Fishery management strategies for Red Snapper in the southeastern U.S. Atlantic: A spatial population model to compare approaches

Abstract

Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus is an iconic species in the southeast U.S. Atlantic Ocean, sought by both commercial and recreational fleets. Five stock assessments over the past quarter century have shown Red Snapper to be experiencing overfishing. Highly restricted landings since 2010 have been insufficient to end overfishing because fishing effort is not species specific but rather applies generally to a complex of reef-associated species. Consequently, Red Snapper are discarded as bycatch when regulations prohibit their retention, and many of the discarded fish die from hook injury, barotrauma, or depredation.