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The Atlantic Goliath Grouper Epinephelus itajara, a large indigenous tropical reef fish, approached local extinction in U. S. waters by the 1980s as a result of intense fishing pressure. In 1990, federal and state laws intervened to protect this species. The resulting fishery closure, over the intervening years, allowed limited, slow population recovery in Florida waters while populations outside of the United States remained vulnerable (IUCN 2019). The closure led to the blossoming of a dive ecotourism industry catering to local and international divers seeking opportunities to see and photograph these enormous fish. This fundamentally changes the paradigm for Goliath Grouper from a fishery resource to a non‐extractive resource with a commercial value vastly greater than that gained through fishing. While federal and state agencies attempted to re‐establish the fishery, all three stock assessments were rejected. Here, we discuss Goliath Grouper's biology, the controversy surrounding its protection, and the drawbacks of re‐establishing a fishery including: loss of nursery habitat, increasingly destructive episodic events like red tide and cold snaps, and the effects of mercury contamination on survival. Add to this the human health risk of consuming mercury‐contaminated fishes, and the argument supporting re‐opening the fishery evaporates.

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Nutritional quality of prey is a significant driver of predator foraging patterns. In mammals, nutritional needs are known to change across ontogeny and reproductive state; however, little is known about nutrition in marine mammals. For this study, we used observational data of diurnal foraging events, collected annually from 1992 to 2009, to investigate nutrition and prey use in Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) on Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas, between reproductive states (lactating, pregnant, nonreproductively active [NRA]. We also investigated the impact of age class association (various calf age groups [ages 1-6], older "noncalf" juveniles, and adults) on foraging group nutrition and prey use. To obtain representative nutrient values, we measured calories, lipids, proteins, and moisture in common prey. Using nutritional values and observational data, we investigated the influence of nutritional value on prey use. Results indicated that specific nutrients were targeted by different reproductive states and age class groups. Nutritional intake of all nutrients was higher for lactating females than pregnant females, but lower than NRA females. Investigation of age group associations revealed that nutritional intake of all four nutrients was higher for noncalf than calf-associated groups. This study represents one of the first investigations of intraspecific prey use and nutritional differences in cetaceans.Key words: calories, moisture, lipid, protein, pregnant, lactating, nonreproductively active, calf, diet, cetacean, forage.In order to meet basic metabolic demands, a predator must capture prey in an optimal way that results in the net gain of energy and other nutrients. The nutritional quality of prey, rather than quantity alone, is a major driver of predator foraging strategy (Brody 1945, Close et al. 1985, Bernard and Hohn 1989, Spitz et al. 2012. More "nutritious" prey may be selected for by all predators, especially large bodied, highly active and free-ranging animals. Prey quality can be defined by three major nutrient components: moisture, protein, and lipids (major determinants of energy value) (Worthy 2001), each of which may influence foraging strategy (Mayntz et al. 1Corresponding author (e-mail: cmali156@gmail.com). 14712009). Alverson (1992) described a shift in diet towards lower quality, more abundant prey (junk-food hypothesis) to help explain the dramatic population decline of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in the Gulf of Alaska caused in part by decades of intensive fishing pressure. Others have suggested that prey quality can be critical to reproductive success, growth, and overall population dynamics of many top marine predators (e.g., Donnelly 2003, € Osterblom et al. 2008). Marine mammals are top predators in many marine ecosystems and exhibit a wide range of foraging strategies that vary in degree of specialization. Cetaceans, and other small marine mammals, are often described as generalist predators with little or no prey preference. This predatory label, h...