First, the Boring Stuff

Fisheries management, when it started, and how it works

Fishery management history

• Freshwater management for over a hundred years, mainly by states.

• Marine Fisheries Management started with the Magnuson act, 1976

• Act has been reauthorized and amended several times

Management Structure

• States: Agencies (Alabama Department of Conservation, Marine Resources Division)

• Regions: (Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission)

• Federal: (Eight Regional Fishery Management Councils)

International “Management”

• ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna)

• IWC International Whaling Commission)

Politics and the EEZ

• Past Administration

• NOAA, NMFS

• Current Administration

• NOAA, NMFS

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council

• Membership

• Scientific and Statistical Committee

• Advisory Panels

Management Alternatives

• Recreational (seasons, bag limits, size limits)

• Commercial (Seasons, size limits, trip limits, limited entry)

“Fresh” Management Alternatives

• Dr. Jane Lubchenco: “Catch shares”

• Commercial: IFQs (or ITQs)

• Recreational: Tags?

• Issue of transferability

Ecosystem management, wow!

• Overview

• Breadth of considerations

• Codfish, striped bass examples

• Closer to home: goliath grouper

An historical perspective of the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of

Mexico with management implications

• Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Hypothesis 1:

Red snapper stocks in the Gulf of Mexico are “severely overfished.”

Hypothesis 2:

Stock biomass of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico is at or near an all time high.

A. Fishery origins in 1840-1860.

B. Fishery centered in Pensacola Florida - Pensacola Ice Company.

C. Early catches close to Pensacola & Mobile - very limited appropriate bottom.

D. Catch dominated by large (10 lb.) fish.

E. Catches maxed around 1880, harvest 2 million pounds, began to decline.

F. Fishery expanded toward Tampa.

G. Exploratory fishery in western Gulf - very little positive results.

H. Fishery expanded to Mexico, Vera Cruz and south.

History of the Gulf of Mexico Snapper Fishery

‘The total amount of fish taken by this fleet we were unable to obtain, but judging by such statistical data as are at hand, it cannot fall far short of 2,000,000 pounds.’

(Collins, 1885)

(Collins, 1885)

‘Localities that were remarkable for the abundance of fish on them only a year or two ago are now of comparatively little importance. The best evidence that can be adduced in support of this theory is the fact that the vessels are continually obliged to extend their cruises further off in order to meet with success, and at present we are told that it would be of little use to attempt to catch fish on grounds where they could be taken in great numbers in the early days of the business.’

(Collins, 1885)

‘It may not be out of place to say that quite extended researches have been made west of the Mississippi in search of snapper banks. As early as the fall of 1880 two smacks, from Noank, Conn., which were fishing in the Gulf, made a cruise off Galveston in search of grounds, but found no bottom suitable for red snappers to live on. Mr. Sewall C. Cobb also tells us that he spent the entire month of July, in 1883, seeking for red snappers, and sounding along the coast, from the southwest pass of the Mississippi to a point off the center of Padre Island, Texas, a distance of about 450 miles.’

In the summer of 1884 the Pensacola Ice Company sent

another schooner off Galveston for red snapper, but the voyage

was a failure, the vessel not getting fish enough to pay her

provision bill.

Gulf of Mexico Snapper Fishery Historical Perspective•Data for following years very sparse, but commercial catch records available from the 1920s on. Reliability suspect, but probably give a good ball park estimate.

•Maximum commercial harvest around 8,000,000 pounds.

•1923, Jordan and Evermann. …”it’s centre ofabundance is in the Gulf of Mexico, in rather deep water on the rocky banks off the west coast of Florida and the coasts of Campeche and Yucatan.”

•1933, Louisiana Dept. of Conservation…”The center of the snapper fishery is in Florida…the total catch in 1929 was 9,987,000 pounds…the center of this fishery lies east of Louisiana.”

Current recreational and commercial harvest a little over 5 million pounds.

Latest stock assessment shows stocks very much“overfished.”

Latest stock assessment indicates that the spawning stock biomass could be well

over 100 million pounds, and an annual MSY of 20 million pounds.

Put in historical perspective.

Models say we could harvest 20,000,000 pounds, but we’ve never

harvested more than a quarter of that, yet we’re ‘overfished.’ What has

changed?

,

The problem: Crustacean conflict

80% of juvenile red snapper are killed as shrimp trawl bycatch

• During their first year of life, they share open mud bottom with shrimp

• Reds settle out after about 20 days in the plankton

• Shrimpers now carry TEDS and BRDS, causing significant shrimp loss

• The snapper fishery is the most valuable fin fishery in the Gulf

• The shrimp fishery is the most valuable fishery in the U.S.

http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/fish/images/big/fish0808.jpg

Alabama-case study

Alabama’s Artificial Reef Program

Area Shown

LA

ALMS FL

Total Area = 3,108 km2.

Estimated over 20,000 structures deployed.

Artificial Reefs

GROUPERGHETTO

REEFBALL

“PIGFISH PALACE”

Reefballs

1 2 4 5 6 7 8CPU

E (#

fish

per

son

-1 h

r-1 )

0

4

8

12

16

20

Grouper Ghettos2 3 4 5 6 7 8

0

4

8

12

16

20

Variability in CPUE within reef designs

Fishers’ Recoveries

Northern GOM Petroleum Platforms

source: Schirripa and Legault (1999)

But the model says “overfished”

• Recreational quota will shrink

• Commercial season will get shorter

• Fewer fishing days, smaller bag limit

Conclusions

• Dynamics of the shelf bottom in the Gulf of Mexico have changed dramatically in the last half century.

•The eastern Gulf (Florida) has experienced relatively little change.

• The north central Gulf has been impacted by tens of thousands of artificial reefs.

•The western Gulf has been impacted by 4000+ petroleum platforms.

•The potential production of red snapper has been increased possibly by an order of magnitude.

•Shrimp bycatch mortality of juvenile snapper has driven the models to declare the stocks overfished.

Other Comments

•Attraction vs. production issue is more academic than relevant.

• Ecosystem impacts (e.g., impact on other species) need attention.

• Maintenance of “new” habitat will become an issue.

Finally,

let’s go

Snapper fishing while we still can!