Grace, Braveheart, Wilbur, Salt & Pepper, Pokemon, Julius… they are my friends, and they are the last of their kin. The Goliath Groupers are the gentle giants of Florida. They have gone extinct in most of the Atlantic Ocean. We almost lost them all due to overfishing. Today, Florida is the only place in the world where we can see Goliaths in mangroves (as babies) in the reefs ( as adults) and in spawning aggregations (getting together to breed). This is a direct result of a 1990 federal and state moratorium on harvest.

All Groupers Plate v2

Photo Credits: Grace by M. Eakin, Braveheart by A.C. Egan, Wilbur by A.C. Egan, Salt & Pepper by P. Barroso, Pokemon by S. Frias-Torres, Julius by P. Barroso

On April 26, 2018, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will vote on a proposal to kill the critically endangered Goliath Grouper. The proposal is labelled as a “limited take”. If approved, the take will allow the killing of 400 breeding adults. Such action will reverse 28 years of protection because it will decimate most of the breeding population in Florida: the mamas and the papas needed to restore the population.

Goliath Groupers have no voice. They have no vote at the negotiating table.

What can you do? You can be the voice of the voiceless and your courage to speak up will save the Goliath Groupers.

Here’s how you can do it.

First, watch this 7-minute video explaining the science-based evidence on why Goliath Groupers need continued protection.

 

Second, do one or more of the following to tell FWC Commissioners Goliath Groupers must me protected and why.

.- Attend the FWC public meeting on April 26, 2018, in Fort Lauderdale, FL. You can be added to the list of public comments, and you are assigned 3 minutes to speak up. Notice the meeting on the 26th starts at 8:30 AM and you need to sign up for your public comment before the start of the meeting. So getting there at 8:00 AM will give you enough time to do so.

http://www.myfwc.com/about/commission/commission-meetings/2018/april/25/agenda/

.- Call the FWC Commissioners (850-487-0554)

.- Write an email to the FWC Commissioners

commissioners@MyFWC.com

Let’s work together to save the gentle giants.