WOW! Fisherman reels massive, rare goliath grouper off Hilton Head Island
Fisherman Richard Pollitzer captured video near Hilton Head Island of a massive goliath grouper. He says the fish could weigh more than 400 pounds.
Fisherman Richard Pollitzer captured video near Hilton Head Island of a massive goliath grouper. He says the fish could weigh more than 400 pounds.
Fisherman Richard Pollitzer captured video near Hilton Head Island of a massive goliath grouper. He says the fish could weigh more than 400 pounds.
A monster of a fish was reeled in Thursday off Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
Fisherman Richard Pollitzer of Tall Boy Charters captured video of a massive goliath grouper.
He says the fish could weigh more than 400 pounds.
"The giant of the grouper family, the goliath has brown or yellow mottling with small black spots on the head and fins, a large mouth with jawbones that extend past its small eyes, and a rounded tail. It also has five dark body bands or stripes that are most visible on young goliath," according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
This fish can grow to as much as 800 pounds and over 8 feet in length.
The grouper is found primarily in shallow tropical waters among coral and artificial reefs, from the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Keys in the United States, the Bahamas, most of the Caribbean and most of the Brazilian coast, NOAA reports.
Wildlife officials in nearby Florida recently announced they may lift the state's three-decade ban on catching and killing goliath groupers. The species has rebounded from when they were driven to near-extinction from overfishing and environmental damage.
Below video: Officials considering letting people catch Goliath Groupers in Florida