TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Marine biologists say the Atlantic goliath grouper is making a comeback in Florida while remaining critically endangered everywhere else in the world.
The groupers' numbers are increasing off both Florida's east and west coasts after a 21-year moratorium on capture of the once severely over-fished species.
Florida State University marine biologists have begun a three-year study to determine what specific conditions and fish behaviors are supporting the goliath grouper's population recovery in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico off the state's coasts, an FSU release said Wednesday.
The results will be given to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which set policy on the management and conservation of the slow-moving, inquisitive giants that can grow to 9 feet in length and weigh 400 to 800 pounds.
The study will be different from previous research in two key ways, scientists said.
"First, while in the past scientists had to sacrifice the fish to gather age, reproductive and predatory information, at FSU we've developed a non-destructive means of obtaining the data that spares its life," FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory scientist Christopher C. Koenig said.
"Second, those new, non-lethal data-gathering methods allow us to actively engage commercial and recreational fishermen in the scientific process," he said. "We will train the fisherman to obtain scientific samples, and to tag and release the fish."
