Man catches ‘oldest grouper fish’, it weighs 160 kgs. Pic prompts angry responses

Researchers estimate that the Warsaw grouper was 50 years old.

You never know what you’ll get when you go fishing in Florida. You might accidentally catch an alligator, a snake -- or, for one man, the oldest grouper on record. Researchers estimate that the Warsaw grouper, caught in December, was 50 years old.

People were not happy when the picture was shared online.(FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)

The fish is “the oldest sample collected for our ageing program,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Research Institute said Friday in a Facebook post.

Biologists in the FWC Age and Growth Lab calculated the grouper’s age by examining its otoliths, also known as “earstones,” which are hard calcium structures located behind the brain in bony fish.

Otoliths allow scientists to estimate a fish’s age. The FWC accompanied the post with a photograph of Jason Boyll, an amateur fisherman from the southwestern Siesta Key who caught the 350-pound (160 kilograms) grouper.

In the photo, Boyll is standing next to his catch, which is taller than he is. Boyll caught the grouper off the west coast of Florida on December 29, at a depth of 600 feet (182 meters), according to the FWC.

Here’s the entire post:

The post was shared on January 10, the post captured people’s attention. People dropped all sorts of comments on the post. While some were amazed at the fish’s size, there were others who weren’t happy about the fact that someone caught the fish.

“Wow looks like a big meal!!!!!” excitedly wrote one Facebook user. “This is so sad, I’m sure thsi is not even the man’s livelihood. He could have took a snapshot or selfie or whatever. 50 year old giant, my husband hooked a grouper in tortugas and when he let it go he said “I’m good, no need to hook another, go on big guy” . It was a gentle giant for sure!! Still makes us sad he was even troubled!!! No need to kill that fish,” expressed another. “That fish doesn’t belong to him. Look, revere, and let it live on another 50. Murdering something amazing is childish,” wrote a third.

Warsaw groupers can weigh up to 570 pounds.