Share your input on the future management of goliath grouper

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants your input on a final rule proposal that, if approved at the March 2022 Commission meeting, would allow a limited, highly regulated harvest of goliath grouper in Florida state waters. This proposal includes a special opportunity for harvest through a lottery draw, while enacting area and seasonal closures, size and gear restrictions, and post-harvest requirements. This limited harvest would allow users additional access opportunities to this species and provide researchers with needed biological data, while allowing the population to continue to rebuild and excluding harvest from areas of heavy dive ecotourism. Based on Commissioner direction at the October 2021 Commission meeting, updates to the draft proposal have been incorporated, including new proposed rules to reduce impacts of catch-and-release fishing on goliath spawning aggregations in state waters.

Share your input by attending one of these online workshops.

• Jan. 11, 6 p.m. ET
• Jan. 13, noon ET

More information about how to participate will be available on the FWC website prior to the webinar dates: MyFWC.com/marine, then clicking on “Rulemaking” and “Workshops.” Those interested in participating can also contact the Division of Marine Fisheries Management at 850-487-0554 for more information. 

Learn more about goliath grouper at MyFWC.com/Marine by clicking on “Recreational Regulations” and “Goliath Grouper” under the “Reef Fish” tab.

If you can’t attend a workshop, visit MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments and click on “Workshops” to submit comments. A recorded presentation will also be posted on this page in the future.