Oh, for the days of the snapper schooners when fish were thought to be a never ending resource; but in reality was finite. For too much extraction (overfishing) of the resource just began in the 1800's, but continued and flourished through the 1960's and 1970's. In Tarpon Springs in the 1940's and into the 1960's commercial grouper fishermen took mostly red grouper close in. In addition to some larger sponge size boats, local anglers would mount a 10 H.P. Briggs & Stratton mower engine in an 18 to 20 foot skiff, as an inboard motor and fish out from 20 to 40 feet of water to catch red grouper. In those days, that was all it took to bring in a load of fish. Interesting enough, in the economy of 1960, grouper (like the one pictured) sold for .10 cents per pound.
Some of these small boats operated out of Tacy's Fish Camp at Anclote settlement at what was then the end of Anclote road next to the Indian Mound. The Indian Mound is gone, paved over by the new road. (The same ground where once stood Tacy's Fish Camp, now holds a high and dry marina.) Anglers would run 2 to 5 miles out to catch red grouper year round, and gag grouper in the spring and fall. However as boats and fishing devices progressed, that area was soon fished out of red grouper.
It takes about 4 years or so for a red grouper to spawn. The male turns to female. Red grouper are residential in nature, rarely moving more than a couple of miles from their original lairs. large female red grouper were called cows, or rusty bellies. Gag grouper on the other hand migrate into shallower waters in the spring as the water warms. Then as it heats up too much, they move back out to deeper haunts. As the water cools in the fall, they move back in. When the water gets too cold, they move back out and so on.
You would think the state would keep good records of fish catches, since they all had to process across a commercial fish house. However, that was not the case. The only landings kept by the state of Florida to any extent were spotted sea trout. Grouper catch information was not kept until well into the 1980's by the Department of Natural Resources. The then Director, Elton Gissendanner started keeping records. Little did anyone know the fate of Mr. Gissendanner. It was well into the 1990's that most all fish stocks were assessed by the state and federal intervention began. The National Marine Fisheries Service was originally a commercial fishing entity designed to help commercial interests. Over fishing was rampant.
Some of these small boats operated out of Tacy's Fish Camp at Anclote settlement at what was then the end of Anclote road next to the Indian Mound. The Indian Mound is gone, paved over by the new road. (The same ground where once stood Tacy's Fish Camp, now holds a high and dry marina.) Anglers would run 2 to 5 miles out to catch red grouper year round, and gag grouper in the spring and fall. However as boats and fishing devices progressed, that area was soon fished out of red grouper.
It takes about 4 years or so for a red grouper to spawn. The male turns to female. Red grouper are residential in nature, rarely moving more than a couple of miles from their original lairs. large female red grouper were called cows, or rusty bellies. Gag grouper on the other hand migrate into shallower waters in the spring as the water warms. Then as it heats up too much, they move back out to deeper haunts. As the water cools in the fall, they move back in. When the water gets too cold, they move back out and so on.
You would think the state would keep good records of fish catches, since they all had to process across a commercial fish house. However, that was not the case. The only landings kept by the state of Florida to any extent were spotted sea trout. Grouper catch information was not kept until well into the 1980's by the Department of Natural Resources. The then Director, Elton Gissendanner started keeping records. Little did anyone know the fate of Mr. Gissendanner. It was well into the 1990's that most all fish stocks were assessed by the state and federal intervention began. The National Marine Fisheries Service was originally a commercial fishing entity designed to help commercial interests. Over fishing was rampant.
