680 pounds.
As of 2021, the largest Goliath Grouper recorded caught in the wild is 680 pounds on the Southern coast of Florida. Anglers reeled the Grouper in May of 1961.
The typical Goliath diet includes:
680-pound goliath grouper
The heaviest grouper ever caught and certified as an IGFA world record was this 680-pound goliath grouper caught on May 20, 1961, off Fernandina Beach, Florida, using a Spanish mackerel as fishing bait. This particular species of grouper is considered endangered today and protected in the United States and Caribbean.
The Atlantic goliath grouper can reach 800 pounds and be over 8 feet long, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Florida record is a 680-pound goliath grouper caught off Fernandina Beach in 1961.
8 feet
Goliath grouper is the largest of the Atlantic groupers. This giant can reach 800 pounds (455 kg) and over 8 feet (2 meters) in length. The Florida record is a 680-pound goliath grouper caught off Fernandina Beach in 1961.
680 pounds
The goliath grouper is the largest grouper in the western Atlantic. Growing to lengths of 8.2 feet (2.5 m), this grouper can weigh as much as 800 pounds (363 kg). In Florida, the largest hook and line captured specimen weighed 680 pounds (309 kg). The oldest verifiable goliath grouper on record is 37 years.
Biologists with the FWC Research Institute estimate the fish is 50 years old. Warsaw groupers can grow to nearly eight feet long and can weigh up to nearly 600 pounds. The largest ever caught in Florida weighed nearly 440 pounds.
A 350-pound grouper caught off the coast of Florida is believed to be 50 years old, making it the oldest fish caught in the state’s wildlife research program, officials said.
A 20-36-inch goliath grouper probably weighs 12-25 pounds, meaning an angler would be in for about $40 per pound to harvest one.
For example, The New York Times reported in 1895 that a fisherman caught a 1,500-pound Goliath grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. In the 1950s, two children jumped off a bridge in the Florida Keys but only one came up; the other child was said to have been eaten by a Goliath grouper.
FWC approves limited recreational harvest of goliath grouper in state waters. At its March meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a limited, highly regulated recreational harvest of goliath grouper in state waters beginning Spring 2023.
The clip captured the apex predator wrestling the goliath grouper fish in the middle of the ocean as a shocked fisherman watched on. As the creatures swim in closer, while on its side, it becomes apparent the shark is feasting on the rear end of the fish. The grouper’s large gills flail wide open during the attack.
Thanks to its subtle flavor that easily absorbs dressings and marinades, grouper is excellent however you serve it. Fish sandwiches made with either a thick slice of blackened grouper or battered and deep-fried bite-size pieces of grouper are one of the best and most simple ways to enjoy this fish.
There’s a reason goliath groupers are called the garbage disposals of the sea — they eat everything in sight, including sharks apparently. A group of fishermen were able to witness a 500-pound grouper’s “rare” meal during a fishing trip off the coast of Everglades City, Fla., last week.
A youthful Mark Hemmingway with the current world snapper all-tackle record of 17.2kg, caught at Motiti Island in November, 1992.
Record Fish
| Species | Weight | Angler |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 17.27 pounds | Billy O’Berry |
| *Largemouth Bass | 20.13 | Frederick Friebel |
| **Redeye Bass | 7.83 pounds | William Johnston |
| Spotted Bass | 3.75 pounds | Dow Gilmore |
great white shark
According to IGFA records, the largest fish ever caught was a great white shark that weighed an unbelievable 2,664 pounds (1,208.389 kg.). Caught off the coast of Ceduna, Australia, in 1959, it took angler Alfred Dean just 50 minutes to win the fight against this one-ton shark.
How much does Red Grouper cost per pound? You can expect to pay roughly $36 per pound when buying Red Grouper fillets online.
eight feet
These gentle giants are goliath grouper, the largest of the groupers in the Atlantic basin. Goliath grouper, which were once known as jewfish, can grow to more than eight feet in length and 800 pounds.
The name jewfish refers to its large otoliths, which are prized as “jewels” by some fishers.
You can’t eat them. The mercury can cause erectile dysfunction, so those who harvest them will just take a photo and let the carcass rot,” Sarah Frias-Torres, a marine researcher who has worked extensively on goliath groupers off the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches.
Firm texture, white meat with large flake and a mild flavor. Extra lean fish.