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The Great Red Snapper Count: Estimating The Absolute Abundance Of Age-2+ Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) In The U.S. Gulf Of Mexico. Final Report
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2021
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[PDF-26.45 MB]
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Description:The primary goal of this initiative was to estimate the absolute abundance of age-2+ Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) in the U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). The fishery supported by this species is of iconic stature and supports one of the more economically valuable finfish fisheries in the region. Funding was made available by the U.S. Congress and administered through the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium to produce a Red Snapper population estimate independent of the federal stock assessment via a systematic Gulf-wide sampling plan at an unprecedented regional scope and level of funding. Management decisions by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council based on previous SEDAR (Southeast, Data, Assessment, and Review) stock assessments for Red Snapper have been contentious, and there is concern that the current assessment framework, given the nature of the data involved, is not providing an accurate estimate of abundance. Results of this study provide an independent assessment of Red Snapper stock size via fishery-independent surveys conducted throughout the U.S. Gulf. This is an exceptionally rare opportunity in fisheries science allowing for studies of absolute abundance of this scope and geographic coverage. Moreover, study findings offer a unique opportunity for other approaches to be integrated into the assessment framework. Thus, the primary rationale for funding was that a robust estimate of absolute abundance will increase our scientific understanding of the population dynamics for Red Snapper across its range and distribution. Science is a building process, and the independent estimate of abundance derived from this research is not a replacement or in contention with the official SEDAR Red Snapper Stock Assessment. It will supplement and enhance ongoing analyses by allowing for validation, calibration, and further refinement of those models, given absolute abundance has now been estimated independently from the assessment model.
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Sea Grant Document Number:MASGP-21-077;MASGP-21-078;MASGP-21-050;
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Rights Information:CC0 Public Domain
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Compliance:Submitted
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