18-05-2025
Researching Goliath Grouper at the Tarpon Aquarium
The Brief
A student seeking her Master's Degree is working on a new research project to show how smart the Goliath Grouper really is.
Hannah Murray is creating her Master's Thesis project based on the interactions between the diver and the grouper.
You can see Tarpon Aquarium's show with the 150-pound grouper each day.
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - A Master's Degree seeking students' chance to visit the Tarpon Aquarium gave birth to a new research project to show how smart the Goliath Grouper really is.
What they're saying
"I'm a master's student at Unity Environmental University, which is based up in Maine," shared Hannah Murray. "I'm getting my Master's Degree in Marine Science. I came here as a guest for the first time, and I happened to see Paige's show with Oscar and was thoroughly impressed."
Oscar is a Goliath Grouper at the Tarpon Springs Aquarium and Animal Sanctuary.
Twice a day, the staff at the aquarium put on a show in the 75,000-gallon aquarium to show visitors the amazing creatures that live underneath the surface of the Gulf waters. One of those is the 150-pound grouper.
"We are really excited to hopefully get to display the intelligence of the Goliath grouper that hasn't really been studied before," shared Paige Konger Henry. She's one of the owners at the aquarium and the diver who enters the tank daily. "His name is Oscar the Grouch. He has been with my family for about 13 years."
Murray reached out to Konger Henry to inquire about creating her Master's Thesis project based on the interactions between the diver and the grouper.
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"When she gets into the tank, he is honestly so excited to see her," recalled Murray. That made for a perfect setup for the study to incorporate some simple intelligence markers.
Paige Konger Henry described it this way: "Throughout this research we've been trying to get him to do, essentially, tricks. After he picks up the new desired behavior, the new trick, if you will, we wait a few weeks and then ask for the trick again to see if he remembers it."
Murray logs the training and notes the duration of time and the result when Konger Henry calls for the trick to happen again. The compiled results are a part of the overall thesis project.
For Konger Henry, she is hoping for a different educational value to come out of the research.
"When we see a fish, I don't think we value them beyond the dinner plate."
What you can do
You can see Oscar perform twice a day and at noon at the Tarpon Springs Aquarium.
They are located at 1722 North Pinellas Avenue in Tarpon Springs.
For their hours and other show information, visit their website.
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The Source
Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jason Wright.
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