The Florida Fish Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission decided against a limited harvest of goliath grouper, upholding a 28-year ban.

The FWC considered a proposal to hold a limited harvest of 100 goliath grouper per year, but decided not to pursue it based on research of the current population and feedback from residents and local operators.

“Based upon the data and the science presented, I just don’t see that it’s viable to even attempt a limited harvest at this stage,” said Michael Sole of the FWC to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Local anglers argue that a limited harvest of the grouper — which is considered critically endangered by the IUCN — would be a positive. Proponents of the harvest say that the goliath grouper has completely rebounded since reaching the brink of extinction in the 1980s and that the massive fish steals other fish off their lines and clears the area with its large appetite.

Local dive operators argue that the fish is a main attraction for their business, and opening a harvest for the vulnerable species would set the community back decades.

The FWC says it received more than 5,000 comments and hosted 16 in-person workshops to get a clear picture of the public’s view. The discussion triggered international support from the dive community for the FWC to uphold the ban.

"We have to get the power of the people to overwhelm those who want to kill these creatures," said famed conservationist Sylvia Earle in an interview with Scuba Diving last year. "Why would it be fun to kill a creature like that? Once we thought the only good shark was a dead shark, now we know better. Goliaths don't have choices — we have choices."

Here’s a look at how some key figures in the dive world reacted to the announcement:

Thank You Thank You Thank You! I'm not sure how to really Express my EXTREME GRATITUDE to all the ocean conservation heroes, nonprofits, scientists, celebrities and individuals that helped me with the Save the Goliath Grouper Campaign! Teamwork was definitely the key to our success! I am quite simply overjoyed that my friends in the sea like Shadow will have a few more years of peace! Our planet wildlife faces many life threatening issues and unfortunately we will never be able to stop fighting for them! Thank You all for your incredible efforts to help Shadow and her kind! Soon we will see the Goliath Grouper spawning aggregation here in Palm Beach County! I hope to be with all of you watching it! @jim_abernethy #goliathgrouper #campaign #success #ilovegoliaths #beautiful # #Bethechangetheworldneeds

A post shared by Jim Abernethy (@jim_abernethy) on Apr 27, 2018 at 3:59am PDT

GOLIATH GROUPER UPDATE: We did it! ???

The FWC Commission has decided to keep protections in place for the Goliath grouper! While it's not a permanent decision, these gentle giants are safe for now thanks to YOUR calls & comments. THANK U, and way to go, team #MissionGoliath! pic.twitter.com/i3x7wJUPKA

— Shawn Heinrichs (@shawnheinrichs) April 26, 2018

GOLIATH GROUPER UPDATE: The FWC Commission has decided to keep protections in place for the Goliath grouper! While it's not a permanent decision, these gentle giants are safe for now thanks to YOUR calls and comments. THANK YOU, and way to go team #MissionGoliath! pic.twitter.com/rUMzOHaML1

— Mission Blue (@MissionBlue) April 26, 2018

Big news! FWC leaves protections in place for goliath groupers!! Awesome job by an entire community & global effort! Many NGOs, dive groups .@DEMAorg, school teachers, students, conservationists...they all rallied to help us save this big friendly fish!! #MissionGoliath pic.twitter.com/V3MGask0U1

— Shark Team One (@sharkteamone) April 26, 2018

? No Goliath Grouper Hunt!

The @MyFWC Commissioners are keeping protections in place for goliath groupers. So many wonderful groups & people came together to take a stand. ??
Thank you for leading the charge, @AbernethyScuba. https://t.co/9wDDlre9e7 #MissionGoliath pic.twitter.com/8HTLlzionr

— Blue Sphere Fdn (@bluespherefdn) April 26, 2018