Goliath Grouper Applications Open Now

• VIDEO: Gear Up for a Goliath Grouper Challenge

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will begin accepting applications Oct. 1-15 for the 2026 annual limited harvest season of goliath grouper in state waters.

Permits will be awarded on a random-draw lottery. The cost to apply is $10, plus fees. Applications will be available online at gooutdoorsflorida.com.

Goliath Grouper Details

• Total recreational harvest of up to 200 goliath per year, with a maximum of 50 from Everglades National Park.
• A goliath harvest permit and tag, issued via a random-draw lottery ($150 for residents, $500 for nonresidents, plus fees) are required to participate. Permits and tags are nontransferable, and no exemptions apply.
• A limit of one fish per person per open season with permit and tag.
• An open season from March 1 through May 31.
• Hook-and-line as the only allowable gear.
• A slot limit of 24-36 inches total length.
• Post-harvest requirements include proper application of the tag, reporting harvest data and submitting a fin clip for genetic analysis.
• Harvest will be permitted in all state waters except those of Martin County south through the Atlantic coast of the Keys, all of the St. Lucie River and its tributaries, and Dry Tortugas National Park.
• Harvest will continue to be prohibited in federal waters.

Goliath Conservation

Open harvests in Florida are possible through successful conservation efforts by state and federal agencies over the past three decades that helped rebuild the goliath grouper population. Adult goliath grouper will continue to be prohibited from harvest statewide as well as goliath in heavy dive ecotourism areas.

For more information go to the Goliath Grouper Harvest Permit webpage. For more information about goliath grouper regulations, visit myfwc.com/marine and click on “Recreational Regulations,” “Reef Fish” and “Goliath Grouper.”

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• From a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission news release.

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