38 
Fishery Bulletin 1 13(1) 
reational sector and are likely a result of the increas- 
ing exploitation of this species that is exacerbated by 
increases in desirability and in marketability to con- 
sumers. We believe the results of this study accurately 
describe the fished population of gray triggerfish in the 
offshore waters of the SEUS. A NMFS stock assess- 
ment is currently underway as of this writing, and we 
feel the data provided in this study will be a valuable 
contribution to these efforts. 
Acknowledgments 
We gratefully acknowledge the many headboat and 
commercial port agents who provided samples of gray 
triggerfish over the years. Their efforts made this 
study possible. J. Smith, T. Kellison, and 3 anonymous 
reviewers provided valuable reviews that greatly im- 
proved this manuscript. 
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