Divers have recently spotted a goliath grouper at the RMS Rhone National Park, said BVI Scuba Organisation President Randy Keil.
In recent decades, the species, which can grow to eight feet in length, has become a rare sight in the territory.
“I remember when I first got here in the late 80s sitting on the Rhone on a particularly clear day and being able to see three at the same time,” Mr. Keil said. But those days are over, he added: It has been about 10 years since he has seen another one.
The Rhone grouper is in the 200-300 pound range, Mr. Keil estimated.
“He seems to be curious. He followed us around a bit. I’ve had him put his lips right on my leg and kind of like sniff,” he said. What was it doing? “Just checking out the humans, you know.”
The species, which the International Union for Conservation of Nature ranks as critically endangered, was protected from fishing in the United States and the Caribbean in the 1990s.
Since then, its numbers have reportedly begun to grow in the waters off Florida.
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