement throughout the entire process. The workshops are open to the public, though most of the participants who attended were from various state and regional agencies. Some of the participants were representing the agencies they work for; others were there on their own accord. Oversight for these workshops is provided by a committee made up of the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center Director and Regional Administrator, Regional Council representatives, Executive Directors and Chairs of the South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils, Interstate Commission representatives, and Executive Directors of the Atlantic States and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions. Basically, this creates a system of structure and creates an atmosphere conducive to addressing the problem at hand.

The workshop series includes three main sections: the first being a data workshop, the second being an assessment workshop, and finally a review workshop. The Data Workshop where data regarding life history, fisheries and population monitoring are compiled. The second day is the Assessment Workshop, where assessment models are developed and new population assessments are estimated using the information compiled from the data workshop. The last day of the series is the Review Workshop where independent experts review the data, methods and products from day two and create a final report that includes the general findings of the series. This final report is then used to develop specific management recommendations for the various agencies that have the final decision in any matter regarding the issue.

Conclusions

Currently, a season for harvest has not been opened up. If the data showed otherwise, I firmly believe that a decision favoring those who want to be able to fish for the goliath grouper would be come to. The process that is used by SEDAR is in my opinion the best type of process for this type of issue; due to the complexity and potential to make this fish extinct if an incorrect decision is made, a collaborative data sharing process and having the final decisions made by the panel of experts listed above is really the best way to tackle this issue.

Some of the critical challenges to this particular case are obtaining data that is accurate, because fish have a tendency to move and it is impossible to come up with a completely accurate stock assessment. The best that can be done is a good estimate of the breeding population, and that is exactly what is being done. I think that one improvement to this process would be spreading awareness about these meetings to try to involve more private citizens who want to open a season. If this is done, those people may have a different perspective about the issue after hearing the experts’ data and assessments. Opening a season on the goliath grouper is an interesting issue because no one is really being harmed and at the end of the day no matter what the public opinion is, the final decision is up to the policy makers. The public opinion is taken into consideration, but the science is what determines when a change will be made to this issue.

Bibliography

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Online Source,

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/goliath-grouper/

Florida State University Coleman and Koenig Laboratory, Online Source, http://www.bio.fsu.edu/coleman_lab/goliath_grouper.php

SEDAR 23 Complete Stock Assessment Report, SEDAR, March 2011, available from

http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/Sedar_Workshops.jsp?WorkshopNum=23