Short-Term Discard Mortality Estimates for Gray Snapper in a West-Central Florida Estuary and Adjacent Nearshore Gulf of Mexico Waters

Abstract

Gray Snapper Lutjanus griseus are fished extensively by recreational anglers in inshore estuarine habitats and in coastal and nearshore reef habitats along Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coast. Although a detailed fishery assessment of Gray Snapper has never been conducted, there is a need for discard mortality estimates due to the large number of individuals captured by the recreational fishery. Our objective was to characterize discard mortality for the Gray Snapper recreational fishery in a study area that was representative of the regions in which most of the recreational fishing for this species takes place. In total, 247 Gray Snapper were caught during short-term (48-h) discard mortality experiments; 17 of the fish died, resulting in an overall mortality rate of 6.9%. Discard mortality was lower for fish caught from inshore waters (2/143 fish; 1.4%) than for those captured from the nearshore zone (15/104 fish; 14.4%). The water depth at the capture site and the anatomical hook location significantly influenced the probability of mortality. Individuals that were caught in shallower water and that were hooked in the lip were most likely to survive catch and release, whereas fish that were hooked in the esophagus were least likely to survive.

Received July 31, 2015; accepted December 2, 2015 Published online March 30, 2016

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI; Florida FWC) staff who put in countless hours of collecting and entering data; catching, measuring, and tagging fish; and ensuring that all components of this project were completed smoothly. Charter captains Bill Fehl, Matt McDuffee, Steve Papen, Jim Lemke, John Fabian, Harry Conner, Tony Frankland, Doug Hall, and Steve Betz provided their vessels and fishing expertise during nearshore hook-and-line sampling and inshore discard mortality experiments; Hubbard’s Marina partnered with FWRI staff to conduct two 24-h nearshore discard mortality experiments. More than 40 volunteer recreational anglers participated in this project, contributing over 600 h, and 150 anglers responded to our Gray Snapper survey. Fellow FWRI scientists T. Cody, A. Richardson, C. Gray, M. Tabuchi, and M. Bakenhaster conducted the necropsies and related health assessments. Scientific oversight and grant administration were provided by P. Hood and D. Ruiz (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service [NMFS], Southeast Regional Office), respectively. The manuscript was improved by insightful reviews from D. Topping, S. Martin, D. Tremain, C. Purtlebaugh, B. Sauls, A. Collins, B. Crowder, and two anonymous reviewers. This project was supported in part by proceeds from State of Florida saltwater recreational fishing licenses and by funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration Project FL-F-F14AF00328) and NMFS (Cooperative Research Program Grant NA09NMF4540136). The statements, findings, views, conclusions, and recommendations contained in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of the Interior or the U.S. Department of Commerce and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.