Red snapper management in the Gulf of Mexico: science- or faith-based?

Abstract

The most controversial fishery in U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) is for northern red snapper Lutjanus campechanus, which collapsed in the late 1980s when stock biomass became too low to be fished commercially in the eastern Gulf. 123Rev Fish Biol Fisheries (2011) 21:187-204 DOI 10.1007 of red snapper in the Gulf, which in turn has strained the relationship between science, management, and stakeholders there. We provide a simple empirical argument and alternate interpretations of a recently published perspective on the historical fishery of red snapper in the Gulf to conclude that the preponderance of evidence used in the agency stock assessment process, and the simple arguments made here, do not support the perspective that the red snapper stock has increased in size sufficiently to defer compliance with the MSRA.

Direct observation of fishing effort, catch, and discard rates of charter boats targeting reef fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico

“…To that end, initiatives to minimize bycatch and discards have been fostered by the United Nations, European Union, and United States (FAO, 1995 , 2007) mandates that bycatch and discard mortality be minimized to the lowest "extent practicable." Complying with MSFCMA mandates has been difficult in the fishery for reef fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) because of high fishing effort and the diversity of fisheries that target reef fishes or catch them as nontargeted bycatch (Coleman et al, 2004;Hanson and Sauls, 2011;Cowan et al, 2011). Data on discards in the northern GOM recreational fishery are collected by multiple fishery monitoring programs, including the Marine Recreational Information Program, Southeast Region Headboat Survey, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Creel Survey (Chromy et al 3 ).…”

Movement of fishes (Grunts: Haemulidae) across the coral reef seascape: A review of scales, patterns and processes

“…Understanding the relationship between artificial reefs and associated fish communities has important implications for whether artificial reefs are more likely to enhance reef fish production or merely aggregate fish, thus making them more vulnerable to fishing mortality (Bohnsack 1989;Lindberg 1997;Perkol-Finkel et al 2006). Few fisheries issues in the northern Gulf are as controversial as the ecological versus fishery function of artificial reefs (Cowan et al 2011), and this debate has mostly centered on Red Snapper.…”

Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico

“…The availability of low relief, natural habitat for the post-settlement of red snapper (ages 0 and 1) is suggested as a major limiting factor in the observed level of recruitment (Gallaway et al 2009). However, Cowan et al (2011) suggest that age-1 red snapper are more vulnerable to shrimp trawl bycatch as compared to age-0 fish, weakening the above argument about the role of low-relief habitats in the shallow Gulf of Mexico. They further state that habitat limitation is not a strong factor in regulating recruitment dynamics of red snapper (Cowan et al 2011).…”

“…However, Cowan et al (2011) suggest that age-1 red snapper are more vulnerable to shrimp trawl bycatch as compared to age-0 fish, weakening the above argument about the role of low-relief habitats in the shallow Gulf of Mexico. They further state that habitat limitation is not a strong factor in regulating recruitment dynamics of red snapper (Cowan et al 2011).…”