Is NOAA Fisheries using the Great Red Snapper Count?
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Yes! This StoryMap will demonstrate how data from the Great Red Snapper Count have been used for developing catch advice, and how these data are being evaluated for incorporation into the stock assessment and management process.
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A brief history of the Great Red Snapper Count
In August of 2017, a Gulf-wide team of fisheries experts was tasked with estimating the absolute abundance (i.e., population size) of age 2+ red snapper in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico through an unprecedented $12 million project called the “Great Red Snapper Count” (GRSC) .
This project was funded by Congress in response to widespread frustration from anglers.
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In 2018, scientists across the U.S. Gulf of Mexico developed sampling plans, collected data using a variety of methods, and began preliminary data analyses.
A suite of methods, including habitat classification , direct visual counts , depletion studies , and a high-reward tagging study , was used across the entire U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
Sampling methods were chosen to collect data on the biology, exploitation, abundance, and population density of red snapper in each Gulf of Mexico state.
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In 2019, the GRSC project team continued to collect and analyze data.
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SEDAR 74 planning
Initial planning for SEDAR 74 , a Research Track stock assessment for red snapper, began in February of 2020.
SEDAR (SouthEast Data, Assessment, and Review) is the traditional way a stock is assessed. This process provides the science that is used for management advice.
SEDAR 74 stock ID
In November of 2020, scientists recommended that the U.S. Gulf of Mexico red snapper population should be assessed as a three-unit stock with divisions near the Mississippi River and Cape San Blas, Florida.
First draft of GRSC
In February of 2021, the initial findings from the GRSC were compiled into a 308-page report that specified the absolute abundance of red snapper by region and habitat type.
In this draft, the absolute abundance of red snapper in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was estimated at 110 million fish.
GRSC results revealed and peer-reviewed
In March of 2021, three notable events took place:
1. GRSC report due to GMFMC: On March 1, the preliminary findings of the GRSC were presented to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC).
2. Catch advice analysis conducted by SEFSC: On March 24, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) performed a catch advice analysis using data from the GRSC.
3. Peer-review of GRSC by SSC: On March 30, the GMFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) began a 2.5-day peer-review of the GRSC.
- The primary objective of the peer-review was to determine the reliability of the absolute abundance estimate.
- One finding from this peer-review was that data were lacking for a reliable estimate of red snapper abundance off Louisiana.
- This peer-review also suggested that the data from Florida be re-evaluated.
SSC peer-review of Louisiana estimate
In March of 2022, the SSC peer-reviewed a separate estimate of red snapper abundance off the coast of Louisiana.
This study was funded by the Louisiana legislature, administered by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and conducted to evaluate Louisiana’s red snapper biomass for the GRSC.
Start of SEDAR 74
In May of 2022, the formal Research Track assessment began with data scoping.
SEDAR 74 Data Workshop Report completed
In October of 2022, the SEDAR 74 data workshop report was completed. This report compiled and evaluated potential datasets, and recommended which datasets (for example, data from the GRSC) are appropriate for use in SEDAR 74 analyses.
Catch limit increased for red snapper
In January of 2023, NOAA Fisheries formally revised the overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) based on SSC and GMFMC recommendations using the results of the GRSC and other analyses.
- The SSC recommended an OFL of 18.91 million pounds whole weight, and an ABC of 16.31 million pounds whole weight, for the 2023 and subsequent fishing seasons.
In February of 2023, the new GRSC data from Louisiana and reanalyzed data from Florida were combined with the original data from Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas.
- These data were then used to recommend an updated OFL and ABC.
SEDAR 74 results presented to SSC
In March of 2024, the complete report from SEDAR 74 (including the GRSC regional estimates of absolute abundance) is scheduled to be presented to the SSC.
- However, it will take additional time to incorporate the information from SEDAR 74 into the management process.
Why has it taken so long to use the data from the Great Red Snapper Count?
A single-species assessment of this scale has never been conducted before, so no blueprint exists for incorporating these data into the traditional stock assessment framework.
To assess the reliability of the Great Red Snapper Count, time was needed for peer-review before the results could be incorporated into the assessment.
If the Great Red Snapper Count found more than double the red snapper than previous studies did, then why haven’t catch limits increased accordingly?
The newly counted fish aren’t located where you typically fish.
Many of the fish included in the Great Red Snapper Count population estimate were located far offshore on unstructured or low-relief habitats.
However, the majority of fishing for red snapper takes place on natural and artificial structures relatively close to shore.
Interestingly, Great Red Snapper Count estimates from these well-known and highly targeted areas were very similar to estimates from NOAA Fisheries.
If catch limits were doubled, then too many fish would be removed from these commonly fished areas.
Will the Great Red Snapper Count ever be repeated?
In a way, it already has! One study is currently underway to estimate the abundance of red snapper along the U.S. South Atlantic , and another study is currently tasked with estimating the abundance of greater amberjack in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and U.S. South Atlantic .
In the future, additional studies like these will be needed to detect changes in abundance for these species over time, a key component of stock assessments.