| The recreational red snapper season which opened June 1 is scheduled for closure July 19. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service has projected the red snapper recreational quota will be harvested by July 18, 2011. The fishing season will close at 12:01 a.m. July 19.
The 48-day season is the shortest to date since the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council chose to begin the season on June 1, and is, in part, the result of the increasing size of the fish being landed. Between 2007 and 2010, the average weight of a red snapper landed in the Gulf of Mexico increased from 3.32 to 5.34 pounds per fish.
Between 2007 and 2008, there was a 29 percent increase in the average weight of red snapper landed. Between 2008 and 2009 there was an 18 percent increase in the average weight. Between 2009 and 2010 there was a 5.4 percent increase in the average weight. And between 2010 and 2011, stock assessment projections indicate average weight will increase by 10 percent.
The average weight of red snapper for 2011 is estimated by the stock assessment to be 6.14 pounds (SEFSC 2009). This average weight is a 15 percent increase from the reported average weight in 2010 of 5.34 pounds whole weight (ww). In 2009, the average weight projected was 5.25 pounds ww, compared to a reported average weight of 5.06 pounds ww. In 2010, the average projected weight was 5.56 pounds ww, compared to an average reported weight of 5.34 pounds ww. Average weights in 2009 and 2010 were approximately 4 percent less than projected estimates.
To evaluate the sensitivity of the model to different red snapper average weights, projections were run using: 1) the stock assessment projected average weight for 2011; 2) an average weight of 5.90 pounds, which is ~4 percent less than the average projected weight; and 3) the stock assessment average weight for 2011 minus 10 percent.
The observed increases in average weight appear to be tracking stock assessment projections, but at a slightly lower rate of increase. Increases in average weight are expected as the stock rebuilds and the number of older, larger fish in the population increases.
For more information on how the red snapper season length was calculated, refer to a document titled “2011 Recreational Red Snapper Quota Closure Analysis” located on the Southeast Regional Office’s website: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/pdfs/GulfRedSnapperQuotaClosure4-19-11.pdf .
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