EDITORIAL: From regulator to grouper troopers

Usually it’s the fisherman who laments the “one that got away.” But these days it’s the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that’s concerned about fishermen who might have gotten away with something illegal — and the state wants to ensure they aren’t let off the hook.

Last month off St. George Island, a group of four anglers snagged a record-sized grouper in about 80 feet of water near an artificial reef. The fish measured nearly 7 feet long and weighed an estimated 440 pounds.

The group naturally was so proud of its prize catch that it posed for a photograph with the fish suspended from a backhoe near the dock. The picture was published in the Northwest Florida Daily News and online at thedestinlog.com

That drew the attention of state officials, who believe the creature might have been a goliath grouper, which became a protected species in the 1990s. Catching and keeping a goliath is therefore against the law, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.

However, an expert on goliath grouper who teaches at the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory in St. Teresa says he is “90 percent sure” the fish is a Warsaw grouper, which is legal to catch.

Alas, the fish cannot be examined because it was filleted on the dock and split up among the four men, who returned to their homes in Alabama and Kansas. If it was a goliath, that, too, could be a violation of federal law, which makes it a felony to transport illegally caught fish across state lines.  

The apparent lack of physical evidence, and the disputed interpretation of the photograph, hasn’t dissuaded the FWC from launching an investigation of this fish story. As if there aren’t enough fishing regulations anglers have to follow, from the calendar season to size and catch limits, now they have to be ichthyologists schooled in the physiological differences between grouper species.

“Hey, Bubba, would you call that tail truncated, or is it more a rounded petal shape?”

Florida must not be hurting for money if the FWC can afford to pursue cases like this. Ahab had his white whale, and the state has its mysterious mega-grouper.

If nothing else, the episode should dissuade fisherman from taking the traditional photo of The Big One. It’s not worth boasting about if it arouses the government’s suspicions.