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Before the Red SnapperLutjanus campechanusstock in the southeastern U.S. Atlantic was formally assessed, recreational harvest was permitted year-round. However, in 2010, all sectors of the fishery were closed to immediately end overfishing. In recent years, the recreational fishery for Red Snapper in the region has been managed with a substantially reduced catch limit and an annual harvest season ranging from 0 to 8 d. To obtain a precise estimate of recreational harvest over this reduced time scale, a new creel survey method was developed in Florida, where the majority of Red Snapper landings in the region occur. The fishery was intensely monitored during the short sample window when the harvest season was open, and the survey design took advantage of choke points at ocean inlets that restrict recreational boat access to offshore fishing grounds. Landings estimates from this specialized survey were more precise than the general survey that has historically been used in the region to monitor saltwater recreational fisheries over larger spatial and temporal scales. Fishing effort was highly concentrated, and the fishery was capable of reaching the small annual catch limit over the short time periods allowed. Fishing effort and landings were highest between Ponce Inlet and Cape Canaveral, and the majority of Red Snapper were harvested from shallow depths (<29 m). Fish from shallow depths were approximately equally distributed among younger (1–5 years) and older age-classes. However, as fishing moved into deeper waters (≥29 m), a greater proportion of fish were older than 5 years. Precise landings estimates from the survey enabled managers to monitor the recreational fishery against a small annual catch limit, and the survey also revealed spatial patterns of effort and CPUE in the region’s private boat segment of the recreational fishery, which had been poorly understood. Received May 13, 2016; accepted November 5, 2016 Published online February 22, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saltwater fishery management in Florida, USA, is mandated to include user-supported hatchery-based stock enhancement. Scientists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Mote Marine Laboratory have taken a multi-disciplinary, quantitative approach to develop effective strategies for integrating stocking into traditional fishery management, with an initial focus on red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). With consensus from stakeholders, particularly from a well-informed advisory board, focus has shifted over the past 8 years from production-oriented stocking to an assessment-driven developmental approach. The goal is to develop and expand economically successful and ecologically sound stocking technology for rapidly replenishing depleted fish stocks in a multi-billion dollar (US) saltwater recreational fishing industry. Release-recapture experiments for red drum have been underway in Tampa Bay for 6 years. This research has involved replicate stratified releases of ∼ 4 million red drum hatchlings, which are identifiable via genetic testing. More than 20,000 red drum tissues have been tested. These were obtained from fishery-independent and dependent sampling and from an angler-return program,. Of these, approximately 3,000 specimens have been assigned to hatchery breeding pairs. Experimental results, especially those based on hatchery fish recruited to the recreational fishery, have provided managers with valuable information about size at release, release timing, release habitat, and post-release movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.