Save the date for goliath grouper! The 12th Annual Great Goliath Grouper Count is scheduled to take place June 1–14, 2021.
The Great Goliath Grouper Count is a stakeholder driven effort, made possible through collaboration with Florida Sea Grant, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and county partners. Every year, the project provides a “snapshot” of goliath grouper abundance and size distribution at surveyed reef sites over a broad geographic region. Since its initiation in 2010, the GGGC has continued to expand from southwest Florida, and now incorporates sites from the northern Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of Florida. Over the past eleven years, 652 surveys have been submitted and divers have spent more than 311 hours under water! All data are submitted to FWC for review and are applicable to the management process.
For a short informational training or review for any who are interested in participating, check out this Great Goliath Grouper Count Overview. To skip past the background of the project, fast forward to 16:15 in video to go directly to a review of the data collection protocol.
The annual event appreciates when participants re-visit the same sites they have surveyed in previous years, but all are welcome to include a new site. Data sheets and survey protocol are necessary for participation.
The Great Goliath Grouper Count citizen science project is incredibly appreciative to all who participate and for the information volunteers have provided to this goliath effort for 12 years and counting!
For more information or questions, please contact Angela Collins, UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant Agent of Manatee, Hillsborough and Sarasota Counties, at abcollins@ufl.edu.
