FORT PIERCE, FL (wqcs) - Florida's marine backyard hides a gentle giant: the goliath grouper. They
are the largest grouper fish in the Atlantic ocean, up to 8 feet long and half
a ton in weight. Goliath groupers might live up to 70 years, like us.
After 8 years in the mangrove nursery, they move to the reef. Every
summer, goliath groupers aggregate at a few sites along the reef, singing
their love songs with a deep Barry White voice. Spawning under the moonlit
nights. Goliath groupers are the golden retrievers of the ocean, curious and
friendly to divers.
In 1990, the United States protected the species to avoid extinction.
Florida is the only place in the world where we can regularly see goliath
groupers. They are a national treasure.
At Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA), we do research
on goliath groupers. To learn more, visit www.teamorca.org