1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Landings 

 (X 1,000 t) 



Total landings 



Abundance 

 index (juvenile 

 red snapper) 



- 15 



- 14 



- 12 



- 10 



I I I l_ 



75 76 77 78 79 



Figure 8-1 



Gulf of Mexico reef fisfi 

 landings, 1975-97, in metric 

 tons (t). The abundance in- 

 dex is a relative value sfiow- 

 ing fish per standarized 

 haul. 



81 82 83 84 85 

 Year 



87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 



This page: Nassau grouper; 

 facing page: Gustave Quetel 

 Fishing Center, Frenchtown 

 Harbor, US. Virgin Islands. 



dockside ex-vessel revenue of $48 million. Sport 

 fishermen make more than 20 million angler-trips 

 annually. 



RlcI hshcs are vulnerable to overfishing ow- 

 ing to their long lives, slow growth, ease of cap- 

 ture, large body size, delayed reproduction, and 

 other hictors. Most are probabfi- either fiilh uti- 

 lized or overutilized (Table 8- 1). Red snapper, tra- 

 ditionally the most important Gulf reef fish, is 

 overutilized in part as a result of its incidental catch 

 by the shrimp fisher\'. Eight of the ten ma|or spe- 

 cies in the Atlantic headboat fishery show signifi- 

 cant size declines since 1*^72. In the Caribbean, 

 such traditional fishery mainstays as Nassau grou- 

 per have practically disappeared, and total land- 

 ings of species of more recent importance like the 

 red hind have declined since the late 1970's. Land- 

 ings of amberjack, lane snapper, vermilion snap- 

 per, and similar species have increased as catches 

 of traditional species have declined. 



ISSUES 



Bycatch and 

 Multispecies Interactions 



Reef fish form a complex, diverse multi-spe- 

 cies system. I'he long-term harvesting effects on 

 reefs are not well understood, requiring cautious 

 management controls of targeted fisheries as well 

 as bycatch. Removals of apex predators from the 

 reef complex ma\' result in shifts of species com- 



position. i\la|or b\'calch issues currentlv occur with 

 the capture and discarding of red snapper by ves- 

 sels fishing for shrimp with small-mesh nets. This 

 bycatch problem means that, in order to meet the 

 rebuilding goals for the stock, targeted harvests 

 must be even more restricted. Bycatch of other 

 species may pose similar difficulties as will the cap- 

 ture of undersized fish, e\'cn if they are released. 

 1 he mortalit\ rate of released fish is nr)t well 

 known. 



Scientific Information and 

 Adequacy of Stock Assessments 



Several stocks of reef fish are currently depleted 

 and need to be rebuilt (e.g. jewfish and Nassau 

 grouper). A variety of management measures need 

 to be explored, including the use of artificial reefs 

 and the effectiveness of marine p.irks and reserves 

 to protect spawning areas. 



There are a number of important scientific is- 

 sues which need to be addressed to improve the 

 advice for management. The long-term potential 

 yields for most of the reef fish species is unknown. 

 Data on catch and the identification of species are 

 inadequate tor nian\' stocks. I he\' should be col- 

 lected on a routine basis. Additional life history 

 and biological data are needed to better under- 

 stand this complex of species. 



1 32 



