JUPITER, FL -- They are often called gentle giants of the deep. Four to six hundred pound goliath groupers off the coast of Jupiter Inlet have stirred up more than sand.
"We think this is a breeding ground for them," says one diver with Palm Beach County's Reef Research Team.
Palm Beach County's Reef Research Team and Jupiter Dive Center dove in for a closer look hoping to prove that theory.
"The goliath groupers have only been documented to be breeding at one other location in the U.S. which is Southwest Florida," Says Mike Phelan.
With charts in hand the group eagerly pushed their way forward where dozens congregate. They crept closer getting a better picture of their spawning behavior then bringing their findings back on board. Each researcher collected valuable data data like how big the fish were, what color they look like and how many were there which were all important characteristics of their breeding.
"We saw females laying on the sand and male goliath groupers slowly approach from behind on side," says Phelan.
It's all part of a push to establish this ground as goliath grouper breeding ground. A designation which could bring extra protection given the new territory right off our coast.
"The goliath groupers historically have territory on West Africa, Eastern Brazil throughout caribbean and now really it's only limited to this area of Southeast Florida," says Phelan.
