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Today on Jonathan Bird's Blue World, Jonathan goes on a search for the world's largest grouper!
今天在乔纳森·伯德的蓝色世界，乔纳森继续寻找世界上最大的石斑鱼!
Hi, I'm Jonathan Bird and welcome to my world!
大家好，我是乔纳森·伯德，欢迎来到我的世界!
Goliath Groupers! They're among the largest reef fish in the world.
歌利亚石斑鱼是世界上最大的珊瑚礁鱼类之一。
They used to be common throughout the Caribbean, but then their numbers started to plummet in the 1980s.
它们曾经在加勒比海地区很常见，但是在20世纪80年代，石斑鱼的数量开始急剧下降。
That's because everybody wants to catch an 800-pound fish, so pretty soon the Goliath Grouper had been fished almost to extinction.
那是因为每个人都想钓到一条800磅重的鱼，所以歌利亚石斑鱼很快就濒临灭绝了。
In 1990, the U.S. Government had to take drastic measures to protect this fish, so they passed a law that banned all fishing of Goliath Groupers.
1990年，美国政府不得不采取严厉措施来保护这种鱼类，因此他们通过了一项法律，禁止捕捞歌利亚石斑鱼。
Now, nineteen years later, they're making a remarkable comeback.
如今，19年之后，歌利亚石斑鱼正强势回归。
The Goliath Grouper is still very rare. In fact, most divers have never even seen one.
歌利亚石斑鱼仍然非常罕见。事实上，大多数潜水者甚至从未见过。
David Doubilet, the world-famous National Geographic Magazine photographer, has invited me to join him and his wife Jen Hayes (who is also his photo assistant) on a Goliath Grouper filming expedition.
世界著名的国家地理杂志摄影师David Doubilet邀请我和他以及他的妻子Jen Hayes（也是他的摄影助理）一起去拍摄歌利亚石斑鱼。
How could I turn down an invitation like that?
我怎么能拒绝这样的邀请呢?
So I head down to beautiful West Palm Beach in September on a mission to see one of these magnificent fish in person.
所以我在9月前往美丽的西棕榈滩，亲自去看一看这些美丽的鱼类。
We board the Shearwater, a large dive boat that will be our base of operations for a week.
我们登上了Shearwater，这是一艘大型潜水船，我们将在这里呆上一周的时间。
I'm really excited as we pull away from the dock. Captain Jim Abernethy is taking us to a shipwreck where the groupers are known to hide.
当我们驶离码头时，我真的很兴奋。船长吉姆·阿伯内西正带领我们去海难，石斑鱼就藏在那里。
It's not far from the sprawling coastline of West Palm Beach.
它离西棕榈滩绵延不绝的海岸线不远。
Since it's only a ten minute ride to the first shipwreck where we will be looking for Goliath Groupers, I get right to work putting my gear together.
因为到第一艘沉船只有十分钟的车程，我们将在那里寻找歌利亚石斑鱼，所以我马上开始整理我的装备。
This is great. We're going to find some Goliath Groupers. Maybe they'll be bigger than me - which isn't really that hard, actually.
这真是太好了。我们要去找歌利亚石斑鱼。也许它们会比我大一点——其实这并不难。
We've arrived at the wreck of the Mizpah, which sits on the sea floor 80 feet below.
我们来到了位于海底80英尺处的米斯巴沉船。
The question is: are there any Goliath Groupers down there?
问题是：那里有歌利亚石斑鱼吗?
Let's go find out!
我们去找找看！
After I get in, David and Jen follow with their still cameras.
我进去后，大卫和珍拿着相机跟在后面。
My cameraman Pierre and I start descending to the wreck.
摄影师皮埃尔和我开始下潜去寻找沉船。
Once we hit the bottom, Pierre and I will stay out of David and Jen's way.
我们一旦触底，皮埃尔和我就会离大卫和珍很远。
We are greeted by a very strong current. I can barely hold my place in the sand.
我们遇到了一股强大的水流。我在沙滩上几乎站不住了。
We struggle to make our way to the wreck where the Goliath Groupers like to hang out.
我们挣扎着向歌利亚石斑鱼喜欢出没的沉船走去。
Shipwrecks are magnets for fish. That's because they provide a great place for fish to hide and rest on what might otherwise be a very flat, featureless sea floor.
沉船对鱼有吸引力。这是因为它们为鱼类提供了一个绝佳的藏身之处，让它们在原本可能非常平坦、毫无特色的海床上休息。
The shipwrecks off the east coast of Florida have become some of the best places to find Goliath Groupers. But a typical shipwreck only has one or two of them hanging around.
佛罗里达东海岸的沉船事故已经成为寻找歌利亚石斑鱼的最佳地点之一。但是只有一两艘船。
Things are different here in September. That's when the Goliath Groupers get together in large numbers to spawn.
9月份的情况有所不同。这时，歌利亚石斑鱼大量聚集在一起产卵。
We are thrilled to find some big Goliath Groupers. David is getting up close and personal with some big fish! And it looks like he's getting some good pictures too!
我们兴奋地发现一些大的歌利亚石斑鱼。大卫正在接近一些大鱼!看起来他也拍到了一些不错的照片!
The groupers don't like the current much either, so they hide behind the wreck the same way one might hide behind a large object to get out of the wind.
石斑鱼也不太喜欢水流，所以它们躲在沉船后面，就像人们躲在一个大物体后面避风一样。
An even better place to hide is inside the wreck. I make my way over to a doorway to have a peek into the dark interior.
更好的藏身之处是沉船内部。我走到门口，想往黑暗的室内看一看。
I'm can see a couple Goliath Groupers in there. I swim inside to see if I can get some closer shots.
我能看到一些歌利亚石斑鱼。我游进去，看看能不能近距离拍几张照片。
They tolerate my presence until I get a little too close, then they swim away, spooked by a diver in such close quarters with them.
它们容忍我的存在，直到我离它们太近，它们就会被近距离的潜水员吓到游走了。
But outside, they let me get really close. These Groupers are surrounded by little silvery fish called cigar minnows.
我在外围离他们很近。这些石斑鱼被一种叫做雪茄鱼的银色的鱼包围着。
The minnows might look like they are hiding out of the current, but they are really aggregating close to the groupers. What could they be up to?
小鱼们看起来像是在躲避水流，但实际上它们聚集在石斑鱼附近。他们会做什么呢?
The Goliath Groupers look like they are just hanging out, but they are waiting for something, just like the cigar minnows.
歌利亚石斑鱼看起来只是在闲逛，但它们在等待着什么，就像雪茄鱼一样。
Later, when the current relaxes, dozens of groupers are gathering together in the water column above the wreck. What's going on?
后来，当水流缓和一些的时候，数十只石斑鱼聚集在沉船上方的水柱中。这是怎么回事呢？
It's the mating season, and these fish are preparing to spawn—probably at dusk or after sunset.
这是交配季节，这些鱼正准备产卵——可能是在黄昏或日落之后。
Unfortunately, I'm low on air and I need to head back to the surface.
不幸的是，我的氧气不足，需要返回地面。
Pierre and I do a safety stop on the anchor line as we eagerly anticipate the next dive.
皮埃尔和我在锚线上做了一个安全的停留，我们热切期盼着下一次下潜。
