1. Characterization of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Penaeidae and Rock Shrimp (Sicyoniidae) Fisheries through Mandatory Observer Coverage, from 2011 to 2016
- Author
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Scott-Denton, Elizabeth, Cryer, Pat F., Duffin, Ben V., Duffy, Matt R., Gocke, Judith P., Harrelson, Mike R., Whatley, Andrew J., and Williams, Jo A.
- Subjects
Gulf of Mexico -- Environmental aspects ,South Atlantic Ocean -- Environmental aspects ,Shrimping -- Environmental aspects -- Statistics ,Agricultural industry ,Business - Abstract
A mandatory Federal observer program was established in July 2007 to characterize the U.S. Gulf of Mexico penaeid shrimp fishery. The program grew in scope in June 2008 to include the South Atlantic Penaeidae and rock (Sicyoniidae) shrimp fisheries. In 2012, following an increase in sea turtle (Chelonioidea) strandings, observer coverage expanded to coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico for skimmer trawl vessels and in 2016 for statelicensed otter trawl vessels. From January 2011 through December 2016, data were collected from 27,116 tows during 11,118 sea days of observations aboard 1,134 trips. For the mandatory component, data from 24,679 tows (10,734 sea days) were analyzed by area and target species. The majority of tows sampled (65%) were off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. The highest concentrated effort occurred off South Texas, Louisiana, and southwestern Florida. Gear, including net characteristics, bycatch reduction devices (BRD's), and turtle excluder devices (TED's), were fairly consistent for the penaeid and rock shrimp otter trawl fisheries. By species categories, finfish comprised the majority ([greater than or equal to] 58%) of the catch in the Gulf of Mexico and southern U.S.Atlantic penaeid shrimp fisheries, while in the rock shrimp fishery, finfish and rock shrimp rates were similar. Bycatch to shrimp ratios were comparable to a 2007-10 shrimp assessment but lower than reported in previous studies for the Gulf of Mexico penaeid shrimp fishery. Declining shrimp effort since 2002 combined with higher shrimp catch per unit of effort (CPUE) and several management measures most likely contributed to the lower bycatch ratios seen in more than a decade. Density surface plots for several commercial and recreational species illustrated spatial differences in distribution and CPUE. Hot Spot Analyses depicted areas with significant clustering of high or low CPUE for shrimp and bycatch species. Distribution of protected species interactions is illustrated both spatially and temporally., Introduction The southeastern shrimp trawl fishery impacts commercial, recreational, and ecologically important fish stocks (Pellegrin, 1982; Alverson et al., 1994; Nichols et al. (1); NMFS (2,3)). Declines in several finfish [...]
- Published
- 2020
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