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Descriptions of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico reef fish
bottom longline and vertical line fisheries based on observer
data.
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| Abstract: | In July 2006, a mandatory observer program was implemented to characterize the commercial reef fish fishery operating in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The primary gear types assessed included bottom longline and vertical line (bandit and handline). A total of 73,205 fish (183 taxa) were observed in the longline fishery. Most (66%) were red grouper, Epinephelus morio, and yellowedge grouper, E. flavolimbatus. In the vertical line fishery, 89,015 fish (178 taxa) were observed of which most (60%) were red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, and vermilion snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens. Based on surface observations of discarded under-sized target and unwanted species, the majority of fish were released alive; minimum assumed mortality was 23% for the vertical line and 24% for the bottom longline fishery. Of the individuals released alive in the longline fishery, 42% had visual signs of barotrauma stress (air bladder expansion/ and or eyes protruding). In the vertical line fishery, 35% of the fish were released in a stressed state. Red grouper and red snapper size composition by depth and gear type were determined. Catch-per-unit-effort for dominant species in both fisheries, illustrated spatial differences in distribution between the eastern and western Gulf. Hot Spot Analyses for red grouper and red snapper identified areas with significant clustering of high or low CPUE values. |
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| Subject: |
Fishes
(Analysis) Longlining (Fisheries) (Analysis) |
| Authors: |
Scott-Denton, Elizabeth Cryer, Pat F. Gocke, Judith P. Harrelson, Mike R. Kinsella, Donna L. Pulver, Jeff R. Smith, Rebecca C. Williams, Jo Anne |
| Pub Date: | 03/22/2011 |
| Publication: | Name: Marine Fisheries Review Publisher: Superintendent of Documents Audience: Academic Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Agricultural industry; Business Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 U.S. Department of Commerce ISSN: 0090-1830 |
| Issue: | Date: Spring, 2011 Source Volume: 73 Source Issue: 2 |
| Product: | Product Code: 0910000 Fishing NAICS Code: 11411 Fishing |
| Geographic: | Geographic Scope: Gulf of Mexico Geographic Code: 0GULF Gulf of Mexico |
| Accession Number: | 272740310 |
| Full Text: |
Introduction Amendment 22 to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's (GMFMC) Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan (GMFMC (1)) dictates mandatory observer coverage. In July 2006, in collaboration with the commercial fishing industry and the GMFMC, the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) implemented a mandatory observer program to characterize the commercial reef fishery operating in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). This fishery consists of approximately 890 Federally permitted vessels (SERO (2)). Primary gears used include bottom longline, vertical line (bandit or handline), and more recently, modified buoy gear. Although many reef fish species are retained, the predominant target species are groupers, Epinephelus spp., and snappers, Lutjanus spp. Longliners off the coast of Florida generally target red grouper, Epinephelus morio, in shallow waters, and in deeper waters yellowedge grouper, E. flavolimbatus; tilefish (Malacanthidae), and sharks (Carcharhinidae). Vertical line vessel operators target shallow-water grouper (e.g. red grouper), red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, and may also seek yellowedge grouper and vermilion snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens. From historical effort data, most commercial fishing effort for red snapper occurs in the western Gulf of Mexico (SEDAR (3)). In November 1984, the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan (GMFMC (4)) was implemented to rebuild declining reef fish stocks. Since that time, Federal regulations have restricted size and landings of several reef fish species. Weight quotas regulate commercial landings for grouper, with 7.57 million lbs for shallow-water grouper and 1.02 million lbs for deepwater grouper (SERO (2)). The current total allowable catch (TAC) for red snapper is 6.3 million lbs, divided between the commercial (51%) and recreational (49%) fishing sectors. An individual fishing quota (IFQ) program for the commercial red snapper fishery was implemented in 2007 and for the grouper and tilefish fisheries in 2010. In May 2009, an emergency rule to protect sea turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) went into effect prohibiting the use of bottom longline gear east of Cape San Blas, Fla., shoreward of the 50-fm contour. Modification through subsequent regulations (GMFMC (5)) prohibited bottom longline gear east of Cape San Blas, Fla., shoreward of the 35-fm contour from June through August, restricted the number of hooks onboard to 1,000, of which only 750 could be rigged for fishing, and reduced the number of vessels through an endorsement system based on documentation of an average annual landing of at least 40,000 lbs during 1999 through 2007. The effectiveness of quota systems, size limits, and area closures as management tools has been debated (Coleman et al., 2000; Nieland et al., 2007; Stephen and Harris, 2010). Once a vessel's red snapper quota is reached, for example, the vessel simply targets other reef fish, making red snapper a bycatch species. Currently, the minimum legal size for red snapper is 13 in total length (TL). The minimum size limit for red grouper was reduced from 20 in TL to 18 in TL, effective 18 May 2009 (GMFMC (5)). The mortality rates of both undersized target species and nontargeted species caught on the various gear types remains a pressing concern. Findings from mark-release mortality studies (Gitschlag and Renaud, 1994; Schirripa and Legault (6); Burns et al. (7)) indicate variable rates of mortality based on depth and method of capture. In December 1993, SEFSC's Galveston Laboratory implemented a voluntary observer program to characterize the fish trap, bottom longline, and bandit reel fisheries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (Scott-Denton and Harper (8); Scott-Denton (9)). Observer coverage of the commercial reef fish fishery operating primarily off the west coast of Florida and, to a lesser extent, off Louisiana, was conducted from 1993 through 1995. Data from 576 sets aboard fish trap vessels, 317 sets from bottom longline, and 580 sets from bandit reel vessels were analyzed. Findings from this study revealed a low proportion (<5% of total number caught) of fish discarded dead (immediate mortality) based on surface observations. However, due to the number of fish released in stressed state (air bladder expansion and/or eyes protruding), total predicted red snapper discards of 25% to 30% were used to estimate the number of discarded fish at age that died and thus contributed to fishing mortality (Goodyear (10)). The continuing goal of the current observer program is to provide quantitative biological, vessel, and gear-selectivity information relative to the directed reef fish fishery. The specific objectives are to: 1) provide general fishery bycatch characterization for finfish species taken by this fishery, 2) estimate managed finfish discard and release mortality levels, and 3) estimate protected species bycatch levels. The specific objectives of this report are to: 1) summarize trip, vessel, environmental, and gear characteristics, 2) quantify fish and protected species composition and disposition based on surface observations, 3) examine size composition of target species, and 4) estimate catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) trends and spatial distribution for dominant species. Methods Protocol sampling modification, randomized vessel selection, and observer deployment through mandatory efforts began in 2006 for the commercial reef fish fishery. NMFS observers were placed on reef fish vessels operating throughout the Gulf of Mexico based on randomized selection stratified by season, gear, and region. Proportional sampling effort, based on coastal logbook data, among seasons and gears in the eastern and western Gulf of Mexico was recommended by SEFSC stock assessment scientists in 2006 and used thereafter for vessel selection stratification purposes using annual updated effort data. Thus, proportional sampling was used to direct coverage levels (based on sea days, the National metric for percent observer coverage levels) toward region and gear strata with higher levels of fishing effort, while continuing to sample strata with lower fishing effort. In 2008, for the longline fishery, seven trips were not selected through the mandatory process. Instead the trips were based on voluntary cooperation as part of a pilot project to assess the effectiveness of electronic monitoring equipment. Observers placed on these vessels were equipped with closed-circuit video cameras and associated electronics. Results of this study are reported by Pria et al. (2008). In February 2009, increased coverage was directed toward the bottom longline fishery in the eastern Gulf to monitor for sea turtle interactions. In response to the bottom longline closure inside the 50-fm contour in the eastern Gulf in 2009, some traditional longline vessels used modified buoy gear. This gear type was deployed during three trips inside 50 fm in December 2009 with observers onboard. Shrimp statistical zones (Patella, 1975) were used to delineate area designations (Fig. 1). Conventionally, statistical areas 1-9 represent areas off the west coast of Florida, 10-12 delineate Alabama/Mississippi, 13-17 depict Louisiana, and 18-21 denote Texas. For the reef fish fishery, statistical areas 1-8 represent the eastern Gulf and areas 9-21 the western Gulf. Seasonal categories were: January through March, April through June, July through September, and October through December. The three primary gear types assessed included bottom longline, bandit reel, and handline. The latter two were combined to represent the vertical line fishery. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Among the several provisions promulgated under Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) [section] 303(b)(8) is the mandate for Federal permit holders to have a current Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Examination decal prior to the selection period for mandatory observer coverage. The safety decal requirement, in combination with other factors, led to low vessel compliance, especially in the first 2 years of the study. A dedicated effort by NOAA Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) has substantially increased compliance (>95%). Additionally, a minimum sea day requirement by gear type was established to prevent early trip termination due to observer effect. Reef fish permit holders are required to carry an observer for a minimum of 7 days during a selection period when using longline gear, 3 days for bandit gear, and 2 days for handline. Once deployed, vessel length, hull construction material, gross tonnage, engine horsepower, and crew size were obtained for each vessel. For each set (the location of gear placement at a defined time), the type, number, and construction material of the fishing gear were recorded. Latitude, longitude, depth, and environmental parameters including sea state and bottom type were recorded at the start of each set. The total time the gear remained in the water (soak or fishing time) was calculated. Fishery data were obtained from each set. If a set could not be sampled due to time constraints or weather conditions, a minimum of location, depth, and fishing time were recorded. The condition of fish when brought onboard was categorized into one of the following: 1) live--normal appearance, 2) live--stomach/air bladder protruding, 3) live--eyes protruding, 4) live--combination of 2 and 3, 5) dead on arrival, or 9) not determined. (11) Categories 2 through 4 were combined to represent a stressed condition. Fate of fish after release was recorded as alive if it swam down or as discarded dead if it swam erratically, floated, or sank, or if undetermined. Nontarget and undersized target species were processed first by recording length, weight, condition when brought onboard, and fate after release to provide an estimate of immediate mortality (number discarded dead divided by the number of total discards). If venting occurred, air bladders of live discarded fish were punctured in the same manner as demonstrated by the captain and crew if requested. Retained species were processed by recording length, weight, condition when brought onboard, and if kept or retained for bait. Sightings or captures of sea turtles were recorded in accordance with SEFSC protocol (NMFS, 2008). Data pertaining to sea turtle interactions were reported to SEFSC for annual sea turtle mortality estimates. On some (19%) vertical line sets, due primarily to time constraints and the magnitude of the catch, not all reels were sampled for the set. The species total number was extrapolated proportionally based on subsampled reels for that set. Negative sets, or sets where no fish were caught, were included in CPUE calculations. No extrapolation procedures were required for longline and modified buoy sets (i.e. all hooks sampled). Overall catch rates are presented collectively for all years, areas, seasons, and depths. Due to data confidentiality rules, a minimum of three vessels were required for spatial and temporal stratification purposes, and analysis of modified buoy gear data was restricted. Effort was calculated using methods described by McCarthy and CassCalay. (12) The number of hooks set at each location was multiplied by soak time to derive hook-hours. Catch rates were calculated in number of fish per hook-hour. For the vertical line fishery, total soak time was used for one set location using the sum of all hooks per reel. Therefore, effort may be overestimated due to the repeated deployment (e.g. drops) of multiple gear configurations (e.g. hooks) on the same reel at one set location. Moreover, average haul in time was not documented for all sets, therefore not used in the effort calculation. For sets when the average haul in time was recorded, the average value was less than one minute. Ratio estimation was used for analyses of species-specific catch rates. As described by Snedecor and Cochran (1967) and Watson et al. (1999), the ratio estimation (1) below was used as the sample estimate of the mean. R = [summation]Y/[summation X] (1) where: R = ratio estimate, Y = extrapolated number for species of a particular disposition code for selected strata, and X = hook-hours for selected strata. The estimated standard error of the estimate is given in equation 2: s(R) = 1/[bar.x][square root of [summation][(Y - RX).sup.2]/n(n - 1) (2) where: [bar.x] = mean of hook-hours for selected strata, and n = number of sets occurring in selected strata. A density surface of CPUE, based on number of fish kept per 1,000 hook-hours for dominant species by fishery, was created using Fishery Analyst. (13,14) This is an ArcGIS extension developed to graphically present temporal and spatial trends in fishery statistics (Riolo, 2006). A search radius of 25 km was used to ensure the search parameter encompassed the maximum length of a fishing set. A cell size of 5 km produced the desired resolution. Density of catch and effort values for each 5 km cell were calculated by summing those values contained within the 25 km search radius and dividing the value by the area of the circle as defined by the search radius. A summary CPUE value for all years combined was calculated for each cell by calculating CPUE values for individual years and dividing by the number of years for which fishing activity occurred in that cell. To identify patterns in CPUE for the most frequently captured species in each fishery, a local spatial statistic, the Getis-Ord Gi* (Gi*), was calculated using the Hot Spot Analysis tool in ArcGIS (15), to locate clusters of features with similarly high or low values. The Gi* statistic was also calculated for all discarded and kept species in order to assess if geographical areas of particularly high levels of bycatch occurred. The Hot Spot Analysis tool evaluates each feature within the context of neighboring features. If the value of the feature is high, and the values for all of its neighboring features are also high, it is a part of a hot spot. Conversely, if a feature is surrounded by similarly low values, it is identified as a cold spot. The Gi* statistic is a Z-score test statistic. For statistically significant positive Z-scores, the larger the Z-score is, the more intense the clustering of high values. The Z-score can produce misleading results when used with local statistics because the test assumes independence between features. Since the GIS runs the test to calculate a Z-score for each feature, the test will end up using many of the same neighbors for adjacent features (Mitchell, 2005). For this reason, the statistical tests associated with local measures of spatial autocorrelation for data exploration were used, rather than as confirmatory statistical testing (Nelson and Boots, 2008). To standardize bycatch (discard) estimates as prescribed in "Evaluating Bycatch" (NMFS, 2004), the coefficient of variation (CV) was used as a measure of precision for bycatch estimates. CV estimates were calculated by dividing the estimated standard error by the estimate of the mean CPUE (number per hook-hour) for Federally managed discarded species. Less than 0.3% of the total fish processed had an undetermined fate code and were assumed to be discarded in an unknown condition. Length data are given for the dominant target species. Fish measurements were recorded in metric units for age and growth assessment. To be consistent with the current regulatory mandates relative to size limits, metric measurements were converted to U.S. system equivalents. Fork to total length conversions for red grouper were based on metric regression (Lombardi-Carlson et al. (16)). Red snapper total lengths were derived from fork length measurements using equation 3 (SEDAR, 2005): TL (in) = 0.1729 + FL (in) * 1.059. (3) After converting, length values were placed into 1 in intervals. Any lengths ranging from 19.000 to 19.999, for example, were categorized as 19 in. Hence, some degree of error is assumed. Only length measurements were considered. Weight data were not recorded for all specimens, therefore were not included in the analysis. Results Fishing Characteristics From July 2006 through December 2009, data from 9,468 sets collected during 308 trips (1,919 sea days) aboard 205 reef fish vessels were analyzed. Number of trips, sets, sea days, and percent coverage levels are given by year and project (Table 1). Trip, vessel, set, and gear characteristics varied by gear type (Tables 2, 3). Trip length averaged 11.7 days for longline and 4.8 days for vertical line. Vessel length ranged from 23 to 70 ft, with longline vessels typically at the larger end of the range. The majority ([greater than or equal to] 85%) of vessels were fiberglass construction. For longline, the distance of mainline set at a location averaged 5.6 nmi. Mean gangion length was 5.8 ft. On average, 991 circle hooks were set at a location. Most hooks (43%) were 13 aught in size and ranged from 12 to 15 aught. In the vertical line sector, the number of reels used at a set averaged 3.3. The majority (51%) of reels were electric. The number of hooks deployed during a set averaged 26 hooks, with circle hooks deployed most often. The majority (43%) of hooks were smaller hooks (8 aught) as compared to longline. Fishing and environmental conditions differed by gear type (Tables 2, 3). Average fishing depth for longline sets was 51.5 fm. Fishing depths were shallower (27.3 fm) for vertical line. Average soak time was 5.1 h for longline and 0.7 h for vertical line. Most sets ([greater than or equal to] 47%) occurred over rock bottom in seas <2 ft during daylight hours for both gear types. Bottom Longline Allocation of Sampling Effort Data from 68 trips aboard 48 bottom longline vessels from August 2006 through November 2009 were analyzed. The capture of 73,205 fish (Table 4) occurred during 1,503 sets deploying traditional longline gear (Fig. 1). For longline, 1,431 sets had associated effort data (7,232 h; 1,395,320 hooks). Approximately 90% of fishing effort, based on hook-hours, occurred in the eastern Gulf. The greatest concentration of effort (hook-hours) occurred in statistical areas 3 through 5 (Fig. 2), with most (35%) in area 4. By season, 20% of the sets occurred from January through March; 52% April through June; 16% July through September; and 12% October through December for all years combined. Species Composition Of the 73,205 fish (183 taxa) caught on longline gear, 46% of the individuals were kept, 35% were released alive, 12% were discarded dead, 4% were discarded with an unknown condition, and 3% were retained for bait (Tables 5 and 6). By number, red grouper dominated the catch composition at 56%. Yellowedge grouper comprised 10% of the catch, followed by blueline tilefish, Caulolatilus microps, at 5%; red snapper, tilefish, Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps, and Atlantic sharpnose shark, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae, each at 3%. All other species combined constituted 20% of the catch. By category, red grouper, yellowedge grouper, tilefish, and blueline tilefish comprised the majority (82%) of the 33,335 individuals kept by longliners. Four species (red grouper, Atlantic sharpnose shark, smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis; and red snapper) accounted for 83% of the released alive category. Of the 25,471 individuals released alive, 42% exhibited visual signs of stress, while 46% exhibited a normal appearance. Of the 2,414 individuals used for bait, the species caught and used most often for bait were king snake eel, Ophichthus rex (29%), and palespotted eel, Ophichthus puncticeps (11%). Red grouper, blueline tilefish, Atlantic sharpnose shark, and red snapper comprised the majority (81%) of 9,037 individuals in the discarded dead category. Approximate minimum assumed mortality was: red grouper (20%), blueline tilefish (76%), Atlantic sharpnose shark (34%), and red snapper (27%). The fate of 2,948 individuals was undetermined. Of these, approximately 77% were red grouper. Red Grouper Disposition and Size Composition All 40,992 red grouper caught using longline were in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, with the exception of two individuals recorded in the western Gulf. Based on visual observations, the majority (43%) of the fish were released alive, 40% were kept, 12% were discarded dead, and 6% were of unknown condition. (17) One red grouper was used for bait. A total of 36,764 red grouper were measured and ranged from 4 to 37 in TL with the mode of 4,440 individuals at 18 in TL (Fig. 3). Of these, 32% of the fish caught were <18 in TL, the legal minimum size, with 69% released alive, 19% discarded dead, 11% discarded in an unknown condition, and 0.3% kept. Of the 68% of red grouper [greater than or equal to]18 in TL, 62% were kept, 26% were released alive, 8% were discarded dead, and 3% discarded in an unknown condition. Depths of red grouper captures ranged from 19.3 to 120.5 fm. Most (67%) red grouper were caught between 20-25 fm, followed by 26-30 fm (21%), 31-35 fm (5%), and 36-40 fm (4%). Catch was [less than or equal to] 1% for the remaining zones (Fig. 4). CPUE and Discard CV Mean CPUE for all species and dispositions combined was 0.0095 fish per hook-hour ([+ or -] 0.0002 SE; Table 5). The catch rate estimate for red grouper was 0.0021 fish kept per hook-hour ([+ or -] 0.0001 SE). Spatial CPUE density (numbers of fish kept per 1,000 hook-hour) for dominant species for all years combined is depicted (Fig. 5-9). Red grouper were caught and retained primarily in statistical areas 2 through 8, with highest density CPUE observed in statistical area 5. A similar pattern was detected for blueline tilefish with highest density CPUE in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Yellowedge grouper, tilefish, and scamp, Mycteroperca phenax, were distributed throughout the Gulf with high CPUE observed in deeper waters of the western Gulf. Clusters of significantly high CPUE for red grouper were located in statistical areas 3 through 8 (Fig. 10). For all kept species, clusters of significantly high CPUE were detected in statistical areas 5, 14, 15, and 16 (Fig. 11). Highest discard CPUE was evident in statistical areas 3 through 6 (Fig. 12). CV estimates (Table 7) for discarded red grouper, red snapper, greater amberjack, Seroila dumerili; and gag, Mycteroperca microlepis, were low ([less than or equal to]0.1). Several other species of grouper; jacks, king mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla; and cobia, Rachycentron canadum, had values [less than or equal to] 0.5. Vertical Line Allocation of Sampling Effort Data from 237 trips were collected aboard 157 vertical line vessels from July 2006 through December 2009, with a total of 89,015 fish processed (Tables 3 and 4). Locations for 7,384 vertical line sets are depicted (Fig. 13). Effort data (5,266 h; 190,202 hooks) were available for 7,285 sets. Approximately 37% of the sampled reels had no catch reported during a set. The majority (75%) of sets were in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. However, the highest concentrated effort (74%), based on hook-hours, occurred in the western Gulf of Mexico (Fig. 14). By season, 23% of the effort occurred from January through March; 21% April through June; 33% July through September; and 22% October through December for all years combined. Species Composition Of the 89,015 fish (178 taxa) sampled, 71% of the individuals were kept, 19% were released alive, 6% were discarded dead, 1% were discarded in an unknown condition, and 4% were retained for bait (Tables 5 and 8). By number, red snapper ranked highest in catch composition at 31%. Vermilion snapper comprised 29% of the catch, followed by red grouper (16%), red porgy, Pagrus pagrus (7%); gag (3%), and the remaining species combined (14%). Vermilion snapper, red snapper, red grouper, and red porgy comprised 86% of the 63,351 individuals in the kept category. Three species (red snapper, red grouper, and vermilion snapper) accounted for 80% of the released alive category. Of the 16,872 individuals released alive, 35% exhibited visual signs of stress, while 61% exhibited a normal appearance. Of the 2,805 individuals used for bait, the species caught and used most often were chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus (29%); pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides (20%); and tomtate, Haemulon aurolineatum (16%). Red snapper, vermilion snapper, and red grouper comprised 87% of 5,185 individuals in the discarded dead category. Minimum assumed mortality for these species was approximately: red snapper (28%), vermilion snapper (41%), and red grouper (11%). The fate of 802 individuals was not determined. Red Snapper Disposition and Size Composition A total of 27,669 red snapper were sampled on vertical line gear. Statistical areas of capture ranged from 3 to 21, with no reported takes in statistical area 12. Approximately 77% of the red snapper were captured in the western Gulf of Mexico, with the remaining 23% captured in the eastern Gulf. The majority (65%) of the fish were kept. Based on visual observations, 24% were released alive, 10% were discarded dead, and 1% discarded in an unknown condition. A total of 25,650 red snapper were measured and ranged from 6 to 41 in TL, with the mode of 4,102 individuals at 15 in TL (Fig. 15). Of these, 92% were [greater than or equal to] 13 in TL, the legal minimum size. Approximately 8% were <13 in TL, with 31% of the individuals discarded dead. Depths of red snapper capture ranged from 3.3 to 305 fm. Most (29%) red snapper were caught in waters less than 20 fm, followed by 20-25 fm (26%), and 31-35 and 26-30 fm (13% each; Fig. 16). The remaining depth zones comprised 19%. No depth values were recorded for 762 red snapper. CPUE and Discard CV Mean CPUE for all species and dispositions was 0.9369 fish per hook-hour ([+ or -] 0.0311 SE; Table 5). Red snapper mean catch rate was 0.2214 fish kept per hook-hour ([+ or -] 0.0150 SE). Spatial CPUE density (numbers of fish kept per 1,000 hook-hours) for dominant species caught using vertical line gear is depicted in Figures 17 through 21. Red snapper were caught and retained throughout the Gulf, with highest density CPUE observed in statistical area 11. Similarly, vermilion snapper occurred in both Gulf regions with a spatial density similar to red snapper. Red grouper were concentrated in the eastern Gulf, with the highest CPUE density observed in statistical areas 3, 4, and 8. High density CPUE for red porgy was found primarily in the eastern Gulf, with the exception of statistical area 16. Gag were caught and retained primarily off Florida, predominantly in statistical areas 5-8. [FIGURE 2 OMITTED] Cluster locations of statistically significant high CPUE for retained red snapper were most pronounced in statistical areas 8 through 14, 16, and 17 (Fig. 22). For all retained species, clusters of significantly high CPUE were detected primarily in the western Gulf (Fig. 23). Conversely, highest discard CPUE values were observed in the eastern Gulf in statistical areas 5 through 7 (Fig. 24). Based on number discarded, CV estimates for Federally managed species caught on vertical line gear (Table 9) were low for red grouper, red snapper, vermilion snapper, gag, and greater amberjack ([less than or equal to] 0.1). Several other species of grouper, jacks, gray triggerfish, Balistes capriscus; king mackerel, and red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, had values less than or equal to 0.5. Higher CV estimates for other species of importance, including several species of snapper and grouper, were detected. [FIGURE 3 OMITTED] Interactions with Protected Species in the Reef Fish Fishery Twenty sea turtles were captured on observed trips utilizing longline gear from 2006 to 2009; three occurred during the electronic monitoring pilot project. One sea turtle was captured on vertical line gear (bandit) during the same time period. Sea turtle mortality and projected take estimates by gear type were reported by SEFSC. (18) Discussion To gain a greater understanding of catch rates, bycatch composition, and discard mortality associated with commercial fishing operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery, a mandatory observer program was established in 2006 based on a proportional randomized sampling design stratified by season, gear, and region. Historically, these data, critical for population assessments, have not been available due to lack of time series and limited geographic ranges for affected species. [FIGURE 4 OMITTED] [FIGURE 5 OMITTED] [FIGURE 6 OMITTED] [FIGURE 7 OMITTED] [FIGURE 8 OMITTED] [FIGURE 9 OMITTED] [FIGURE 10 OMITTED] [FIGURE 11 OMITTED] [FIGURE 12 OMITTED] [FIGURE 13 OMITTED] [FIGURE 14 OMITTED] Data from this observer program revealed relatively high species richness from the two primary gears (longline n = 183 taxa; and vertical line n = 178 taxa). While diversity was high, red grouper and yellowedge grouper (in longline), and red snapper and vermillion snapper (in vertical line), comprised more than 60% by number of the species caught. These findings are similar to those described by Stephen and Harris (2010) of the snapper-grouper vertical line fishery off South Carolina. Their data revealed high overall diversity; however, a small number of species (17) accounted for 90% of catch. Hale et al. (2010), through a mandatory bottom longline observer program, examined species composition and disposition of fish captured from longline sets targeting reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico and found, in order of abundance, that red grouper, blueline tilefish, tilefish, and yellowedge grouper comprised 76% of catch. In our current study, these four species accounted for 73% of the catch captured on longline gear. Moreover, disposition of these species was similar between the two programs for red and yellowedge grouper. Blueline tilefish and tilefish discard proportion rates were more variable, and most likely related to the 15 May 2009 tilefish quota closure. In our current study, 46% of the individuals, predominately red and yellowedge grouper, were kept in longline. In vertical line, a larger percentage (71%) was kept and comprised primarily of vermilion and red snapper. While species-specific minimum size limits differ by region, Rudershausen et al. (2007), Stephen and Harris (2010), and Scott-Denton (9) reported low discard proportions for the vertical line trips; however, low discard proportions may still adversely affect long-lived stocks. [FIGURE 15 OMITTED] [FIGURE 16 OMITTED] [FIGURE 17 OMITTED] [FIGURE 18 OMITTED] [FIGURE 19 OMITTED] [FIGURE 20 OMITTED] [FIGURE 21 OMITTED] [FIGURE 22 OMITTED] [FIGURE 23 OMITTED] [FIGURE 24 OMITTED] Discard mortality rates are highly variable and influenced by a number of factors, including species-specific life history characteristics (Coleman et al., 2000; Patterson et al., 2002; Nieland et al., 2007), season (Render and Wilson, 1994) depth, and method of capture and release (Gitschlag and Renaud, 1994; Collins et al., 1999, Dorf, 2003; Rummer, 2007; Burns et al.7). Using the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistic Survey data from 1981-99 and findings from 53 release mortality studies, Bartholomew and Bohnsack (2005) found significant mortality factors related to hook location, bait removal, hook type, capture depth, water temperature, and handling time. Through a tagging study conducted off the coast of Alabama, Patterson et al. (2002) indirectly estimated discard mortality of 13.5% for red snapper and <1% for gray triggerfish, based on surface release observations and recapture rates of fish caught with recreational gear. Red snapper (<18 in TL) comprised 93% of the released fish from a Texas headboat survey, of these 60.6% were released alive, 22.8% swam erratically, 15.2% floated, and 1.4% were discarded dead (Dorf, 2003). Diamond and Campbell (2009) examined red snapper caught on hook and line at three petroleum production platforms off south Texas and found immediate mortality at 17%; however, through the use of an injury status condition index, delayed mortality was estimated to be 64%. Variable minimum assumed mortality rates and discard proportions may also be attributed to regulatory changes in minimum size limits and through implementation of IFQ requirements for several species, notably, red snapper, red grouper, and tilefish. Minimum assumed mortality (all discarded species combined) in this study was 24% in longline and 23% in vertical line. By species, immediate mortality for red grouper was 20% in longline and 11% in vertical line, with minimum assumed mortality for red snapper of 27% and 28%, in longline and in vertical line, respectively. Stephen and Harris (2010) reported immediate mortality range of 33-100% for vertical line trips targeting vermilion snapper off South Carolina, with >90% mortality observed for gray triggerfish, greater amberjack, scamp, and red snapper. Nieland et al. (2007), using four release condition categories, similar but more detailed than that of this study, assessed the fate of red snapper regulatory discards aboard commercial vertical line vessels operating primarily off Louisiana and found 69% of discarded red snapper were either dying or dead when released. Rudershausen et al. (2007) examined discard composition in the commercial snapper-grouper fishery in North Carolina and found low (<10%) immediate release morality for vermilion snapper, gag, and red grouper; moderate (14%) mortality for red porgy; and high (23%) immediate mortality for scamp. In our study, red snapper ranged from 6-41 in TL with a mode of 15 in TL. Nieland et al. (2007), using specimens collected from commercial red snapper landings, described a similar unimodal distribution with the mode at 400 mm (15.7 in) TL, noting that 98% were less than 600 mm (23.6 in) TL. Red grouper length frequency data from NMFS bottom longline surveys in the Gulf of Mexico from 2000 through 2005 depicted a distribution range of approximately 10-34 in TL with a mode 18 in TL (Ingram et al. (19)); a similar range and mode as observed in this study. Estimated CPUE for all species combined in the longline fishery was 0.0095 fish per hook-hour. Highest density CPUE (numbers of fish kept per 1,000 hook-hours) occurred in the eastern Gulf for red grouper and blueline tilefish, a similar distribution as reported by Ingram et al.19 In deeper waters of the western Gulf, yellowedge grouper, tilefish, and scamp had high CPUE density values. For vertical line, the catch rate for all species was higher (0.0311 fish per hook-hour) than observed in longline. Highest CPUE for red snapper occurred in the western Gulf, consistent with SEDAR. (3) Density CPUE values were higher and more dispersed in vertical line for other dominant species (vermilion snapper, red grouper, red porgy, and gag). As prescribed by NMFS' National Bycatch Strategy addressing fishery bycatch on a national level, precision goals for bycatch estimates are defined in terms of CV estimates (NMFS, 2004). The precision of single species bycatch estimates is needed for population assessments; however, the reef fish fishery has bycatch from several stocks. In our study, CV estimates were low (0.1) for undersize target species, notably red grouper and red snapper. CV estimates for other species of commercial, recreational, and ecological importance, including several species of grouper and snapper, were relatively high and in some instances equal to 1.0. In terms of areas of high bycatch, management measures to reduce bycatch should consider targets that include changes in fishing behaviors relative to avoidance of high bycatch areas, modifications of gear to reduce bycatch, and cooperative efforts to close areas with high bycatch. As illustrated by Hot/Cold Spot Analysis (15), areas of highly significant rates of discards were identified. In longline, discard CPUE density was significantly higher in statistical areas 3 through 6. For vertical line, discard catch rates were significantly higher and concentrated off Florida in statistical areas 5 through 7. Prior to a mandatory observer program, self-reporting through logbook and discard supplementary data submission were used to estimate sea turtle take projections in the reef fish fishery and formed the basis of biological opinions pursuant to formal consultation under Section 7 of the ESA (NMFS (20)). Observers documented twenty sea turtle interactions, notably in the bottom longline component, during the study period (SEFSC (18)), resulting in important implications for management. In October 2009, a new biological opinion on the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery was completed with regulatory measures designed to minimize the impacts of future takes and monitor levels of incidental take (Fed. Regist. (21)). Observer programs remain the most reliable means for monitoring fishery characteristics by not only providing insight on protected species interactions, but also for assessing quota and size restrictions, IFQ programs, CPUE, discard levels, gear effectiveness, and a wide array of other variables of interest to fishery managers, the fishing industry, academia, and the public. Acknowledgments We commend the outstanding efforts given by the fishery observers involved in this research effort and the commercial fishing industry. We sincerely thank Tim Baumer for the data entry system and summarization of data files. Literature Cited Bartholomew, A., and J. A. Bohnsack. 2005. A review of catch-and-release angling mortality with implications for no-take reserves. Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 15:129-154. Coleman, F. C., C. C. Koenig, G. R. Huntsman, J. A. Musick, A. M. Ecklund, J. C. McGovern, R. W. Chapman, G. R. Sedberry, and C. B. Grimes. 2000. Long-lived reef fishes: the grouper-snapper complex. Fisheries 25:1421. Collins, M. R., J. C. McGovern, G. R. Sedberry, H. S. Meister, and R. Pardieck. 1999. Swim bladder deflation in black sea bass and vermilion snapper: potential for increasing postrelease survival. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 19:828-832. Diamond, S. L., and M. D. Campbell. 2009. Linking "sink or swim" indicators to delayed mortality in red snapper by using a condition index. Mar. Coast. Fish.: Dynamics Manage. Ecosystem Sci. 1:107-120. Dorf, B. A. 2003. Red snapper discards in Texas waters--A fishery dependent onboard study of recreational headboat discards and landings. In D. R. Stanley and A. Scarborough-Bull (Editors), Fisheries, reefs, and offshore development, p. 155-166, Am. Fish. Soc. Symp. 36, Bethesda, Md. Gitschlag, G. R., and M. L. Renaud. 1994. Field experiments on survival rates of released red snapper. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 14:131-136. Hale, L. F., S. J. B. Gulak, and J. K. Carlson. 2010. Characterization of the shark bottom longline fishery: 2009. U.S. Dep. Commer. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-SEFSC-596, 18 p. Mitchell, A. 2005. The ESRI guide to GIS Analysis. Vol. 2, Spatial measurements and statistics. ESRI Press, Redlands, Calif., 3 p. NMFS. 2004. Evaluating bycatch: a national approach to standardized bycatch monitoring program. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-F/SPO-66, 108 p. --. 2008. Sea turtle research techniques manual. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-SEFSC-579, 92 p. [updated 1/2009]. Nelson, T. A., and B. Boots. 2008. Detecting spatially explicit hot spots in landscape-scale ecology. Ecography 31(5):556-566. Nieland, D. L., A. J. Fisher, M. S. Baker, Jr., and C. A. Wilson III. 2007. Red snapper in the northern Gulf of Mexico: age and size composition of the commercial harvest and mortality of regulatory discards. In W. F. Patterson III, J. H. Cowan, Jr., G. R. Fitzhugh, and D. L. Nieland (Editors), Red snapper ecology and fisheries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, p. 301-310. Am. Fish. Soc. Symp. 60, Bethesda, Md. Patella, F. 1975. Water surface area within statistical subareas used in reporting Gulf Coast Shrimp Data. Mar. Fish. Rev. 37(12):22-24. Patterson, W. F., G. W. Ingram, R. L. Shipp, and J. H. Cowan. 2002. Indirect estimation of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) and gray triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) release mortality, Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst. Proc. 53rd Annual Session, Fort Pierce, Fla., p. 526-536. Pria, M. J., H. McElderry, M. Dyas, and P. Wesley. 2008. Using electronic monitoring to estimate reef fish catch on bottom longline vessels in the Gulf of Mexico: A pilot study. Archipelago Mar. Res. Ltd., 525 Head St., Victoria, B.C. Can., 42 p. Render, J. H., and C. A. Wilson. 1994. Hook-and-line mortality of caught and released red snapper around oil and gas platform structural habitat. Bull. Mar. Sci. 55(2-3):1106-1111. Riolo, F. 2006. A geographic information system for fisheries management in American Samoa. Environ. Modeling Software, 21:1025-1041. Rummer, J. L. 2007. Factors affecting catch and release (CAR) morality in fish: Insight into CAR mortality in red snapper and the influence of catastrophic decompression. In W. F. Patterson, III, J. H. Cowan, Jr., G. R. Fitzhugh, and D. L. Nieland (Editors), Red snapper ecology and fisheries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, p. 123-144. Am. Fish. Soc. Symp. 60, Bethesda, Md. Rudershausen, P. J., J. A. Buckel, and E. H. Williams. 2007. Discard composition and release fate in the snapper and grouper commercial hook-and-line fishery in North Carolina, USA. Fish. Manage. Ecol. 14:103-113. Snedecor, G. W., and W. G. Cochran. 1967. Statistical methods, 6th ed. Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames, 593 p. Stephen, J. A., and P. J. Harris. 2010. Commercial catch composition with discard and immediate release mortality proportions off the southeastern coast of the United States. Fish. Res. 103:18-24. Watson, J., D. Foster, A. Shah, E. Scott-Denton, S. Nichols, and J. Nance. 1999. The development of bycatch reduction technology in the southeastern United States shrimp fishery. Mar. Technol. Soc. J. 33(2):51-56. The authors are with the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 4700 Avenue U, Galveston, TX 77551 (corresponding author: elizabeth.scott-denton@noaa.gov) (1) GMFMC. 2005. Amendment 22 to the Reef Fish Management Plan. Gulf Mex. Fish. Manage. Counc., Tampa, Fla. (available at http://www.gulfcouncil.org). (2) SERO. 2010. Fishery permits and fishery quotas. Southeast Reg. Off., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., NOAA, St. Petersburg, Fla. (available at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov). (3) SEDAR. 2005. Stock assessment report of SEDAR 7 Gulf of Mexico red snapper. Southeast Data Assessment and Review, South Atl. Fish. Manage. Counc., Charleston, SC (available at www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/). (4) GMFMC. 1984. Reef Fish Management Plan. Gulf Mex. Fish. Manage. Counc., Tampa, Fla. (available at http://www.gulfcouncil.org). (5) GMFMC. 2010. Commercial fishing regulations for Gulf of Mexico Federal waters. Gulf Mex. Fish. Manage. Counc., Tampa, Fla. (available at http://www.gulfcouncil.org). (6) Schirripa, M. J., and C. M. Legault. 1999. Status of red snapper in U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico: updated through 1998. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA, Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Panama City Lab. Sustainable Fish. Div. Contrib. SFD-99/00-75. (7) Burns, K. M., N. F. Parnell, and R. R. Wilson, Jr. 2004. Partitioning release mortality in the undersized bycatch: Comparison of depth vs. hooking effects. MARFIN Grant No. NA97FF0349, 36 p., on file at Southeast Reg. Off., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., NOAA, St. Petersburg, Fla. (8) Scott-Denton, E., and D. Harper. 1995. Characterization of the reef fish fishery of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. SEFSC Rep. to Gulf Fish. Manage. Counc. July 17, 1995, Key West, Fla., 45 p. (9) Scott-Denton, E. 1996. Characterization of the reef fish fishery of the eastern U.S. Gulf of Mexico. MARFIN Grant No. 95MFIH07. Suppl. Rep. to MARFIN Grant No. 94MARFIN17, on file at Southeast Reg. Off., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., NOAA, St. Petersburg, Fla. (10) Goodyear, C. P. 1995. Red snapper in U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Southeast Fish. Sci. Cent., Miami Lab. Rep. Contrib. MIA 95/96-05, 171 p. (11) Category 9 is the default for a condition that is unknown or not recorded. (12) McCarthy, K. J., and S. Cass-Calay. 2006. Standardized catch rates for red grouper from the United States Gulf of Mexico handline, longline, and trap fisheries, 1990-2005. SEDAR 12-DW-16. Southeast Data Assessment and Review, South Atl. Fish. Manage. Counc., Charleston, SC (available at www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/). (13) Fishery Analyst, Mappamondo GIS, Via Rubens 3, 43100 Parma(PR)--Italy. (14) Mention of trade names or commercial firms does not imply endorsement by the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA. (15) ArcGIS 9.3 Computer Software. 380 New York Street, Redlands, Calif. 92373. (16) Lombardi-Carlson, L. A., G. R. Fitzhugh, and J. J. Mikulas. 2002. Red grouper (Epinephelus morio) age-length structure and description of growth from the eastern Gulf of Mexico: 1992-2001. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Southeast Fish. Sci. Cent., Contrib. Ser. 2002-06, 42 p. (17) Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding. (18) SEFSC. 2009. Estimated takes of sea turtles in the bottom longline portion of the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery July 2006 through December 2008 based on observer data. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA, NMFS Southeast Fish. Sci. Cent. Contrib. PRD-08/09-07, March 2009, 23 p. [Updated 4/2009, Erratum; updated 6/2009]. (19) Ingram, W., M. Grace, L. Lombardi-Carlson, and T. Henwood. 2006. Catch rates, distribution and size/age composition of red grouper, Epinephelus morio, collected during NOAA Fisheries Bottom Longline Surveys from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. SEDAR-12-DW-05. Southeast Data Assessment and Review, South Atl. Fish. Manage. Counc., Charleston, SC (available at www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/). (20) NMFS. 2005. Endangered Species Act--Section 7 consultation on the continued authorization of reef fish fishing under the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan and Proposed Amendment 23. Biol. Opinion, 15 Feb., 115 p. Southeast Reg. Off., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., NOAA, St. Petersburg, Fla. (available at http://sero.nmfs.gov/pr/pdf/Final_RFFMP23.pdf). (21) Fed. Regist. 2009. Area closure and associated gear restrictions applicable to the bottom longline component of the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery. 74 FR 53890. //////// Table 1.--Reef fish trips, sets, and sea days by
year and project from July 2006 to December 2009.
Trips by Year and Project
Electronic Buoy
Year Bandit Handline Longline Monitoring Gear Total
2006 30 8 12 50
2007 72 25 11 108
2008 34 19 5 7 65
2009 28 21 33 3 85
Total 164 73 61 7 3 308
Sets by Year and Project
Electronic Buoy
Year Bandit Handline Longline Monitoring Gear Total
2006 1,078 62 201 1,341
2007 2,424 505 194 3,123
2008 1,353 298 110 245 2,006
2009 1,361 310 753 574 2,998
Total 6,216 1,175 1,258 245 574 9,468
Sea Days by Year and Project
Electronic
Year Bandit Handline Longline Monitoring
2006 184 12 113
2007 396 69 120
2008 219 38 45 108
2009 162 36 397
Total 961 155 675 108
Buoy Industry Percent
Year Gear Total Sea Days Coverage
2006 309 21,379 1.4
2007 585 38,200 1.5
2008 410 37,348 1.1
2009 20 615 36,818 1.6
Total 20 1,919 133,745 1.4
Table 2.--Trip, vessel, set, gear, and environmental
characteristics observed in the longline fishery from
August 2006 to November 2009.
Longline
Trip Vessel Set
783 Sea Days Length: Soak time:
68 trips aboard Avg: 48.3 ft Avg: 5.1 h
48 vessels 1,503 Range: 35 to 69 ft ([+ or -] 2.9 s.d.)
sets ([+ or -] 8.4 s.d.). Range: 0.9 to 32.2 h
Trip Length: Hull Construction: Mainline:
Avg: 11.7 days Fiberglass: 85% Avg length: 5.6 nmi
([+ or -] 3.8 Steel: 10% ([+ or -] 2.0 s.d.)
s.d.) Fiberglass/wood: 4% Range: 0.9 to 12.0
Range: 4 to nmi
20 days
Crew size: Engine Horsepower:
1 to 3 Avg: 277.1 hp
individuals ([+ or -] 205.3 s.d.)
(excluding Range: 76 to 1400 hp
captain)
Longline
Trip Gear Environmental
783 Sea Days Mainline material: Water Depth:
68 trips aboard Cable (92%) Avg: 51.5 fathoms
48 vessels 1,503 Monofilament (7%) ([+ or -] 37.8 s.d.)
sets Test: Eastern: 44.5
Avg: 1,472.8 lbs Western: 51.5
([+ or -] 784 s.d.) Range: 19.3 to 212.0
Range: 310 to 4,000 lbs
Trip Length: Gangion: Sea State:
Avg: 11.7 days Monofilament (99.9%) 0 to 2 foot seas: 46%
([+ or -] 3.8 * Nylon (0.1%) 3 to 5 foot seas: 35%
s.d.) Avg length: 5.8 ft 6 to 8 foot seas: 17%
Range: 4 to ([+ or -] 2.1 s.d) 8+ foot seas: 2%
20 days Range: 2.5 to 11.0 ft
Crew size: Hooks: Bottom type:
1 to 3 Avg: 991.1 hooks Rock: 47%
individuals ([+ or -] 426.4 s.d.) Unknown: 14%
(excluding Range: 150 to 2,500 Shell: 16%
captain) hooks Coral: 10%
Type: Circle hooks Mud: 8%
(100%), offset (63.4%), Sand: 2%
straight (36.6%) Shaft Boulder, clay,
length avg 2.1 in and grass: 1% each
Distance between hooks:
Avg: 22.5 ft ([+ or -]
13.0 s.d.) Range: 7.0
to 75.0 ft
Size: 13 aught (43%)
Range: 12 to 15 aught
Brand: Mustad[R]: 82%
Eagle Claw[R]: 18%
Table 3.--Trip, vessel, set, gear, and environmental
characteristics observed in the vertical line fishery
from July 2006 to December 2009.
Vertical Line
Trip Vessel Set
1,116 Sea Days Length: Soak time:
237 trips aboard Avg: 39.2 ft Avg: 0.7 hrs
157 vessels Range: 23 to 70 ([+ or -] 1.1 s.d.)
7,391 sets ft ([+ or -] 9.6 Range: 0.02 to 15.3 h
s.d.) Haul in time:
Recorded: 68%
Avg: 0.8 min
([+ or -] 0.6 s.d.)
Range: <0.1 to 5.9 min
Trip Length: Hull Construction: Number of reels/set:
Avg: 4.8 days Fiberglass: 89% Avg: 3.3
([+ or -] 3.6 Wood: 5% ([+ or -] 1.4 s.d.)
s.d.) Steel: 4% Range: 1 to 14
Range: 1 to Fiberglass/
17 days wood: 1%
Unknown: 1%
Crew size: Engine Horsepower: Hooks:
0 to 4 Avg: 326.9 hp Avg: 26.1 hooks
individuals ([+ or -] 195.6 ([+ or -] 44.8 s.d.)
(excluding s.d.) Range: 1 to 330 hooks
captain) Range: 40 to 1200 Type: Circle hooks
hp (83.3%), J-hooks
(12.7%), double J-hooks
(3.1%), other (0.8%)
Size: 8 aught (43%),
9 aught (20%)
Range: 1 to 18 aught
Brand: Mustad[R] (44%),
Eagle Claw[R] (0.4%)
Vertical Line
Trip Gear Environmental
1,116 Sea Days Reel type: Water Depth:
237 trips aboard Electric: 51.4% Avg: 27.3 fathoms
157 vessels Hydraulic: 21.7% ([+ or -] 15.8 s.d.)
7,391 sets Hand: 27.0% Range: 0.7 to 305.0
Rod mount:
Fixed: 73.1%
Portable: 26.7%
Trip Length: Mainline material: Sea State:
Avg: 4.8 days Monofilament (76.8%), 0 to 2 foot seas: 59%
([+ or -] 3.6 Cable (13.7%), Mono/ 3 to 5 foot seas: 31%
s.d.) nylon/poly (3.2%), 6 to 8 foot seas: 8%
Range: 1 to Other (6.3%) 8+ foot seas: 2%
17 days Test:
Avg: 258.3 lbs
([+ or -] 233.6 s.d.)
Range: 12 to 1,400 lbs
Crew size: Subline material: Bottom type:
0 to 4 Monofilament: 97.8% Rock: 67%
individuals Test: Unknown: 16%
(excluding Avg: 127.2 lbs Shell: 2%
captain) ([+ or -] 58.5 s.d.) Coral: 4%
Range: 10 to 800 lbs Mud: 5%
Sand: 5%
Wreck: 1%
Hooks/Reel: Fishing State:
Avg: 7.4 hooks On anchor: 68%
([+ or -] 10.8 s.d.) Drifting: 24%
Range: 1 to 45 hooks Trolling: 2%
Unknown: 6%
Table 4.--Number of fish observed using longline (n=1,503 sets)
and vertical line (n=7,391 sets) gear in the Gulf of Mexico
from July 2006 to December 2009.
Common name Scientific name
Red grouper Epinephelus morio
Red snapper Lutjanus campechanus
Vermilion snapper Rhomboplites aurorubens
Yellowedge grouper Epinephelus flavolimbatus
Red porgy Pagrus pagrus
Blueline tilefish Caulolatilus microps
Gag Mycteroperca microlepis
Tilefish Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps
Atlantic sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae
Scamp Mycteroperca phenax
King snake eel Ophichthus rex
Smooth dogfish Mustelus canis
Sharks grouped General sharks
Snowy grouper Epinephelus niveatus
Gray snapper Lutjanus griseus
King mackerel Scomberomorus cavalla
Greater amberjack Seriola dumerili
Blacknose shark Carcharhinus acronotus
Gray triggerfish Balistes capriscus
Chub mackerel Scomber japonicus
Yellowtail snapper Ocyurus chrysurus
Pinfish Lagodon rhomboides
Blue runner Caranx crysos
Speckled hind Epinephelus drummondhayi
Lane snapper Lutjanus synagris
Tomtate Haemulon aurolineatum
Almaco jack Seriola rivoliana
Knobbed porgy Calamus nodosus
Spotted hake Urophycis regia
Palespotted eel Ophichthus puncticeps
Jolthead porgy Calamus bajonado
Mutton snapper Lutjanus analis
Sharksucker Echeneis naucrates
Banded rudderfish Seriola zonata
White grunt Haemulon plumieri
Little tunny Euthynnus alletteratus
Lesser amberjack Seriola fasciata
Southern hake Urophycis floridana
Spinycheek scorpionfish Neomerinthe hemingwayi
Great barracuda Sphyraena barracuda
Nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum
Sand perch Diplectrum formosum
Gulf hake Urophycis cirrata
Silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis
Lemon shark Negaprion brevirostris
Bearded brotula Brotula barbata
Dolphin Coryphaena hippurus
Blackedge moray Gymnothorax nigromarginatus
Blacktail moray Gymnothorax kolpos
Moray (genus) Gymnothorax sp.
Warsaw grouper Epinephelus nigritus
Jack (genus) Seriola sp.
Blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus
Black sea bass Centropristis striata
Remora Remora remora
Florida pompano Trachinotus carolinus
Tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier
Spotted moray Gymnothorax moringa
Creole-fish Paranthias furcifer
Purplemouth moray Gymnothorax vicinus
Black grouper Mycteroperca bonaci
Cobia Rachycentron canadum
Sand seatrout Cynoscion arenarius
Leopard toadfish Opsanus pardus
Dogfish (genus) Squalus
Bank sea bass Centropristis ocyurus
Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix
Scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini
Cubera snapper Lutjanus cyanopterus
Dogfish Mustelus sp.
Whitebone porgy Calamus leucosteus
Inshore lizardfish Synodus foetens
Crevalle jack Caranx hippos
Queen snapper Etelis oculatus
Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus
Grunt (genus) Haemulon
Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus
Sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus
Offshore lizardfish Synodus poeyi
Bar jack Caranx ruber
Blackfin tuna Thunnus atlanticus
Blackbelly rosefish Helicolenus dactylopterus
Cuban dogfish Squalus cubensis
Clearnose skate Raja eglanteria
Wenchman Pristipomoides aquilonaris
Smalltail shark Carcharhinus porosus
Sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus
Snakefish Trachinocephalus myops
Bull shark Carcharhinus leucas
Silver seatrout Cynoscion nothus
Lizardfish (family) Synodontidae
Gulper shark Centrophorus granulosus
Sharpnose sevengill shark Heptranchias perlo
Spinner shark Carcharhinus brevipinna
Sand diver Synodus intermedius
Bigeye Priacanthus arenatus
Seatrout (genus) Cynoscion sp.
Littlehead porgy Calamus proridens
Gulf toadfish Opsanus beta
Great hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran
Chain dogfish Scyliorhinus retifer
Short bigeye Pristigenys alta
Ocean triggerfish Canthidermis sufflamen
Squirrelfish Holocentrus adscensionis
Cubbyu Pareques umbrosus
Sand tilefish Malacanthus plumieri
Night shark Carcharhinus signatus
Yellowmouth grouper Mycteroperca interstitialis
Triggerfish (family) Balistidae
Rock hind Epinephelus adscensionis
Goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara
Wahoo Acanthocybium solandri
Reticulate moray Muraena retifera
Blackbar drum Equetus iwamotoi
Round scad Decapterus punctatus
Hake (genus) Urophycis sp.
Jack (family) Carangidae
Graysby Cephalopholis cruentata
Tattler Serranus phoebe
Squirrelfishes (family) Holocentridae
Rainbow runner Elagatis bipinnulata
Black margate Anisotremus surinamensis
Bigeye scad Selar crumenophthalmus
Bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus
Red hind Epinephelus guttatus
Grouper (genus) Mycteroperca
Scorpionfish Scorpaena sp.
Rock sea bass Centropristis philadelphica
Horse-eye jack Caranx latus
Toadfish (genus) Opsanus sp.
Silk snapper Lutjanus vivanus
Longtail bass Hemanthias leptus
Dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus
Bigeye sixgill shark Hexanchus nakamurai
Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus
Smooth puffer Lagocephalus laevigatus
Largescale lizardfish Saurida brasiliensis
Atlantic spadefish Chaetodipterus faber
Hardhead catfish Arius felis
Grunt (family) Haemulidae
Goldface tilefish Caulolatilus chrysops
Southern stingray Dasyatis americana
Cusk-eel (family) Ophidiidae
Barracuda (genus) Sphyraena sp.
Atlantic cutlassfish Trichiurus lepturus
Spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias
Shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus
Margate Haemulon album
Grass porgy Calamus arctifrons
Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda
Swordfish Xiphias gladius
Sailors choice Haemulon parra
Honeycomb moray Gymnothorax saxicola
Hammerhead (genus) shark Sphyrna sp.
Green moray Gymnothorax funebris
Florida smoothhound Mustelus norrisi
Finetooth shark Carcharhinus isodon
Thresher shark Alopias vulpinas
Atlantic stingray Dasyatis sabina
Starfish (family) Astropectinidae
Spider (genus) crab Libinia sp.
Southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma
Snake eel (family) Ophichthidae
Sea bass (family) Serranidae
Sailfish Istiophorus platypterus
Queen triggerfish Balistes vetula
Puffer (family) Tetraodontidae
Porgy (genus) Calamus
Pigfish Orthopristis chrysoptera
Black snapper Apsilus dentatus
Anchor tilefish Caulolatilus intermedius
Spottail pinfish Diplodus holbrooki
Spanish flag Gonioplectrus hispanus
Shoal flounder Syacium gunteri
Saucereye porgy Calamus calamus
Octopus (genus) Octopus sp.
Guaguanche Sphyraena guachancho
Conger eel (family) Congridae
Conger eel Conger oceanicus
Bonnethead Sphyrna tiburo
Black jack Caranx lugubris
Black drum Pogonias cromis
Bermuda chub Kyphosus sectatrix
Yellowfln grouper Mycteroperca venenosa
Yellow conger Hildebrandia flava
Spotfin hogfish Bodianus pulchellus
Southern puffer Sphoeroides nephelus
Smooth butterfly ray Gymnura micrura
Pufferfish (genus) Sphoeroides sp.
Porgie (family) Sparidae
Oyster toadfish Opsanus tau
Mackerel (family) Scombridae
Lefteye flounder (family) Bothidae
Fish (superclass) Pisces
Dusky flounder Syacium papillosum
Drum (family) Sciaenidae
Cero Scomberomorus regalis
Broad flounder Paralichthys squamilentus
Atlantic angel shark Squatina dumeril
Yellow jack Caranx bartholomaei
Whitespotted soapfish Rypticus maculatus
Threadtail conger Uroconger syringinus
Stingray (genus) Dasyatis sp.
Stingray (family) Dasyatidae
Spotted snake eel Ophichthus ophis
Spanish sardine Sardinella aurita
Spanish hogfish Bodianus rufus
Skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis
Skate (genus) Raja
Shrimp eel Ophichthus gomesi
Sand tiger Carcharias taurus
Saddled grenadier Caelorinchus caelorhincus
Roughtongue bass Holanthias martinicensis
Rosette skate Raja garmani
Porkfish Anisotremus virginicus
Offshore hake Merluccius albidus
Octopus (order) Octopoda
Ocellated frogfish Antennarius ocellatus
Marbled grouper Epinephelus inermis
Mantis (genus) shrimp Squilla sp.
Lookdown Selene vomer
Longspine squirrelfish Holocentrus rufus
Jack (genus) Caranx
Gulf hagfish Eptatretus springeri
Gulf flounder Paralichthys albigutta
Gafftopsail catfish Bagre marinus
Dog snapper Lutjanus jocu
Decapod (order) Decapoda
Big roughy Gephyroberyx darwinii
Cusk-eel (genus) Lepophidium
Cownose ray Rhinoptera bonasus
Cottonwick Haemulon melanurum
Cottonmouth jack Uraspis secunda
Cardinal soldierfish Plectrypops retrospinus
Butterfly ray Gymnura sp.
Bluntnose stingray Dasyatis say
Blackline tilefish Caulolatilus cyanops
Bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus
Barrelfish Hyperoglyphe perciformis
Bank cusk-eel Ophidion holbrooki
Atlantic moonfish Selene setapinnis
Total
Vertical
Common name Longline line Total
Red grouper 40,992 13,855 54,847
Red snapper 2,456 27,669 30,125
Vermilion snapper 139 26,045 26,184
Yellowedge grouper 6,983 104 7,087
Red porgy 568 6,120 6,688
Blueline tilefish 3,591 23 3,614
Gag 723 2,624 3,347
Tilefish 2,199 45 2,244
Atlantic sharpnose shark 2,142 83 2,225
Scamp 993 1,002 1,995
King snake eel 1,573 12 1,585
Smooth dogfish 1,284 35 1,319
Sharks grouped 1,025 96 1,121
Snowy grouper 949 168 1,117
Gray snapper 110 822 932
King mackerel 16 886 902
Greater amberjack 270 613 883
Blacknose shark 816 32 848
Gray triggerfish 29 808 837
Chub mackerel 0 818 818
Yellowtail snapper 11 770 781
Pinfish 1 598 599
Blue runner 7 525 532
Speckled hind 492 31 523
Lane snapper 93 416 509
Tomtate 1 494 495
Almaco jack 39 453 492
Knobbed porgy 12 396 408
Spotted hake 377 3 380
Palespotted eel 288 0 288
Jolthead porgy 132 154 286
Mutton snapper 265 20 285
Sharksucker 213 64 277
Banded rudderfish 12 255 267
White grunt 4 259 263
Little tunny 127 128 255
Lesser amberjack 20 219 239
Southern hake 230 0 230
Spinycheek scorpionfish 208 3 211
Great barracuda 153 45 198
Nurse shark 163 34 197
Sand perch 38 130 168
Gulf hake 168 0 168
Silky shark 95 71 166
Lemon shark 157 8 165
Bearded brotula 148 13 161
Dolphin 91 67 158
Blackedge moray 141 8 149
Blacktail moray 144 3 147
Moray (genus) 133 8 141
Warsaw grouper 80 54 134
Jack (genus) 114 18 132
Blacktip shark 87 40 127
Black sea bass 0 127 127
Remora 37 80 117
Florida pompano 2 114 116
Tiger shark 107 6 113
Spotted moray 83 29 112
Creole-fish 0 107 107
Purplemouth moray 97 9 106
Black grouper 67 34 101
Cobia 72 28 100
Sand seatrout 24 74 98
Leopard toadfish 79 13 92
Dogfish (genus) 92 0 92
Bank sea bass 20 61 81
Bluefish 2 78 80
Scalloped hammerhead 76 2 78
Cubera snapper 76 2 78
Dogfish 72 5 77
Whitebone porgy 6 67 73
Inshore lizardfish 66 4 70
Crevalle jack 9 59 68
Queen snapper 16 50 66
Red drum 22 43 65
Grunt (genus) 0 63 63
Spanish mackerel 0 62 62
Sandbar shark 59 2 61
Offshore lizardfish 41 18 59
Bar jack 2 57 59
Blackfin tuna 49 9 58
Blackbelly rosefish 42 10 52
Cuban dogfish 49 1 50
Clearnose skate 50 0 50
Wenchman 23 25 48
Smalltail shark 48 0 48
Sheepshead 0 46 46
Snakefish 44 0 44
Bull shark 43 0 43
Silver seatrout 20 18 38
Lizardfish (family) 31 5 36
Gulper shark 35 0 35
Sharpnose sevengill shark 33 0 33
Spinner shark 28 2 30
Sand diver 27 2 29
Bigeye 0 29 29
Seatrout (genus) 0 26 26
Littlehead porgy 1 24 25
Gulf toadfish 21 4 25
Great hammerhead 24 0 24
Chain dogfish 24 0 24
Short bigeye 3 20 23
Ocean triggerfish 0 23 23
Squirrelfish 3 19 22
Cubbyu 0 22 22
Sand tilefish 3 17 20
Night shark 20 0 20
Yellowmouth grouper 9 10 19
Triggerfish (family) 0 19 19
Rock hind 1 18 19
Goliath grouper 7 12 19
Wahoo 10 8 18
Reticulate moray 18 0 18
Blackbar drum 0 18 18
Round scad 0 17 17
Hake (genus) 16 1 17
Jack (family) 4 12 16
Graysby 0 15 15
Tattler 0 14 14
Squirrelfishes (family) 3 11 14
Rainbow runner 6 8 14
Black margate 14 0 14
Bigeye scad 0 14 14
Bluntnose sixgill shark 13 0 13
Red hind 2 11 13
Grouper (genus) 13 2 15
Scorpionfish 9 3 12
Rock sea bass 8 4 12
Horse-eye jack 0 12 12
Toadfish (genus) 11 0 11
Silk snapper 7 4 11
Longtail bass 1 10 11
Dusky shark 11 0 11
Bigeye sixgill shark 11 0 11
Atlantic croaker 0 11 11
Smooth puffer 10 0 10
Largescale lizardfish 9 0 9
Atlantic spadefish 0 9 9
Hardhead catfish 0 8 8
Grunt (family) 8 0 8
Goldface tilefish 1 7 8
Southern stingray 6 1 7
Cusk-eel (family) 5 2 7
Barracuda (genus) 6 1 7
Atlantic cutlassfish 2 5 7
Spiny dogfish 6 0 6
Shortfin mako 6 0 6
Margate 5 1 6
Grass porgy 1 5 6
Atlantic bonito 2 4 6
Swordfish 5 0 5
Sailors choice 0 5 5
Honeycomb moray 4 1 5
Hammerhead (genus) shark 3 2 5
Green moray 4 1 5
Florida smoothhound 5 0 5
Finetooth shark 5 0 5
Thresher shark 1 4 5
Atlantic stingray 5 0 5
Starfish (family) 4 0 4
Spider (genus) crab 4 0 4
Southern flounder 4 0 4
Snake eel (family) 4 0 4
Sea bass (family) 1 3 4
Sailfish 3 1 4
Queen triggerfish 3 1 4
Puffer (family) 4 0 4
Porgy (genus) 3 1 4
Pigfish 0 4 4
Black snapper 0 4 4
Anchor tilefish 2 2 4
Spottail pinfish 0 3 3
Spanish flag 0 3 3
Shoal flounder 3 0 3
Saucereye porgy 2 1 3
Octopus (genus) 0 3 3
Guaguanche 0 3 3
Conger eel (family) 1 2 3
Conger eel 2 1 3
Bonnethead 3 0 3
Black jack 0 3 3
Black drum 0 3 3
Bermuda chub 0 3 3
Yellowfln grouper 0 2 2
Yellow conger 2 0 2
Spotfin hogfish 0 2 2
Southern puffer 1 1 2
Smooth butterfly ray 2 0 2
Pufferfish (genus) 2 0 2
Porgie (family) 0 2 2
Oyster toadfish 2 0 2
Mackerel (family) 0 2 2
Lefteye flounder (family) 2 0 2
Fish (superclass) 2 6 8
Dusky flounder 2 0 2
Drum (family) 0 2 2
Cero 0 2 2
Broad flounder 2 0 2
Atlantic angel shark 2 0 2
Yellow jack 0 1 1
Whitespotted soapfish 0 1 1
Threadtail conger 0 1 1
Stingray (genus) 1 0 1
Stingray (family) 1 0 1
Spotted snake eel 1 0 1
Spanish sardine 0 1 1
Spanish hogfish 0 1 1
Skipjack tuna 0 1 1
Skate (genus) 1 0 1
Shrimp eel 1 0 1
Sand tiger 1 0 1
Saddled grenadier 1 0 1
Roughtongue bass 0 1 1
Rosette skate 1 0 1
Porkfish 0 1 1
Offshore hake 1 0 1
Octopus (order) 1 0 1
Ocellated frogfish 0 1 1
Marbled grouper 0 1 1
Mantis (genus) shrimp 1 0 1
Lookdown 0 1 1
Longspine squirrelfish 0 1 1
Jack (genus) 1 0 1
Gulf hagfish 1 0 1
Gulf flounder 0 1 1
Gafftopsail catfish 0 1 1
Dog snapper 0 1 1
Decapod (order) 0 1 1
Big roughy 0 1 1
Cusk-eel (genus) 1 0 1
Cownose ray 1 0 1
Cottonwick 1 0 1
Cottonmouth jack 0 1 1
Cardinal soldierfish 0 1 1
Butterfly ray 1 0 1
Bluntnose stingray 1 0 1
Blackline tilefish 0 1 1
Bigeye tuna 1 0 1
Barrelfish 1 0 1
Bank cusk-eel 0 1 1
Atlantic moonfish 0 1 1
Total 73,205 89,015 162,220
Table 5.--Species composition and disposition by gear
type observed from July 2006 to December 2009.
Longline Vertical line
73,205 fish of 183 taxa 89,015 fish of 178 taxa
Kept: 46% Kept: 71%
Red grouper: 49% Vermilion snapper: 37%
Yellowedge grouper: 21% Red snapper: 28%
Tilefish: 6% Red grouper: 12%
Blueline tilefish: 5% Red porgy: 9%
Released alive: 35% Released alive: 19%
(42% stressed: air bladder (35% stressed: air bladder
expansion and/or eyes expansion and/or eyes
protruding; 46% normal; protruding; 61% normal;
12% not recorded) 4% not recorded)
Red grouper: 69% Red snapper: 39%
Atlantic sharpnose shark, Red grouper: 34%
Smooth dogfish, Red Vermilion snapper: 7%
snapper: 5% each
Discarded dead: 12% Discarded dead: 6%
Red grouper: 54% Red snapper: 53%
Blueline tilefish: 15% Vermilion snapper: 21%
Atlantic sharpnose shark: 8% Red grouper: 13%
Red snapper: 5%
Unknown: 4% Unknown: 1%
Red grouper: 77% Vermilion snapper: 45%
Atlantic sharpnose shark, Red snapper: 43%
Gulf hake, Grouped sharks: Red grouper: 5%
3% each
Kept for bait: 3% Kept for bait: 4%
King snake eel: 29% Chub mackerel: 29%
Palespotted eel: 11% Pinfish: 20%
Little tunny: 5% Tomtate: 16%
Mean CPUE (fish/hook hour): Mean CPUE (fish/hook hour):
All: 0.0095 ([+ or -] 0.0002) All: 0.9369 ([+ or -] 0.0311)
Kept: 0.0043 ([+ or -] 0.0001) Kept: 0.6500 ([+ or -] 0.0221)
Red grouper: 0.0021 ([+ or -] Red snapper: 0.2214 ([+ or -]
0.0001) 0.0150)
Sea turtle captures: 19 Sea turtle captures: 1
Table 6.--Number, condition (when brought onboard), and fate of
fish species with n > 25 caught using longline gear in the Gulf
of Mexico from August 2006 to November 2009.
Fate upon release Kept
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Total Normal Stressed Dead
Red grouper 40,992 16,413 4,186 10,402 259
Yellowedge grouper 6,983 6,932 251 5,759 918
Blueline tilefish 3,591 1,767 551 1,179 37
Red snapper 2,456 784 501 269 3
Tilefish 2,199 2,130 996 1,036 93
Atlantic sharpnose shark 2,142 20 12 1 7
King snake eel 1,573 2 2
Smooth dogfish 1,284 1 1
Sharks grouped 1,025 1 1
Scamp 993 955 453 439 14
Snowy grouper 949 941 114 771 55
Blacknose shark 816 6 6
Gag 723 673 234 417
Red porgy 568 507 363 119 2
Speckled hind 492 453 99 324 28
Spotted hake 377 7 3 4
Palespotted eel 288
Greater amberjack 270 124 112 1 7
Mutton snapper 265 264 216 47 1
Southern hake 230 7 2 5
Sharksucker 213 1 1
Spinycheek scorpionfish 208 202 62 114 25
Gulf hake 168
Nurse shark 163
Lemon shark 157
Great barracuda 153 11 11
Bearded brotula 148 128 81 35 12
Blacktail moray 144
Blackedge moray 141 1 1
Vermilion snapper 139 84 18 33 4
Moray (genus) 133
Jolthead porgy 132 127 115 3 1
Little tunny 127 1 1
Jack (genus) 114
Gray snapper 110 105 25 49 1
Tiger shark 107
Purplemouth moray 97
Silky shark 95
Lane snapper 93 75 18 49 3
Dogfish (genus) 92
Dolphin 91 89 22 67
Blacktip shark 87 7 4 3
Spotted moray 83
Warsaw grouper 80 78 6 71 1
Leopard toadfish 79
Cubera snapper 76 76 75 1
Scalloped hammerhead 76 1 1
Dogfish 72
Cobia 72 38 34 1
Black grouper 67 65 31 15
Inshore lizardfish 66
Sandbar shark 59
Clearnose skate 50
Cuban dogfish 49
Blackfin tuna 49 38 17 21
Smalltail shark 48
Snakefish 44
Bull shark 43
Blackbelly rosefish 42 12 11 1
Offshore lizardfish 41
Almaco jack 39 19 19
Sand perch 38
Remora 37
Gulper shark 35
Sevengill shark 33
Lizardfish (family) 31
Gray triggerfish 29 26 16 8
Spinner shark 28 2 2
Sand diver 27
Total (all species) 73,205 33,335 8,778 21,183 1,583
Fate upon release Released alive
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Normal Stressed
Red grouper 17,475 5,078 9,543
Yellowedge grouper 5 4
Blueline tilefish 417 152 264
Red snapper 1,161 376 702
Tilefish 9 8 1
Atlantic sharpnose shark 1,280 1,264 4
King snake eel 714 711 1
Smooth dogfish 1,176 1,173 2
Sharks grouped 710 701
Scamp 22 10 5
Snowy grouper
Blacknose shark 576 572
Gag 41 14 22
Red porgy 16 13 3
Speckled hind 17 5 9
Spotted hake 2 2
Palespotted eel 9 7
Greater amberjack 99 97
Mutton snapper 1 1
Southern hake 5 3 2
Sharksucker 148 128
Spinycheek scorpionfish
Gulf hake 13 4 8
Nurse shark 142 127
Lemon shark 153 153
Great barracuda 15 14
Bearded brotula 1 1
Blacktail moray 11 11
Blackedge moray 37 37
Vermilion snapper 32 22 1
Moray (genus) 9 9
Jolthead porgy
Little tunny
Jack (genus) 71 69 1
Gray snapper 3
Tiger shark 97 94
Purplemouth moray 4 4
Silky shark 58 57
Lane snapper 7 3 2
Dogfish (genus) 52 52
Dolphin
Blacktip shark 55 54
Spotted moray 19 19
Warsaw grouper
Leopard toadfish 35 20 14
Cubera snapper
Scalloped hammerhead 56 54
Dogfish 69 68 1
Cobia 29 28
Black grouper 2 1
Inshore lizardfish 20 3
Sandbar shark 57 54
Clearnose skate 9 7
Cuban dogfish 36 36
Blackfin tuna 2 2
Smalltail shark 48 48
Snakefish 8 2
Bull shark 42 42
Blackbelly rosefish 12 9 3
Offshore lizardfish 7 7
Almaco jack 3 3
Sand perch 12 5 1
Remora 34 34
Gulper shark 30 30
Sevengill shark 25 25
Lizardfish (family) 5 5
Gray triggerfish 3 1
Spinner shark 15 15
Sand diver
Total (all species) 25,471 11,744 10,628
Fate upon release Kept for bait
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Normal Stressed Dead
Red grouper 1 1
Yellowedge grouper 6 1 5
Blueline tilefish 67 43 14 10
Red snapper 1 1
Tilefish 4 3 1
Atlantic sharpnose shark 50 35 1 14
King snake eel 692 672 4 5
Smooth dogfish 52 52
Sharks grouped 13 13
Scamp
Snowy grouper 2 1 1
Blacknose shark 15 9 6
Gag
Red porgy 29 24 2 1
Speckled hind
Spotted hake 68 2 60 6
Palespotted eel 271 261 1
Greater amberjack 14 14
Mutton snapper
Southern hake 50 6 37 6
Sharksucker 47 47
Spinycheek scorpionfish
Gulf hake 2 2
Nurse shark
Lemon shark
Great barracuda 107 79 13
Bearded brotula 2 1 1
Blacktail moray 89 85 4
Blackedge moray 81 66 15
Vermilion snapper 11 6 4
Moray (genus) 100 78 21
Jolthead porgy 1 1
Little tunny 113 14 93
Jack (genus)
Gray snapper
Tiger shark 1 1
Purplemouth moray 64 47 17
Silky shark 2 1 1
Lane snapper 1
Dogfish (genus)
Dolphin 1
Blacktip shark 7 5 2
Spotted moray 54 27 23
Warsaw grouper
Leopard toadfish 34 18 16
Cubera snapper
Scalloped hammerhead 1 1
Dogfish
Cobia
Black grouper
Inshore lizardfish 40 32 1 4
Sandbar shark
Clearnose skate 41 39 2
Cuban dogfish 8 8
Blackfin tuna 6 6
Smalltail shark
Snakefish 33 21 1 11
Bull shark
Blackbelly rosefish
Offshore lizardfish 26 11 1 13
Almaco jack 11 11
Sand perch 24 18 2 2
Remora 3 2
Gulper shark
Sevengill shark
Lizardfish (family) 23 12 11
Gray triggerfish
Spinner shark
Sand diver 25 22 3
Total (all species) 2,414 1,849 178 320
Fate upon release Discarded dead
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Normal Stressed Dead
Red grouper 4,843 1,010 2,811 760
Yellowedge grouper 15 4 11
Blueline tilefish 1,331 212 782 332
Red snapper 450 132 208 92
Tilefish 32 6 10 16
Atlantic sharpnose shark 699 280 2 379
King snake eel 150 110 11 8
Smooth dogfish 44 31 10
Sharks grouped 275 141 129
Scamp 13 3 6 4
Snowy grouper 6 1 2 2
Blacknose shark 162 92 58
Gag 7 1 4 2
Red porgy 10 3 4 3
Speckled hind 22 17 4
Spotted hake 262 163 99
Palespotted eel 6 4 1
Greater amberjack 22 13 1 8
Mutton snapper
Southern hake 135 4 116 15
Sharksucker 5 4
Spinycheek scorpionfish 5 1 3 1
Gulf hake 65 56 9
Nurse shark 1
Lemon shark 4 1 3
Great barracuda 14 7 7
Bearded brotula 16 1 15
Blacktail moray 44 42 2
Blackedge moray 16 10 5
Vermilion snapper 11 2 3 4
Moray (genus) 18 5 9
Jolthead porgy 4 4
Little tunny 13 2 10
Jack (genus) 5 5
Gray snapper
Tiger shark 4 1 1
Purplemouth moray 29 15 12
Silky shark 34 9 24
Lane snapper 5 1 2 2
Dogfish (genus) 38 38
Dolphin 1 1
Blacktip shark 17 1 15
Spotted moray 10 3 7
Warsaw grouper 1 1
Leopard toadfish 8 5 3
Cubera snapper
Scalloped hammerhead 13 13
Dogfish 1 1
Cobia 2 2
Black grouper
Inshore lizardfish 5 1 1
Sandbar shark 2 2
Clearnose skate
Cuban dogfish 5 5
Blackfin tuna 2 1 1
Smalltail shark
Snakefish 3 1
Bull shark 1 1
Blackbelly rosefish 18 2 16
Offshore lizardfish 8 3 3
Almaco jack
Sand perch 1 1
Remora
Gulper shark 5 5
Sevengill shark 8 8
Lizardfish (family) 2 2
Gray triggerfish
Spinner shark 9 8 1
Sand diver 2 2
Total (all species) 9,037 2,235 4,258 2,149
Fate upon release Unknown
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Normal Stressed
Red grouper 2,260 98 890
Yellowedge grouper 25 4 12
Blueline tilefish 9 3 5
Red snapper 60 16 35
Tilefish 24 3 21
Atlantic sharpnose shark 93 79
King snake eel 15 6
Smooth dogfish 11 8 1
Sharks grouped 26 10
Scamp 3 1
Snowy grouper
Blacknose shark 57 54
Gag 2 1
Red porgy 6 6
Speckled hind
Spotted hake 38 5 32
Palespotted eel 2 1
Greater amberjack 11 8
Mutton snapper
Southern hake 33 2 31
Sharksucker 12 1
Spinycheek scorpionfish 1 1
Gulf hake 88 4 84
Nurse shark 20 11
Lemon shark
Great barracuda 6 5
Bearded brotula 1 1
Blacktail moray
Blackedge moray 6 3
Vermilion snapper 1
Moray (genus) 6 1
Jolthead porgy
Little tunny
Jack (genus) 38 38
Gray snapper 2
Tiger shark 5 2
Purplemouth moray
Silky shark 1 1
Lane snapper 5
Dogfish (genus) 2 2
Dolphin
Blacktip shark 1 1
Spotted moray
Warsaw grouper 1 1
Leopard toadfish 2 1 1
Cubera snapper
Scalloped hammerhead 5 2
Dogfish 2 2
Cobia 3 3
Black grouper
Inshore lizardfish 1
Sandbar shark
Clearnose skate
Cuban dogfish
Blackfin tuna 1
Smalltail shark
Snakefish
Bull shark
Blackbelly rosefish
Offshore lizardfish
Almaco jack 6 6
Sand perch 1
Remora
Gulper shark
Sevengill shark
Lizardfish (family) 1
Gray triggerfish
Spinner shark 2
Sand diver
Total (all species) 2,948 407 1,132
Table 7.--Coefficient of variation (CV) for Federally managed
discarded species caught aboard longline vessels in the Gulf of
Mexico from August 2006 to November 2009.
Common name Scientific name n CV
Red grouper Epinephelus morio 24,081 <0.1
Red snapper Lutjanus campechanus 1,657 0.1
Blueline tilefish Caulolatilus microps 1,824 0.1
Greater amberjack Seriola dumerili 133 0.1
Gag Mycteroperca microlepis 48 0.1
Vermilion snapper Rhomboplites aurorubens 43 0.2
Tilefish Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps 67 0.2
Cobia Rachycentron canadum 27 0.2
Speckled hind Epinephelus drummondhayi 39 0.2
Yellowedge grouper Epinephelus flavolimbatus 50 0.2
Lesser amberjack Seriola fasciata 19 0.3
Lane snapper Lutjanus synagris 18 0.3
Wenchman Pristipomoides aquilonaris 17 0.3
Snowy grouper Epinephelus niveatus 8 0.4
Scamp Mycteroperca phenax 37 0.4
King mackerel Scomberomorus cavalla 6 0.4
Gray snapper Lutjanus griseus 5 0.5
Banded rudderfish Seriola zonata 10 0.5
Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus 16 0.6
Red hind Epinephelus guttatus 2 0.7
Warsaw grouper Epinephelus nigritus 2 0.7
Gray triggerfish Balistes capriscus 2 0.7
Black grouper Mycteroperca bonaci 2 0.7
Yellowtail snapper Ocyurus chrysurus 3 0.7
Mutton snapper Lutjanus analis 1 1.0
Rock hind Epinephelus adscensionis 1 1.0
Table 8.--Number, condition (when brought onboard), and fate of
fish species with n > 25 caught using vertical line gear in the
Gulf of Mexico from July 2006 to December 2009.
Fate upon release Kept
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Total Normal Stressed Dead
Red snapper 27,669 17,992 11,368 5,771 38
Vermilion snapper 26,045 23,240 21,994 920 5
Red grouper 13,855 7,445 1,920 5,143
Red porgy 6,120 5,971 5,022 196
Gag 2,624 1,565 874 673
Scamp 1,002 898 638 222 1
King mackerel 886 868 861 5
Gray snapper 822 775 497 183
Chub mackerel 818
Gray triggerfish 808 751 523 164
Yellowtail snapper 770 722 720 2
Greater amberjack 613 171 148
Pinfish 598 8 8
Blue runner 525 129 129
Tomtate 494 2 2
Almaco jack 453 285 280
Lane snapper 416 388 141 242
Knobbed porgy 396 377 293 1
White grunt 259 118 108 10
Banded rudderfish 255 55 54 1
Lesser amberjack 219 139 121
Snowy grouper 168 150 18 132
Jolthead porgy 154 136 133 3
Sand perch 130
Little tunny 128 6 6
Black seabass 127 67 61 6
Florida pompano 114 112 112
Creole-Fish 107 93 55 37
Yellowedge grouper 104 88 1 86
Sharks grouped 96
Atlantic sharpnose shark 83 2 2
Remora 80 1 1
Bluefish 78 25 25
Sand seatrout 74 30 11 17 2
Silky shark 71 2 2
Whitebone porgy 67 61 21 1
Dolphin 67 45 45
Sharksucker 64 2 1
Grunt (genus) 63
Spanish mackerel 62 44 44
Bank seabass 61
Crevalle jack 59
Bar jack 57 44 37
Warsaw grouper 54 33 3 29
Queen snapper 50 48 31 17
Sheepshead 46 46 39 7
Tilefish 45 44 13 31
Great barracuda 45
Red drum 43
Blacktip shark 40
Smooth dogfish 35 2 2
Nurse shark 34
Black grouper 34 32 15 11
Blacknose shark 32
Speckled hind 31 17 4 12
Spotted moray 29
Bigeye 29 26 26
Cobia 28 13 12 1
Seatrout (genus) 26 7 1 1
Wenchman 25 4 1 3
Total (all species) 89,015 63,351 46,602 13,988 55
Fate upon release Released alive
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Normal Stressed Dead
Red snapper 6,590 4,824 1,673
Vermilion snapper 1,235 1,095 108
Red grouper 5,678 1,567 3,722
Red porgy 40 38 1
Gag 1,045 738 296
Scamp 67 60 7
King mackerel 11 11
Gray snapper 44 44
Chub mackerel 2 2
Gray triggerfish 51 41 10
Yellowtail snapper 37 37
Greater amberjack 403 382 1
Pinfish 13 13
Blue runner 282 274
Tomtate 16 16
Almaco jack 105 103
Lane snapper 9 3 6
Knobbed porgy 6 6
White grunt 58 58
Banded rudderfish 87 87
Lesser amberjack 62 62
Snowy grouper 5 5
Jolthead porgy 10 10
Sand perch 6 5 1
Little tunny 20 18
Black seabass 54 45 9
Florida pompano 2 2
Creole-Fish 1 1
Yellowedge grouper
Sharks grouped 82 75
Atlantic sharpnose shark 73 67
Remora 61 58
Bluefish 6 6
Sand seatrout 5 4 1
Silky shark 68 67
Whitebone porgy 1 1
Dolphin 3 3
Sharksucker 58 54
Grunt (genus) 2 2
Spanish mackerel 13 13
Bank seabass 22 10 12
Crevalle jack 56 56
Bar jack 8 7
Warsaw grouper 12 2 10
Queen snapper 1 1
Sheepshead
Tilefish
Great barracuda 23 21
Red drum 37 17 19
Blacktip shark 32 30
Smooth dogfish 28 16
Nurse shark 31 28
Black grouper 2 1 1
Blacknose shark 27 27
Speckled hind 8 3 5
Spotted moray 19 19
Bigeye 2 2
Cobia 14 14
Seatrout (genus) 8 8
Wenchman 2 1 1
Total (all species) 16,872 10,350 5,914 0
Fate upon release Kept for bait
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Normal Stressed Dead
Red snapper 8 1 6
Vermilion snapper 105 64 8 2
Red grouper 2 2
Red porgy 81 77 1
Gag
Scamp
King mackerel 2 1
Gray snapper
Chub mackerel 815 205 1
Gray triggerfish
Yellowtail snapper 5 5
Greater amberjack 14 14
Pinfish 570 103 2
Blue runner 78 78
Tomtate 457 279 1
Almaco jack 52 52
Lane snapper 3 2 1
Knobbed porgy 13 13
White grunt 50 47 3
Banded rudderfish 65 59 1
Lesser amberjack 9 9
Snowy grouper
Jolthead porgy 4 3 1
Sand perch 123 49 28
Little tunny 93 86 5
Black seabass 2 1 1
Florida pompano
Creole-Fish 9 7 1 1
Yellowedge grouper
Sharks grouped 2 2
Atlantic sharpnose shark 2 2
Remora
Bluefish 32 32
Sand seatrout 6 5 1
Silky shark
Whitebone porgy 1 1
Dolphin 19 19
Sharksucker 1 1
Grunt (genus) 60 60
Spanish mackerel 3 3
Bank seabass 26 10 2
Crevalle jack 2 2
Bar jack 4 4
Warsaw grouper
Queen snapper
Sheepshead
Tilefish
Great barracuda 4 4
Red drum 1 1
Blacktip shark
Smooth dogfish
Nurse shark
Black grouper
Blacknose shark
Speckled hind
Spotted moray 6 5
Bigeye
Cobia
Seatrout (genus) 2 2
Wenchman
Total (all species) 2,805 1,363 61 12
Fate upon release Discarded dead
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Normal Stressed Dead
Red snapper 2,737 1,367 1,308 16
Vermilion snapper 1,105 1,037 42 21
Red grouper 692 145 537 5
Red porgy 22 13 8 1
Gag 12 3 8 1
Scamp 33 18 15
King mackerel 5 1 4
Gray snapper 3 3
Chub mackerel 1
Gray triggerfish 5 4 1
Yellowtail snapper 6 5 1
Greater amberjack 23 22
Pinfish 7 6 1
Blue runner 33 30 1
Tomtate 19 19
Almaco jack 11 10 1
Lane snapper 16 12 3 1
Knobbed porgy
White grunt 25 25
Banded rudderfish 34 34
Lesser amberjack 9 9
Snowy grouper 13 3 10
Jolthead porgy 3 3
Sand perch
Little tunny 8 7 1
Black seabass 3 2 1
Florida pompano
Creole-Fish 3 2 1
Yellowedge grouper 15 15
Sharks grouped 10 10
Atlantic sharpnose shark 6 6
Remora 18 18
Bluefish 14 14
Sand seatrout 31 18 13
Silky shark 1 1
Whitebone porgy 3 2
Dolphin
Sharksucker 3 3
Grunt (genus) 1 1
Spanish mackerel 2 2
Bank seabass 13 4 9
Crevalle jack 1 1
Bar jack
Warsaw grouper 8 8
Queen snapper
Sheepshead
Tilefish 1 1
Great barracuda 18 17 1
Red drum 5 1 4
Blacktip shark 6 6
Smooth dogfish 5 4
Nurse shark 2 2
Black grouper
Blacknose shark 5 4 1
Speckled hind 6 2 4
Spotted moray 4 4
Bigeye 1 1
Cobia 1 1
Seatrout (genus) 9 9
Wenchman 19 5 14
Total (all species) 5,185 2,972 2,086 63
Fate upon release Unknown
Condition upon capture Live
Common name Total Normal Stressed Dead
Red snapper 342 104 64
Vermilion snapper 360 189 1
Red grouper 38 2 25
Red porgy 6 1 1
Gag 2 1
Scamp 4 2
King mackerel
Gray snapper
Chub mackerel
Gray triggerfish 1 1
Yellowtail snapper
Greater amberjack 2 2
Pinfish
Blue runner 3 2
Tomtate
Almaco jack
Lane snapper
Knobbed porgy
White grunt 8 8
Banded rudderfish 14 14
Lesser amberjack
Snowy grouper
Jolthead porgy 1
Sand perch 1
Little tunny 1 1
Black seabass 1 1
Florida pompano
Creole-Fish 1 1
Yellowedge grouper 1 1
Sharks grouped 2
Atlantic sharpnose shark
Remora
Bluefish 1 1
Sand seatrout 2 2
Silky shark
Whitebone porgy 1 1
Dolphin
Sharksucker
Grunt (genus)
Spanish mackerel
Bank seabass
Crevalle jack
Bar jack 1 1
Warsaw grouper 1 1
Queen snapper 1
Sheepshead
Tilefish
Great barracuda
Red drum
Blacktip shark 2 1
Smooth dogfish
Nurse shark 1
Black grouper
Blacknose shark
Speckled hind
Spotted moray
Bigeye
Cobia
Seatrout (genus)
Wenchman
Total (all species) 802 333 98 0
Table 9.--Coefficient of variation (CV) for Federally-managed
discarded species caught aboard vertical line vessels in the
Gulf of Mexico from July 2006 to December 2009.
Common name Scientific name n CV
Red grouper Epinephelus morio 6,597 <0.1
Red snapper Lutjanus campechanus 19,227 <0.1
Vermilion snapper Rhomboplites aurorubens 5,754 <0.1
Gag Mycteroperca microlepis 1,096 <0.1
Greater amberjack Seriola dumerili 621 <0.1
Lesser amberjack Seriola fasciata 136 0.2
Gray triggerfish Balistes capriscus 124 0.3
Warsaw grouper Epinephelus nigritus 32 0.3
Snowy grouper Epinephelus niveatus 32 0.3
King mackerel Scomberomorus cavalla 20 0.3
Banded rudderfish Seriola zonata 363 0.3
Scamp Mycteroperca phenax 189 0.3
Cobia Rachycentron canadum 24 0.3
Goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara 12 0.4
Speckled hind Epinephelus drummondhayi 24 0.4
Yellowedge grouper Epinephelus flavolimbatus 28 0.4
Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus 114 0.4
Lane snapper Lutjanus synagris 79 0.4
Wenchman Pristipomoides aquilonaris 52 0.4
Blueline tilefish Caulolatilus microps 8 0.5
Red hind Epinephelus guttatus 11 0.5
Rock hind Epinephelus adscensionis 4 0.5
Yellowtail snapper Ocyurus chrysurus 48 0.6
Gray snapper Lutjanus griseus 49 0.6
Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus 18 0.7
Black grouper Mycteroperca bonaci 2 0.7
Queen snapper Etelis oculatus 3 0.7
Silk snapper Lutjanus vivanus 3 1.0
Tilefish Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps 1 1.0
Mutton snapper Lutjanus analis 1 1.0
Yellowmouth grouper Mycteroperca interstitialis 1 1.0 |
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