scholarly journals Absolute abundance estimates for Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus, Greater Amberjack Seriola dumerili and other federally‐managed fish on offshore petroleum platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Gallaway ◽  
S. W. Raborn ◽  
K. A. McCain ◽  
R. T. Beyea ◽  
S. Dufault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Red Snapper ◽  
Lutjanus Campechanus ◽  
Absolute Abundance ◽  
Seriola Dumerili ◽  
Abundance Estimates ◽  
Greater Amberjack ◽  
Petroleum Platforms ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

Red Snapper: Ecology and Fisheries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico

2007 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Recovery Period ◽  
Red Snapper ◽  
Lutjanus Campechanus ◽  
Habitat Value ◽  
Release Location ◽  
Petroleum Platforms

<em>Abstract.</em>—The habitat value of petroleum platforms for red snapper, <em>Lutjanus campechanus</em>, is poorly understood. However, it is widely recognized that the presence of thousands of platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has affected the distribution of red snapper by the addition of hard substrate habitat. We evaluated the habitat value of petroleum platforms by monitoring the fidelity of red snapper to these structures with acoustic telemetry. In May 2003, 125 red snapper were captured with hook and line at several platforms in a 35-km<sup>2</sup> portion of the South Timbalier oil and gas lease blocks, 50 km south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Following anaesthetization with MS-222, an individually coded acoustic pinger was surgically implanted into the peritoneal cavity of each specimen. After a short recovery period fish were released at five platforms in the study area. Presence of individual snapper was recorded with omnidirectional acoustic receivers attached to eight platforms. Red snapper exhibited little movement among platforms in the study area; however, logistic regression showed a high initial fidelity to release location which subsequently decreased over time. Therefore, site fidelity was estimated to be high in the short-term, but much lower in the long-term. However, study results were confounded by tag detection issues that may have resulted in long-term site fidelity being underestimated. Overall, estimates provided of red snapper fidelity to petroleum platforms should lead to more effective management of this species by adding to the knowledge of the function of platforms as habitat and their importance to the GOM red snapper population.

Red Snapper: Ecology and Fisheries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico

2007 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Red Snapper ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Minimum Length ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Lutjanus Campechanus ◽  
Commercial Harvest ◽  
Length Regulation ◽  
The U.S

<em>Abstract.</em>—Red snapper <em>Lutjanus campechanus </em>were sampled from commercial landings from the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) off Louisiana from October 2001 to May 2004. Fork length (FL), eviscerated weight, otoliths (both sagittae), and sex determinations were taken from 2,900 specimens; FL was subsequently converted to total length (TL) with the equation TL = 1.073 (FL) + 3.56. Red snapper ages (<EM>N </EM>= 2,867) estimated from counts of opaque annuli in otoliths ranged from 1 to 14 years; however, the vast majority (97.7%) of these were ages 2 to 6 years and the modal age was 3 years. Total lengths among 2,897 specimens ranged from 278 to 940 mm, modal TL was 400 mm, and 98% of all specimens were less than 600 mm TL. We also investigated the fate of red snapper regulatory discards (individuals <381 mm [15 in] TL) during 16 trips on working commercial vessels; over two-thirds of 4,839 red snapper assigned among four discard fate categories (ranging from alive and vigorous to dead) were returned to the water either in moribund or dead condition. Among 399 potential discards retained for age and length analyses, 86% were between 12 and 15 in (305–381 mm) TL and 85% were 2 years of age. The minimum size regulation appears to do little to protect juvenile red snapper from commercial fishing mortality. Heavy red snapper mortality, which begins as bycatch mortality in shrimp trawls, continues as discard mortality at sub-legal lengths when they first recruit to the offshore fishing grounds, and persists as harvest mortality among the youngest legal year- and size-classes. If the minimum size limit is intended to provide a respite from such mortality, a reconsideration of the utility of the minimum length regulation in the commercial harvest of red snapper may be warranted.

Red Snapper: Ecology and Fisheries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico

2007 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Red Snapper ◽  
Lutjanus Campechanus ◽  
Nursery Areas ◽  
Side Scan Sonar ◽  
Bathymetric Data ◽  
Habitat Effect ◽  
Inner Continental Shelf ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Trawl Surveys

<em>Abstract.</em>—Trawl surveys were conducted to measure patterns of habitat use by newly settled red snapper <em>Lutjanus campechanus </em>at three natural banks on the inner continental shelf of Texas. Digital side-scan sonar and multibeam bathymetric data were used to define inshore (mud), ridge (shell), and offshore (mud) habitats for Freeport Rocks, Heald Bank, and Sabine Bank. Otter trawls were conducted July through September in 2003 (Heald Bank, Sabine Bank) and in 2004 (Freeport Rocks) during the settlement period of red snapper. Freeport Rocks had markedly higher densities of red snapper (91 ha<sup>⁻1</sup>) in 2004 than Heald Bank (6 ha<sup>⁻1</sup>) or Sabine Bank (<1 ha<sup>⁻1</sup>) in 2003. A significant habitat effect was observed at Heald Bank and densities were higher at offshore mud habitats; no habitat effect was detected for Freeport Rocks or Sabine Bank. Growth rates varied from 0.86 mm‧d<sup>⁻1</sup> at Sabine Bank up to 1.12 mm‧d<sup>⁻1</sup> at Freeport Rocks, and rates were higher on inshore and offshore mud than ridge habitats. Otolith-based estimates of age indicated that settlers were first detected at 22–28 d and the majority of individuals were 30–60 d. Hatch dates peaked from early June to early July in both 2003 and 2004. Results from this study indicate that both shell and inshore and offshore mud habitats associated with these natural banks serve as settlement habitat of red snapper, and all three habitats have the potential to function as nursery areas of this species.

Otolith Microchemical Fingerprints of Age-0 Red Snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, from the Northern Gulf of Mexico

1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Patterson ◽  
James H. Cowan ◽  
Elizabeth Y. Graham ◽  
W. Berry Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Red Snapper ◽  
Lutjanus Campechanus ◽  
Northern Gulf Of Mexico
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