TESTING HYPOTHESES ON RED SNAPPER SURVIVAL AND STOCK AND RECRUITMENT PATTERNS

Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is the most economically important reef fish species in the Gulf of Mexico and considered to be a fishery in decline due to overfishing. However, a paradox exists as it relates to recruitment into this fishery. Current recruitment levels are higher than the historical average, although stock size is estimated to be at historically low levels (97% decline since 1980’s). This suggests that a sub-set of un-fished, older red snapper exists in the Gulf of Mexico that are maintaining the high larval supply. Known as the “Mother –Load” hypothesis, we believe that these fish are hiding in plain sight by using habitats that are not targeted by fishermen. This project will provide critical information to resource managers by discriminating habitat use and movement patterns of older red snapper using acoustic tagging to track their movement patterns.