cial landings are relatively easy to get, but statistics on sport fishing and 

 its related industries (e.g. out-of-state fishermen, tackle, boats, motors, 

 oil and gas, food marinas, and hotel -motel accommodations) are difficult to 

 obtain despite the great economic value of the sport fishery. 



Annual changes in commercial landings should be analyzed with consider- 

 able care. For example, several years of steadily declining catches do not 

 necessarily indicate that the species is overfished. The decline may be caus- 

 ed by natural fluctuations in abundance, or by a decline in commercial fishing 

 intensity or a number of other possible factors. Details on commercial fish- 

 ing operations, the need for facilities, and commercial fishing port develop- 

 ment are reported by Mathis et al . (1978a and 1978b). 



FINFISH 



Ordinarily, seafood is divided into finfish (referred to as fish here- 

 after in this report) and shellfish (e.g., oysters, shrimps, crabs). In addi- 

 tion to their commercial value, finfish support a highly valued sport fishery. 



Snappers and Groupers 



The red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus , is a long-lived (up to 20 years), 

 slow growing, continental shelf reef dweller that is essentially non-migratory 

 except for seasonal inshore-offshore movement. It is one of the most highly 

 valued marine fish in Florida. In 1980 it contributed about 2.2 million lb 

 valued at $3.9 million dockside to the commercial catch in Northwest Florida. 

 Red snapper also are highly prized by sport fishermen, particularly in head 

 and charter boats. 



Commercial landings of the groupers, primarily red grouper ( Epinephelus 

 morio ) , gag grouper ( Mycteroperca microlepis ), and scamp ( Mycteroperca phenax ) 

 in Northwest Florida in 1980 were 1.3 million lb, valued at $1.2 million. 

 This catch is only about 10% to 15% of the total Florida catch and has varied 

 significantly in 1970-80, ranging from a high of 1.4 million lb in 1972 to a 

 low of 528,844 lb in 1977. Groupers also are important sport species, espe- 

 cially for head and charter boats. 



Relatively little is known about the early life history of groupers and 

 snappers. The biology of only a few of the larvae are properly described and 

 specific spawning areas are unknown. Most of the observations on these spe- 

 cies in this report were from Beaumariage and Bullock (1977) and Futch and 

 Bruger (1977). Most groupers probably spawn in deeper coastal waters in 

 spring, summer, and fall. Pelagic larvae are transported by prevailing cur- 

 rents into bays and estuaries, which are used as nursery grounds. As juve- 

 niles, they move from shallow reef or grassy areas to deeper holes or hard 

 bottom outcroppings. Adults seldom stray far from protective hard rock out- 

 croppings, reefs, or corals. Of the groupers, biological data on the gag 

 probably are most extensive. This species in its second year of life is about 

 fourteen inches long and weighs between 2 and 3 lb. The largest groupers 

 landed commercially are five or six years old and average from 9.0 to 11.7 kg 

 (20 to 25 lb) each. Sexual maturity is reached in 2 to 4 years. A maximum 

 age of 30 years was reported. Most groupers are protogynous hermaphrodites 

 and begin life as females. Transformation begins at about age six, but not 



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