212 



Fishery Bulletin 98(1) 



100 



16 73 69 24 42 130 127 14 



60 



3 



Month -J 



Figure 10 



Percentage composition (based on histological criteria) of reproductive stages by month for 510 

 female snowy grouper Number of specimens examined is above each bar. POP = postovulatory 

 follicle. 



1,200 



1,000 



800 



% 



600 - 



400 - 



200 - 



O 1981-85 

 * 1991-95 



50 



— I — 

 100 



I 

 150 



— 1 — 

 200 



250 



300 



Depth (m) 



Figure 11 



Relationship between length of snowy grouper and depth 

 of capture in fishery-independent sampling off North Car- 

 olina and South Carolina primarily with longhnes. Kali 

 poles, and snapper reels during 1981-85 (^=359) and pri- 

 marily with chevron traps during 1991-95 (n=114). 



the bottom longline fishery developed. The decreases 

 in 1984 and 1985 reflect a shift in effort to the pelagic 

 longline fishery for swordfish (Low et al., 1987). 



In South Carolina, the mean length of snowy grou- 

 per caught with longlines decreased steadily from 66 

 to 72 cm during 1983-84 to a low of 49 cm in 1996 ( Fig. 

 13 ). No trend was evident in the length data for snowy 

 grouper caught with snapper reels. The snowy grouper 

 caught with snapper reels were consistently smaller 

 than those caught with longlines because snapper reels 

 were deployed in shallower water (Fig. 14). 



Length data from North Carolina for snowy grou- 

 per caught with longlines showed a similar decreas- 

 ing trend, though with greater interannual variation 

 (Fig. 15). The mean length of snowy grouper caught 

 with snapper reels has fluctuated, with peaks noted 

 in 1985 and 1993. 



Discussion 



Status of the fishery 



There are several indications that the snowy grou- 

 per population off the Carolinas is overfished: 1) size 



