Goliath

Text and photos by Walt Stearns Goliath , or itajara, are the subject of strong opin- ions and divided emotions. Divers love to see these mammoth fish; underwater hunters denounce them as competitors, or covet them as outsized trophies; fisher- men are just itching for a policy change that allows harvest; and regulatory bodies seem constantly poised to rescind long- term protection in favor of short-term exploitation. Opinions abound, and the rhetoric can get heated when interest groups clash. But when cooler heads prevail, the facts emerge and paint a pic- ture of a species that has come back from the brink in the U.S. state of Florida but is still very much in need of our protection.

The Gathering the planet except here in Florida. Spawning season here in Florida first of October. rel weighing over 450 lbs (204kg), capable of growing to extremely As the summer reaches its zenith, The event I speak of is the oppor- for the Atlantic goliath groupers Why they are called goliaths is goliaths are the largest of all bony large sizes. Having grown up so begins a spectacle that divers tunity to dive with 40 to 90 plus is nearly two months long, begin- quite obvious. Measuring up to reef fish found in tropical reef here in Florida, I have heard and underwater photographers giant groupers massed together ning around mid-August through 7ft (2.13m) in length, with a large environments. more than my share of monster will not find anywhere else on for the purpose of propagation. to the end of September, or the robust body the width of a bar- Atlantic goliath groupers are goliath grouper tales, with the

51 X-RAY MAG : 64 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Diver with goliath grouper, known to grow up to 7ft (2.13m) and ecology over 450 lbs (204kg) Groupers 40 miles offshore of Florida’s west ing aggregations, combine with some actually begins as early coast. often highly favorable conditions as mid-July. More recent studies For underwater photographers like underwater clarity in the 60 have found, following tagged fish, on Florida’s east coast, the timing to 90ft (18-27m) range, tropical some of the distances traveled and length of these huge spawn- water temperatures and calm to reach one specific spawn- seas, make it ing aggregation site have been easy for them to recorded greater than 300 miles capture images (483km). that defy words. In comparison Spawning to most other Having followed these fish since grouper species, the first spawning aggregation this romance reappeared after a three-dec- period these fish ade-long hiatus on a local site off follow is more Jupiter called the Hole-in-the-Wall like a marathon back in 2001, I can pretty well than a 50-meter describe the process by which it dash. While typically takes place. these concen- Around the timing of the first full trated annual moon of August, the bulk of the gatherings don’t spawning fish have completed really get going their journey, swelling the ranks on till mid-August, a single aggregation site from a the journey for dozen big behemoths to a herd

behemoths weighing in excess record grouper that was caught make a 6ft (2m) long brute with of 1,000 lbs (454kg). Yet, I have by sportfisherman off Fernandina a girth equal in diameter to an never met one this big. Nor have Beach, Florida, back in 1961. oil drum appear as big as a com- I seen one as large as the 680- However, when you come pact car. pound (308kg) IGFA (International face-to-face with one even half Gamefish Association) all tackle the size of that IGFA fish underwa- Where and when ter for the first The most favorable location for time, it will be encountering these giants hap- an encounter pens between two natural and you will never four artificial reef sites along forget. Florida’s Palm Beach County Throw in the Coast. From mid August to the magnification end of September/early October, factor cre- these six key sites play host to ated by water’s the only goliath grouper spawn- effect on a div- ing aggregations known to take er’s facemask, place off Florida’s east coast. the perspec- Interesting, in that all of these take tive to just how place less than five miles from big that fish is, shore. Where as the rest (approxi- can be ampli- mately seven in all) take place in fied enough to the southern Gulf of Mexico, 25 to

Record IGFA goliath catch, 680 lb (308kg), in Florida, 1961 Spawning aggregate of goliath groupers off the coast of the U.S. state of Florida

52 X-RAY MAG : 64 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Spawning aggregation of goli- ath groupers off coast of Florida (left); Underwater photographers will enjoy encounters with the Biodiversity ecology giant fish from mid-August to early October, when vis is 60-90ft (18-27m) (below)

Florida’s east coast most southern spawning site, water temps were less Anilao, Batangas, Philippines affected by the upwelling’s. The 2014 season was a different mat- ter. While the upwelling’s were less apparent, the presence of the Gulf Stream was also less apparent, leaving most of the summer months with little to no current. Perhaps, these fish knew something we didn’t. Witnessing this spectacle could cause some to believe the fish are no longer threatened, and have success- fully made a comeback. To call it such may be as premature as calling a herd of American buffalo in game reserves a full recovery for the species. [email protected] Long road back DIVECBR.COM Twenty-five years ago, encounters with just one of these reef giants off Florida’s east coast was a considerable rarity. Around the rest of the state, the situa-

topping 40 to 60 fish. with nearly 150, the major- Typically the first to see these num- ity of which were fish that bers first are wrecks in Northern Palm had pulled up or moved Beach, off Jupiter called the Zion Train/ down the coast from both Esso Bonaire wreck trek and neigh- the Jupiter and West Palm boring MG-111 and Hole-in-the-Wall. Beach sites. In a short span of a week or two, a The first shift in preferred similar number, comprised 50 to 60 locations may have been fish have descended on a second set influenced by a string of of wrecks, Mizpah and Danny, a few cold-water upwelling’s that miles south off West Palm Beach. By plagued the first half of the early September, another wreck further 2013 season. Considering south off Boynton Beach named the goliaths are not fans of Castor completes the scene with the cold water, the upwelling’s arrival of another 50 to 60 individuals. (an event that takes place In the last two consecutive seasons, time to time along the we have seen surprising twist where the Palm Beach Coast) may Castor wreck received the lion’s share have pushed a number around the later part of September. of fish off the Jupiter/West Both times, as the spawning season Palm Beach sites farther was near the end, number of fish pre- south than normal. It just so sent swelled to around 100 fish in 2013, happens that in addition with the 2014 season peaking out to Boynton Beach being COURTESY DR CHRIS KOENIG / FSU Goliath grouper eggs

53 X-RAY MAG : 64 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO ecology Groupers from being pushed to complete col- lapse. The most heavily impacted are SFUPS INTERNATIONAL GOLIATH GROUPER the dominant predators of the tropical UNDERWATER PHOTO COMPETITION 2015 reefs—namely the groupers, with goliath grouper taking the heaviest toll. In an effort to raise awareness of the plight While our own management measures of the endangered Atlantic goliath group- may have stopped the progression of ers in Florida, an organization of local un- derwater photographers in Fort Lauderdale the U.S. population of goliath grouper called SFUPS—the South Florida Underwa- toward extinction, relentless fishing pres- ter Photography Society—is holding the first sure elsewhere in their range alerted the international photo competition featuring International Union for the Conservation goliath groupers. of Nature (IUCN) to list goliath grouper as “critically endangered.” Be part of something extraordinary! The same year the fish was placed Goliath grouper, the largest bony fish, can under its new protected status, the job grow to a size as big as a fridge. Florida of monitoring the recovery of this species is one of the few places on Earth where was put into the hands of scientists at divers can witness spawning aggregations both the National Marine Fisheries Service and swim with these gentle giants. (NMFS) and Florida State University (FSU). CONTEST DATES: August through October FSU’s Research Ecologist, Dr Chris Koenig, 2015 in Palm Beach County and his colleagues, began a detailed study of the fish’s natural history. PRIZES: Contest categories and prizes will be announced this spring 2015. (Past SFUPS Understanding an enigma contest prizes have included liveaboard Unraveling the story behind what makes dive packages, underwater photo equip- these fish tick has led to remarkable dis- ment and courses, dive charters and coveries. Like most reef dwelling species, scuba equipment, with a combined worth including groupers, goliaths are broad- in the thousands of dollars—just to get an cast spawners where a female releases idea of contest sponsorship.) a quantity of unfertilized eggs into the SPONSORS: The contest is sponsored by Reef Photo & Video, the Florida State Department of Environmental Protection, Palm Beach County Diving Association, and Ocean Arts Media. tion was not all that much different. And another three years (August 2001) as the southern edge Once highly abundant, particularly before the first spawning aggregation of . Their historical FOR MORE INFORMATION: Join the SFUPS on distant wrecks far off shore in the comprised of 27 fish off Jupiter, Florida, range even spanned mailing list to receive information on con- southern Gulf of Mexico, the fish began would be seen again for the first time on the entire Bahamas test categories and prizes, travel iterary, to be beaten back by aggressive fish- the east coast in nearly three decades. and to as and local discount assistance by going to: ing practices during the mid 1980s. In a But appearances can be deceiving, far away as Western goliath.sfups.org short few years, the fishery was so badly as a major portion of the entire region- Africa in the Gulf of in decline, the federal government under al population taking part in this ritual Guinea. water at the same time sperm is released the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Act, behavior is represented between this one Our planet’s ever by one or more males; the result is fertili- began work to close the fishery on goli- zone off Florida’s east coast and a key expanding human zation. ath grouper completely. number of sites in the southern Gulf of population and This behavior is typically nocturnal. By the time these protective measures Mexico. today’s highly efficient Which is why during daylight hours on were fully enacted in 1990, there were so Add to that the reality that at one time, means to harvest fish any given spawning aggregation site, few large goliaths left it would be some the Atlantic goliath grouper were once from the oceans has COURTESY OF IUCN divers commonly see the fish formed eight years (1998) before the first docu- highly abundant in not only Florida, but made it more difficult Once abundant along the coasts, historically, goliaths groupers in up in either one comprehensive group mented spawning aggregation would also along the entire Central and South than ever to keep fish the western hemisphere used to range from and the idly hanging close to one another, or reappear in the southern Gulf of Mexico. American Continental Shelf as far south stocks the world over Caribbean, to the coasts of Central America, and as far south as arranged in three to five moderately Brazil; Goliath grouper with school of silversides on wreck (top left)

54 X-RAY MAG : 64 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO ecology BiodiversityGroupers Photo: Christian Vizl

April10–12 SUNTEC CITY SINGAPORE

AND FILM FESTIVAL ADEX 2015 is dedicated to the lovable dolphin. Dolphins have few natural enemies. However, some dolphin species face an uncertain future, such as the Ganges and Yangtze river dolphins, which are critically endangered. We’re rooting for this friendly, freewheelin’ cetacean and celebrating one of Earth’s most intelligent !

Featuring members of the Women Divers Hall of Fame IN CELEBRATION OF and the phenomenon of the Mermaid! FEMALES ENTER FREE! FEMALE DIVERS (10am to 12noon everyday) Goliath groupers like to take refuge in certain wrecks of the Florida wreck trail

GUEST OF spaced subgroups milling about and his research team from FSU Together, with the likelihood of HONOUR between their neighbors. have narrowed the event down working in the dark without any Nassau groupers (Epinephelus to commencing shorty after sun- illumination of the moon has thus striatus), for example spawn col- set. far made any documentation out lectively together in a massive Also something of interest, of reach, much to the frustration unit under a full moon. Unlike their which Koenig has found: instead of many underwater photog- Valerie Taylor Amanda Cotton Cristina Zenato Ellen Cuylaerts Indra Swari Jayne Jenkins Lia Barrett Dr Louisa S Sherry Hsu YZin Kim closest kin, the actual mating of happening one night, the raphers and fish biologists who {Australia} {USA} {Italy} {Belgium} {Indonesia} {Australia} {USA} Ponnampalam {Taiwan} {Korea} Women Divers Women Divers Women Divers {Malaysia} ritual for goliaths does not take event period encompasses a suc- would love to have captured it Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Hall of Fame place by the light a full moon. cession of nights beginning four to on camera. ALSO FEATURING Based on the data collected five nights before the new moon, What is certain is that the fish Pierre-Yves Cousteau (France), Gianluca Genoni (Italy), Michael Maes (Belgium), Henry Jager (Switzerland), Mike Bartick (USA), Mike Vietch (Canada), by Koenig and his research team with another three to four nights always remain on or near aggre- Markus Roth (Germany), Tim Ho (Malaysia), William Tan (Singapore), Shawn Heinrichs (USA), Imran Ahmad (Singapore), Aaron Wong ADEX Ambassador of Photography from FSU, the highest amount of after it. gation sites in force through *Speaker lineup subject to change evidence points to spawning tak- Adding to this grand enigma is the last new moon cycle of Official Publication ing place during the new moon what precisely takes place when September. After that, the fish cycle rather then the full moon. actual spawning is in motion. slowly begin their journey back Organised by In association with How much of a role the moon Rather than spawning as a col- home. phase plays is not exactly clear- lective group like Nassau group- cut. ers, they might—as claimed by Humble beginnings Through years of on-site data a handful of diver eyewitness After the eggs are released dur- collection using specialized nets accounts—instead break from ing spawning, those that are ferti- SPECIAL INTEREST to capture fertilized egg on the main group in pairs or per- lized will drift for a short period of www.uw3some.com/ADEX MEDIA OF THE YEAR spawning sites to using hydro- haps very small groups of three to time before they hatch, emerging Media Publishers Association of Singapore (MPAS) Awards 2014 phones to listen in on various day four males and one female at a first as free swimming pelagic lar- and nighttime activates, Koenig time. vae supported by a yolk-sac until

55 X-RAY MAG : 64 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Goliath groupers under ledge in Hobe Sound (left) and at Hole-in-the-Wall site (below), ecology off Jupiter, Florida Groupers of growing to extremely large size. for a fish to get that size, it requires As I said earlier, having grown up an extreme amount of time to here in Florida, I have heard more do it, which I feel they no longer then my share of monster goliath have.” grouper tales with the behemoths It’s amazing to think this giant weighing in excess of 1,000 lbs started out at a size smaller than a (454kg). While the 680lb (308kg) fish head of a pin. from Fernandina Beach, Florida, still remains the most incontrovertible, I Home bodies have also found photos of a report- Surprisingly, for a big fish, goliaths ed, but unconfirmed 10ft (3m), 790 favor shallow water. While we think lbs (360kg) behemoth that was of them on structures like wrecks, supposedly landed in Brazil. caves and large undercut ledges While stories of this fish and others on a reef, they also have a pro- of equal and larger persist, Koenig pensity for taking up residence and his team of researchers have beneath large piers and bridges yet to come across a single fish inside intercostal waterways along past the 500 lb (227kg)mark since Florida’s coast. the study began in 1990. “It’s not The most consistent places both that I don’t think there were fish of divers and fishermen will find goli- that size,” Koenig points, “it’s that ath groupers are on wrecks and

they grow large enough to feed cycle is far different than most From there, it may take as long themselves. reef-dwelling fish. as another seven to 15 years By this time the tiny fry are still Estuarine habitats play a before they actually exceed smaller than a grain of rice, but pivotal role in the juvenile 400 lbs (181kg). now large enough to be seen development of these fish, Goliaths can live a surprisingly by other—although small—pred- as ’ tangled roots long time. The, the oldest speci- ators. From here, their existence provide the necessary shelter men on record was 37 years is at its most perilous, until cur- from predators until five to six old, which opens speculation rents from incoming tides deliver years of age. By this time they that they could live well beyond them inside coastal river mouth have reached a sub-adult size, 50 years of age. Through all that or inshore brackish water estuar- around 4ft (1.2m) in length and time, they will continue to grow, ies. better equipped to begin their although quite slowly, until they This explains why the likeli- new life in deeper water. are too old to effectively fend hood of encountering an for themselves. This of course adolescent, much less a juve- How big do they get? begs the question: how big nile goliath on a reef is highly A goliath’s growth rate begins does a goliath get? unlikely. That is because their life to slow after the first eight years. Atlantic goliath is capable

56 X-RAY MAG : 64 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Researcher shows fish- ing line removed from stomach of goliath ecology grouper Groupers the bottom was excavat- ly pay a short visit to a neighboring loca- ed, leaving giant depres- tion where food is likely more abundant. sion around the reef. Since its beginning in Getting to the spawn on time the early 1990s, part of The one exception to this stay-at-home FSU’s Goliath Grouper behavior is romance. When mating sea- Recovery Study involved son rolls around, goliaths will pack up placing tags in both and swim considerable distances to join juvenile and adult fish. a spawning aggregation. To more effectively track Part of the FSU’s Goliath Grouper their movements, a large Recovery Study includes surgically number of adult fish were implanting small transmitters in adult fish. also fitted with small trans- The process also includes the place- mitters surgically implant- ment of specialized underwater receivers ed in the body cavity. designed to log every transmittered fish COURTESY OF DR CHRIS KOENIG / FSU FISHERIES BIOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT Each time one of these that passes within a 100m of it. large artificial reefs. One of these steel fish would come within 100 meters of a Between FSU, NMFS, FWC and other structures can harbor anywhere from specific listening receiver mounted on universities and research entities, there one to more than a dozen of these giant the sea floor, that fish’s transmitter inden- are now several hundred such receivers groupers. tification would be logged in. in place up and down the Florida coast. To understand why they prefer these What the study has revealed, once the Through the array, biologists that are part man-made structures over most natural fish have established a home base on a of the cooperative network are able to reef habitats, ask yourself which would suitable site (be it a wreck, reef, pier or tap into information on not only their fish, you prefer to live in: a mansion or a tent? bridge), is that eight out of ten mature but also everyone else’s, which are car- While these big fish find artificial struc- fish rarely roam more than a kilometer rying similar tags. tures more suitable, they also favor reefs from it. Those who do move about, usual- Within the past three years, the migra- with high profiles affording deep under- cut ledges. If neither is readily available for homesteading, in some cases, goli- aths will excavate the sand from around the base of a limestone formation. By doing so, they expose and enlarge the space beneath a ledge that was buried in the sand. One such example is a small reef off Hobe Sound just north of Jupiter, which I have known about and visited many times over the years. The reef is home to 15-16 resident goliaths, along with a wide assortment of fish, including gag grouper, snook, snapper, jacks, grunts and spade- fish. The most interesting feature of the reef is a series of ledges high enough for a diver to pass under, with one overhang wide enough for a car. Originally, the highest part of the reef was 4ft (1.2m) high. None of the features I spoke of existed until the first two goliaths moved in seven years ago. Over time, as more COURTESY OF DR CHRIS KOENIG / FSU FISHERIES BIOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT adult fish moved in, more and more of

THIS PAGE: Florida Sate University researchers measure and tag goliath grouper COURTESY OF DR CHRIS KOENIG / FSU FISHERIES BIOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT

57 X-RAY MAG : 64 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO LEFT TO RIGHT: Groups of goliath group- ers in wrecks off Florida coast; Goliath grouper in mangroves of Florida; ecology Spawning aggregation of goliaths Groupers saltwater fish in When enough of it is absorbed into our rity. Their slow growth rate and surprisingly the world. With bodies, really bad things happen. long life spans of 30 plus years make this most, these trace species especially prone to exposure to amounts are sel- Mercury poisoning highly toxic organic compounds, namely dom high enough Classic mercury poisoning includes tin- methylmercury. for concern. But, gling in the extremities, sensory impair- Working in conjunction with Koenig’s with others—such ment (vision, hearing, speech). As more research, research biologists Douglas H. as swordfish, tuna, neuronal cells are destroyed, the dam- Adams and Christian Sonne were carry- King mackerel and age is irreversible, taking the form of ing out their own study of mercury levels tilefish to name a more pronounced neurological disorders in the fish. like diminishing muscle coor- As part of their research, 56 Florida dination, or control, to kidney goliath groupers where sampled, with damage, even coma and muscle, liver, kidney, gonad and gill tis- death. Mercury poisoning risks sue samples extracted from live fish and are five to ten times greater brain tissue biopsies harvested from dead for children under six and fish. those in the womb, where In 2013, they presented their paper underlying perils include on mercury and histopathology regard- reduced immune system ing goliath groupers. What Adams and response and brain damage. Sonne found, which includes a complete As mentioned earlier, goli- histology (microscopic anatomy of cells aths are a slow growth spe- and tissues) of key organs to determine cies, taking seven or more the depth of the contamination was years to reach sexual matu- pretty frightening.

tory behavior portion of FSU’s study car- ural, as well as continued man- ried out by Ph.D. candidate, Robert made threats they faced. Ellis, has revealed two of the August/ To answer this involved cap- September regulars to the Zion Train turing a large number of both aggregation site off Jupiter, Florida, adult and sub-adult size fish on came from an area just north of Cape Florida’s east and west coast.

Canaveral, which lies some 200km to the Whenever a fish is brought COURTESY OF DON DEMARIA north. One of the fish made this journey aboard, Koenig’s team would in ten days. quickly go to work extracting fin ray few—the fish have the concentration The most compelling evidence of just samples for age determination and DNA levels for which we hear warnings issued how far some of these fish will travel cataloging, checking stomach contents, by U.S. agencies like the Food and Drug to spawn comes from a very large attaching visual tags to even implant- Administration (FDA) and Environmental adult fish, which, for two years in a row, ing acoustic tags in the fish to track its Protection Agency (EPA). They strongly made a 560km trip from its home near movements before releasing it back into advise women of child-bearing age, Cumberland Island in southern Georgia the wild. With each year, an extensive nursing mothers, and young children to to the waters off Jupiter. Once there, amount of new data is collected reveal- completely avoid eating these fish. they spend the next two months (August ing even more information about this fish The FDA’s “action level” (for which the and September) selecting spawning sites that challenges almost everything we FDA may prohibit sale of fish) is 1.0 ppm. that best suit them in one area off Palm previously knew about it. In comparison, the Natural Resources Beach County. Here’s where things get interesting, as Defense Council (NRDC) considers .5 In addition to placing acoustic tags well as a little disturbing. ppm as the “very high” threshold for in fish to study their movements, a large human consumption. part of Koenig’s research involved col- Slow growth Methylmercury is particularly nasty lecting data on what the approximated equals high mercury stuff, as absorption of this toxin through ages were among the population, what Trace amounts of mercury are found ingestion is accumulative in muscle and the they ate and how often, to what nat- in just about every species of fresh and fatty tissues of both animals and humans.

58 X-RAY MAG : 64 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Spawning aggregation of goliath groupers, with ecology school of silversides Groupers grouper, in any form, should never the greatest signs of the goliath for the reef’s biggest fish, only be considered safe for human grouper’s comeback, the rest of enough concerned citizens will consumption. the state has not seen an equiva- be able to answer that ques- lent rebound. On Florida’s south- tion, as the FWC (Florida Wildlife Conclusion east coast, from Fort Lauderdale Conservation Commission) will be While this recent discovery of mer- and Miami, through to the Florida once again placing this fish up cury levels adds a new wrinkle in Keys and Key West, the number for review in September 2015 to the argument against reopening of adult size fish is still very sparse. determine whether they should the fish for commercial or recrea- Looking back at the goliath’s remain under protection in U.S. tional harvest, it does not under- historical range—which includes waters or reopened to fishing.  score the fact that goliath popu- the Bahamas and the Caribbean lations are still in trouble. as well as the Central American Walt Stearns is a widely published Using the Palm Beach County coasts down to Brazil—fishing dive writer, underwater photog- coast as a benchmark, it’s taken pressure has pushed stocks to rapher, scuba instructor, certified more than 25 years to bring complete collapse in over 90 per- cave and rebreather diver and these fish back to where they cent of that range—Hence the an SSI Platinum Pro5000 member are today. Furthermore, while the reason for the IUCN’s decision based in Florida. He is the founder southwestern regions of Florida’s to “Red List” them as a critically and publisher of the Underwater Gulf coast and a section of endangered species. Journal. Visit: Waltstearns.com Florida’s east coast have shown As to what the future holds

The greatest amount concen- lesions, and histological changes would still remain. trated mercury found in those fish were also observed in the liver, One way to visualize the accu- was in the liver, with mean mercu- kidney, and gills belonging to sev- mulative process of mercury con- ry range from 2.87 μg/g to some eral of the fish sampled. tamination is think of each trace containing as much as 22.68 μg/g Granted, the human body is amount of mercury as a drop of in the tissue. Following the liver, capable of removing a fraction of water falling into an empty buck- brain tissue samples revealed the mercury that might be ingest- et. Now think of that same empty concentration levels between ed from one serving of fish, but bucket continually receiving one 0.37 μg/g and 0.89 μg/g, with the process takes an exorbitant drop after another. With enough muscle tissue falling with a mean amount of time as the “half-life” time, the accumulative process level of 0.63 μg/g. of mercury in your system is about will eventually fill the bucket Mean mercury concentrations 60 days. What that means is this: entirely. observed in those goliaths were your body absorbs two “units” of Now think of that same bucket not only within the range known mercury from a fish you ate; after as a sexually mature goliath to cause direct health effects 60 days—provided no additional grouper (sexual maturity is seven in fish after long-term exposure, mercury is ingested—half of what to eight years of age). One could the presence mercury induced was taken in (e.g. one “unit”) easily argue that adult goliath

59 X-RAY MAG : 64 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO ecology Groupers Text by Walt Stearns

The older the fish, the higher produc- same individuals. This new finding has led tion of eggs. In the world of broadcast- Koenig to surmise that these individuals spawning fish, it’s all a numbers game are bisexual hermaphrodites, capable of in who will survive and who will not. To functioning as a male at one time and a better the odds of survival of the species, female at another. adult female fish must produce a large quantity of fertilizable eggs, likewise with Starting out sperm from males. The purpose for this is It was not until four years after the closure larval mortality (from egg to fry) is ex- that a discernible number of juveniles tremely high, as they are cast into highly started to reappear in regions like the Ten variable ocean currents and preyed Thousand Islands in southwestern Florida. upon by a wide variety of fish and inver- From the data collected by Koenig and tebrates. his colleagues during the first phase of In terms of a fish’s fecundity (the abil- the distribution, a regional density and ity produce a large volume of fertilizable habitat study revealed the vast majority eggs), the older the fish, the more prolific of juvenile fish sampled between 1994 it will be at producing viable eggs for fer- and 1997 just started to exceed 400mm tilization. Unlike people and other mam- (15-16 inches) in length. While most were mals, reproductive output increases with in the one to three-year age group, only age and size in fish. For a goliath, the a few fell in the four to six-year bracket. height of fecundity is achieved around But life here can also be quite harsh 13 to 15 years of age. as coastal and sea grass habitats are constantly subjected to Gender bender environmental shifts in water salinity and Most grouper species are protogynous temperature. More about goliath groupers... hermaphrodites, meaning that individu- During heavier than normal rainy seasons als first mature as females, changing sex and when severe cold snaps in winter WALT STEARNS to become males later in life. Thus, the are fast and sudden, juvenile mortality National Park) to as low as 5°C (41°F). Goliath groupers, like many other large up a large meal when the opportunity is vast majority of large individuals in pro- can become excessively high. In addi- The sudden plunge in water tempera- predators (, , group- right, they are not constant eaters. This togynous species are male. tion to natural shifts in nature, the con- ture had such a detrimental affect on ers, snappers, etc.) in the ocean are is because a goliath’s metabolism is not Goliaths are a bit more complicated, stant growth rate of human habitation in marine life in the shallow mangrove and opportunistic feeders; meaning, if they hyper-tuned, like tuna, mackerel, jacks, as they don’t exactly follow that rule. Florida has also had a harmful effect on sea grass beds, that it triggered a wide- encounter another fish—including an- and dolphin fish, which have a hyper FSU researchers have found some coastal estuaries through construction scale fish kill up and down the Florida other species of grouper in a distressed growth rate but also have to go far and males at small sizes—as small of sea walls, docks and piers. If coast, essentially wiping out six full years of state (struggling on the end of a line or fast for their meals. Instead, the goliath’s as the size of sexually matu- that isn’t enough, there is also juvenile goliath development in one night. spear)—they will literally seize the mo- daily metabolic requirement is low, al- rity—and some at the larg- the issue of runoff carrying pol- ment. Of course when fishermen en- lowing even the smallest meal to go a est sizes, but females are lutants like pesticides and What does a goliath grouper eat? counter such blatant thievery, snatching long way, leaving the impression among abundant among older herbicides from urban While their mouth is quite large and their catch on the end of their lines, you divers that big fish are lazy. age groups, a pattern areas every time it rains. well-adapted for sucking in prey whole, can somewhat understand their point of unlikely to occur in One of the worst their teeth are quite small for their size. view. REFERENCES: typical protogynous natural environ- Don’t let their relatively slow swimming Contrary to what some believe, group- WWW.EDF.ORG/ARTICLE.CFM?CONTENTID=3951 species. mental shifts on mannerism fool you. Goliaths are capa- er and snapper are not a normal part WWW.EPA.GOV/OST/FISH The bigger record to affect ble of powerful short bursts for overtak- of the goliath’s diet. Koenig, along with WWW.EPA.GOV/WATERSCIENCE/FISH surprise is that juvenile goliaths since the ing slow-moving prey. But it is also this his research team, have examined the EMEDICINE.MEDSCAPE.COM/ARTICLE/813869-PRINT WWW.FDA.GOV/FOOD/FOODSAFETY/ they have found study began in 1990 took same physical appearance that has led stomach contents of over 500 adult size PRODUCT-SPECIFICINFORMATION/SEAFOOD/ specimens that place the first week of Jan- many fishermen to assume these big fish fish; half (230) of the captured fish stom- FOODBORNEPATHOGENSCONTAMINANTS/ had both fully uary 2010 when a massive are continuous, indiscriminate, eating achs were empty while the prey species METHYLMERCURY/UCM088794.HTM functional male cold front pushed inshore machines, further fueling an inaccurate predominately found in the remaining WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=P0F8X4I5GYE&FEATUR and female ca- water temperatures (re- reputation that the goliaths are out of adult fish were crabs. E=RELATED pabilities in the corded by the Everglades control on wrecks and reefs. While a large goliath might not pass COURTESY OF DR CHRIS KOENIG / FSU FISHERIES BIOLOGICAL DEPT

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