A Perspective of the Importance of Artificial Habitat on the Management of Red Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery has been declared as overfished, and overfishing is occurring. More stringent regulations, including reduced catch quotas and restrictions on the shrimp fishery to reduce bycatch of juvenile snappers, are anticipated. However, with projected rebuilding, maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is estimated to be between 11 and 25 million pounds. This exceeds previously recorded annual yields from U.S. Gulf waters. The fishery began during the mid 19th century off the northeastern Gulf coast, with harvests of only about 2 million pounds. Even at this rate, the stocks were depleted rapidly, and the fleets moved further south and east to find new sources. Numerous exploratory cruises to the western Gulf in the late 19th century found minimal snapper populations, but high concentrations discovered off Vera Cruz, Mexico, attracted fishers, and this area was the major source of snappers for more than a century. The deployment of petroleum structures in the mid 20th century in the western Gulf and thousands of artificial reefs in the north-central Gulf have markedly increased red snapper habitat in those areas. Currently, snapper populations around artificial reefs in the north-central and northwestern Gulf support the majority of the U.S. harvest. If habitat is limiting, the designations of “overfishing” and “overfished” may be misleading, and “unrealized harvest potential” may be a more accurate descriptor of the current status of the stock given the increased presence of additional habitat for red snapper. Decreases in these artificial structures (owing to natural degradation or removal) may decrease future harvest potential.