Volume 69
Cooperative Monitoring Program for Spawning Aggregations in the Gulf of Mexico: An Assessment of Existing Information and Research Priorities
Authors
Heyman, W., B. Erisman, S. Kobara, C. Biggs, N. Farmer, S. Lowerre-Barbieri, M. Karnauskas, and J. Brenner Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 2016
Pages: 10 - 11
Event: Proceedings of the Sixty eigth Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Grand Cayman
Country: Cayman Islands
Abstract
The most important fish species (e.g. groupers, snappers, drums, and croakers) harvested by commercial and recrea-tional fisheries throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) are known to form fish spawning aggregations (FSAs). However, the proper management of FSAs, including understanding the potential impact of oil spills on their stocks and fisheries or the importance of oil platforms as FSAs sites, is greatly impeded by the fact that the GOM is one of the worlds least studied areas for the biology and management of FSAs (Russel et al. 2014). Meanwhile, fishers that depend on these resources have extensive knowledge of the timing and location of spawning aggregations and could be better integrated into monitoring, management, and conservation. Many researchers also have valuable data and information that has not been synthesized towards this end. In response to this perceived need, our team was funded by the RESTORE Act Science program for RESTORE SCIENCE Cooperative Monitoring Program for Spawning Aggregations in the Gulf of Mexico: An Assess-ment of Existing Information, Data Gaps and Research Priorities (Erisman et al. 2015). This extended abstract offers a snapshot of the project objectives, preliminary results, and status.