About this document

This is a prototype of an automatic report that documents how the user specified the operating model and their various justifications.

Introduction

1. Describe the history and current status of the fishery, including fleets, sectors, vessel types and practices/gear by vessel type, landing ports, economics/markets, whether targeted/bycatch, other stocks caught in the fishery. “Red snapper have been harvested from the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) since at least the 1840s(1). The fishery began in the northeastern Gulf, centered around Pensacola, Florida(1)(2). During the early development of the fishery, harvest was limited to vessels known as “smacks”(3) that fished close to port. When ice and trains became readily available to store and transport red snapper, vessels began to make longer voyages and landings increased(2).

Fishery scientists and fishermen first observed localized depletion of red snapper off Florida in the late 19th century(1)(4). Early catches were dominated by large fish, often averaging 10 pounds or more; but, as depletion occurred, the availability of fish near shore declined and vessels extended their trips farther from port to catch fish(1). Beginning in the late 1800s, vessels began harvesting red snapper from Campeche Bank off Mexico(5) and by the early 1900s U.S. commercial landings exceeded 7 million pounds, although few were from the Western Gulf(6). It was not until the 1930s and 1940s that fishing activity increased in the Western Gulf as rock ridges and snapper banks were discovered(7). Commercial landings fluctuated between 2 and 5 million pounds up until the 1950s as vessels shifted effort from U.S. waters to Campeche Bank in the early 1900s(6). After World War II there was a large increase in the size of the commercial fleet(7) and technological innovations, such as fathometers, reels, and wire fishing line opened up new fishing grounds(8) resulting in a large increase in landings in the western Gulf(6). During this period, the shrimp fishery also rapidly expanded. Markets increased for pink and brown shrimp as new fishing grounds were discovered and vessels began using double-rig trawls, which greatly increased the amount of shrimp that could be caught per unit of effort(9). The number of days spent shrimping more than doubled between the 1960s and 1990s. Because juvenile red snapper (age 0-1) are accidentally captured in shrimp trawls, the shrimp trawl fishery became a significant source of red snapper mortality. Prior to World War II, recreational fishing in the Gulf was fairly limited. But after the war, increased tourism along the Gulf coast coupled with the mass production of fiberglass boats and improvements in motor technology and navigational equipment led to increases in recreational fishing(11). This increased demand for recreational fishing opportunities spawned a large party boat fishery that primarily targeted red snapper(12). Annual recreational landings quickly grew from less than 500,000 pounds prior to 1950 to over 5 million pounds by the late 1990s(13). Today, recreational anglers account for more than half of the total Gulf red snapper landings and discard large amounts of red snapper at sea due to restrictions on harvest and retention." (https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fisheries/red_snapper/overview/) The fishery is currently assessed at being overfished (B/B0=0.18) but not undergoing overfishing (F=0.052; F/MFMT=0.877) The fishery is composed of commercial (handline and longline) and recreational (including headboats and private/charter fleets) fisheries Although there is a large targeted fishery, juvenile snapper are also heavily caught as bycatch in the shrimp fishery There are other species caught as bycatch; gear modifications are regulated to minimize bycatch

2. Describe the stock’s ecosystem functions, dependencies, and habitat types. "Red snappers are considered reef fish, so it would be logical to assume that they eat smaller creatures from the reefs. Interestingly, most of their diet has been found to consist of creatures that live on mud bottoms, so red snappers get very little nutritional benefit from reefs. Fish are the number one item in their diet, with the most common ones being pipefish, snake eels, searobins, pinfish, striped anchovies, cusk eels, and pigfish.

Stomatopods (king shrimp or sea lice) are the second most important food item, followed by several species of crabs. Also eaten are tiny pinhead-size zooplankton and bottom worms. Shrimp make up only a very small portion of their diet.

Food habits change by season. Fish are always important, but crabs are the most common food item in spring and stomatopods are most important in the winter. A lot of stomatopods are also eaten in the summer, but almost none in the spring or fall. Diet also changes with fish size. As red snappers grow larger, they eat more fish. Also, the largest snappers, those 24 inches long and longer, eat far more stomatopods. Red snappers also have daily feeding patterns. One study showed that they had empty stomachs from 7:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. It seemed that the fish then began feeding heavily, reaching a peak at 4:00 a.m., but continued heavy feeding until 6:00 a.m. "(https://www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/biological/snapper/redsnapper.htm)

3. Provide all relevant reference materials, such as assessments, research, and other analysis. Red Snapper Stock Assessment.pdf https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fisheries/red_snapper/overview/ https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/red-snapper http://safmc.net/regulations/regulations-by-species/red-snapper/ https://www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/biological/snapper/redsnapper.htm

Fishery Characteristics

Management Characteristics