Abstract

The gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus) is a reef associated fish that frequents coastal and shelf waters of the tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic where they are found from the mid-Atlantic Bight to French Guiana. In the US, gray snapper are landed by small commercial fisheries, but are primarily targeted as a recreational species with growing interest following harvest restrictions on the closely related red snapper. A two-stock model is currently employed for management of gray snapper fisheries in US waters distinguishing a Gulf of Mexico (hereafter Gulf) and a South Atlantic stock divided by the Florida peninsula (SouthEast Data, Assessment, and Review 2018); however, the genetic basis of this stock subdivision is not established.