229
8 Fishery and Biological Implications of Fishing Spawning Aggregations…
(continued)
Nassau grouper
Epinephelus
striatus
Epinephelidae Handlines, traps,
spearguns
Bermuda
Fished exclusively during aggregation periods.
Commercial landings dropped from 75,000
tons in 1975 to less than 10,000 tonnes in
1981. The four known historical aggregation
sites have ceased to form
Bannerot et al. ( 1987 ) ,
Luckhurst ( 1996 ) ,
Chap. 12.6
Goliath grouper
Epinephelus
itajara
Epinephelidae Hook and line;
spearfi shing,
trawl and
longline bycatch
Gulf of Mexico
Aggregations of 100–150 fi sh on deepwater
wrecks declined to 0–10 fi sh by 1989
Sadovy and Eklund
( 1999 ) , Chap. 12.4
Goliath grouper
Epinephelus
itajara
Epinephelidae Hook and line,
spearfi shing,
trawl and
longline bycatch
Florida USA
Fishery closed in 1990 due to rapid declines in
catch and CPUE. Aggregations of several
dozen fi sh were common off the East Coast
of Florida in the 1950s and 1960s but were not
observed anywhere in the 1990s. The
population increased after the closure and
the species is no longer considered to be
of concern in US waters. A sevenfold decrease
in the CPUE of Goliath grouper occurred
between 1965 and 1969 in south Florida sportfi shery
Sadovy and Eklund
( 1999 ) ,
McClenachan
( 2009 ) , Chap. 12.4
Goliath grouper
Epinephelus
itajara
Epinephelidae Hook and line,
spearfi shing,
Yucatan
Peninsula,
Mexico
Surveys from 2004 to 2006 revealed that Goliath
grouper represent a negligible commercial
fi shery in the region. The absence of landed
fi sh is attributed to widespread overfi shing of
this species from its spawning aggregations
Aguilar-Perera et al.
( 2009 ) , Chap. 12.4
Goliath grouper
Epinephelus
itajara
Epinephelidae Handlines,
spearguns,
traps,setlines,
longlines, and
drumlins
Belize
Adults are now rarely caught and the commercial
fi shery is dominated by juveniles (90% of
catch)
Graham et al. ( 2009 ) ,
Chap. 12.4