Red drum, continued 



Hoese and Moore 1977, Adkins et al. 1979, Matlock 

 1 980, Perret et al. 1 980, Overstreet 1 983). All of these 

 characteristics make this species one of the seven 

 most sought gamefish in the Gulf of Mexico (Van 

 Voorheesetal. 1992). Fishery information for the Gulf 

 of Mexico during 1991 showed a total recreational 

 catch of over 5,549,000 fish weighing a total of 729.4 

 mt, with the majority caught in nearshore or inshore 

 waters (Van Voorhees et al. 1992). The most sought 

 after fish are those less than 2.2 kg. Larger fish are 

 unpopular due to presence of parasites in the flesh and 

 the belief that they have a poor flavor (Boothby and 

 Avault 1971, Adkins et al. 1979, Benson 1982). The 

 primary angling method is by hook and line in surf, 

 island passes, and estuaries especially during sea- 

 sonal runs in the spring and fall (Franks 1 970, Boothby 

 and Avault 1 971 , Matlock 1 980, Benson 1 982). Other 

 fishing methods include drift fishing, jigging, casting, or 

 slow trolling (WRGF 1991). Angling regulations vary 

 among the Gulf states (GSMFC 1993). Increased 

 recreational harvest in federal waters of the U.S. Exclu- 

 sive Economic Zone (EEZ) has made careful manage- 

 ment necessary throughout the range of red drum. As 

 a result, no sport harvest is now allowed in federal 

 waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and any red drum caught 

 must be released unharmed (GMFMC 1996b). Red 

 drum have been experimentally hybridized with black 

 drum to develop a potential hybrid gamefish (NMFS 

 1983). 



Indicator of Environmental Stress This species is not 

 typically used as an indicator organism, but a case of 

 metal poisoning has been reported among large (7-18 

 kg) red drum in Florida (Cardeilhac et al. 1981). 



Ecological : This is a marine, littoral, crepuscular preda- 

 tor that indiscriminately feeds either on the bottom or in 

 the water column usually in shallow water (Pearson 

 1928, Gunter 1945, Simmons and Breuer 1962, 

 Zimmerman 1969, Boothby and Avault 1971, Ward 

 and Armstrong 1980, Benson 1982, Holt et al. 1983). 



Range 



Overall : The red drum occurs in the western Atlantic 

 from the Gulf of Maine off Massachusetts to Key West, 

 Florida, and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to 

 Tuxpan, Mexico (Welsh and Breder 1924, Simmons 

 and Breuer 1 962, Yokel 1 966, Lux 1 969, Boothby and 

 Avault 1971, Hoese and Moore 1977, Lee et al. 1980, 

 Matlock 1980, Ward and Armstrong 1980, Holt et al. 

 1983, Overstreet 1983, Matlock 1987). Since 1950, 

 populations of red drum have virtually disappeared in 

 waters north of Chesapeake Bay, and New Jersey is 

 now probably the northern limit of this species. Centers 

 of abundance exist in the waters of North Carolina, and 

 the Gulf of Mexico (Yokel 1966, Matlock 1980, Ward 

 and Armstrong 1980). 



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