Catch and Catch Rates of Fishes Caught by 



Anglers in the St. Andrew Bay System, 



Florida, and Adjacent Coastal Waters, 1973 



DOYLE F. SUTHERLAND 1 



ABSTRACT 



Anglers were interviewed on four fixed platforms in the St. Andrew Bay system and on charter 

 boats that were fishing in the bay and adjacent coastal waters in 1973. They caught fishes of at least 54 

 species (not all were identified to species) in 31 families. The majority (58.0%) of the fishes that were 

 caught from fixed platforms consisted of pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, (18.2%); sea catfish, Arius 

 felti, (12.2%); spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, (10.0%); blue runner, Caranx crysos, (8.8%); and 

 crevalle jack, Caranx hippos, (8.8%). On charter boats, king mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla, com- 

 prised the majority of the catches (73.9%). 



The average catch rates varied from 0.0 to 10.7 fish/h among anglers on fixed platforms and from 

 0.0 to 32.0 fish/h among charter boats. The greatest monthly average catch rates on fixed platforms 

 were 2.2 fish/h in October at Deer Point Dam, 1.8 in October at Bailey Bridge, 1.8 in December at 

 Hathaway Bridge, 2.3 in May at West Jetty, and 10.6 in September on charter boats. On the fixed plat- 

 forms, the highest average catch rate for all months was 1.4 with squid and the lowest was 0.5 with 

 fiddler crabs. Whole round scads and 00-squid spoons were used for bait by virtually all surveyed 

 charter boats. 



INTRODUCTION 



The St. Andrew Bay system and adjacent coastal 

 waters (Fig. 1) attract many recreational anglers. The 

 recreational fishery has not been previously assessed. A 

 1973 catch and catch rate survey of recreational fishing 

 in the area was conducted to provide fishery managers 

 with baseline estimates of fish availability to anglers for 

 evaluating future trends. A companion study of the com- 

 mercial and recreational fishing effort for fisheries in the 

 area was also conducted in 1973 (Sutherland, manuscript 

 in preparation). 



Increased demand for food and sport fishes is a growing 

 concern to fishery managers. In recent years, the land- 

 ings in pounds of food fishes by anglers have amounted 

 to about one-half the commercial landings (Deuel 1973; 

 U.S. Department of Commerce 1976). In the eastern Gulf 

 of Mexico, croakers exceeded all other species in num- 

 bers caught, followed by spotted seatrout, catfishes, sand 

 seatrout, porgies, kingfishes, and grunts (Deuel 1973). 

 Croakers and seatrouts are highly regarded by the pub- 

 lic and are readily available to commercial and 

 recreational fishermen in estuarine habitats. The num- 

 ber of recreational fishermen seeking those and other 

 fishes is estimated to increase by 8-10% annually (Deuel 

 1973). The number of commercial fishermen is 

 presumably limited by finfish availability and by social 

 and economic factors that prevail in the area. 



A relatively nonrestricted commercial fishery for 

 shrimp and for food and bait fishes exists in the St. An- 



drew Bay system and adjacent coastal waters. A daily 

 bag and size limit on several species of fishes is imposed 

 on recreational anglers. 



Catch and effort data for commercial and recreational 

 fishing in identifiable management areas are needed to 

 achieve optimum biological yield and to resolve other 

 resource management problems (Irby 1974). While com- 

 mercial landings are documented annually, the infor- 

 mation is of little value for management of identifiable 

 areas, for the fishing location and fishing effort are 

 omitted. Similarly, catch and catch rates obtained from 

 anglers may or may not reflect the actual availability or 

 abundance of fishes, for angling success depends on such 

 factors as angling skill, method, bait, location, etc. Not 



GULF OF MEXICO 



'Southeast Fisheries Center Panama City Laboratory, National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, NOAA, P.O. Box 4218, Panama City, FL 32401. 



Figure 1. — St. Andrew Bay system, Fla., and adjacent coastal waters. 



