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Fish and Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico

Fish and Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico. Richard S. Fulford University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Fish of the Gulf of Mexico. Anatomy and physiology Mobility Osmoregulation Thermoregulation Life History Stages of life Habitat transitions

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Fish and Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico

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  1. Fish and Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico Richard S. Fulford University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

  2. Fish of the Gulf of Mexico • Anatomy and physiology • Mobility • Osmoregulation • Thermoregulation • Life History • Stages of life • Habitat transitions • Importance to fishing of early-life history • Different species of interest • Red drum, speckled trout, grouper, shrimp, crabs, oysters, red fish, triple tail, others

  3. What is a fish? Def1: Ray-finned fishes Most diverse vertebrate order on the planet Over 23,000 known species worldwide Tree of Life - Gnathostomata Def2: Any aquatic animal caught by humans for consumption or sale.

  4. Includes molluscs, crustaceans, cartilaginous sharks, sponges, mammals, and fishes Eastern oyster Blue crab Spiny lobster Menhaden Black-nosed shark Spotted Seatrout

  5. Common features Traits of living in the aquatic environment • Osmoregulation (maintaining internal water balance) • Thermoregulation (maintaining internal temperature) • Mobility (swimming and population spread)

  6. Osmoregulation • Salt and fluid balance tied to breathing, waste disposal and eating • Primary difference between freshwater and marine fishes

  7. Thermoregulation • Behavioral traits • Physiological traits • Global warming and habitat shifts Fish gill arch showing interface between blood and external environment

  8. Movement and dispersal • Adaptations for swimming • Adaptations for dispersal Larval blue crab Ekman spiral

  9. How they differ • Mollusks • Bivalves • Gastropods • cephalopods • Crustaceans • Shrimp • crabs • Sharks and rays (cartilaginous fishes) • Ray-finned fishes • Drum (coastal-offshore linkages) • Snappers (deep water fishes) • Flounders (demersal fishes) • Groupers (reef dwellers) • Menhaden (schooling fishes)

  10. Mollusks • Oysters and clams • Gastropods • Cephalopods • Nautilus

  11. Crustaceans Juvenile shrimp • Shrimp • Crabs • Lobsters Adult shrimp

  12. Cartilaginous Fishes • Sharks and rays

  13. Ray-finned fishes • The true “fishes”

  14. Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico • Economic value of fishing • Gulf in terms of $$ and tons • Major fisheries (importance of LA marshes) • How we fish • Trawl, gill net, longline, hook and line, traps • Managing our fish resources • Methods ( size limits, catch limits, seasonal limits, limited entry, gear restrictions) • No fish is an island (Ecosystem-based management) • Cod case study, red fish issue

  15. US Fishery (2005) 9.7 Billion pounds caught worth 3.9 Billion $$ $$ Pounds

  16. Gulf by state

  17. Gulf by species

  18. Importance of Mississippi River to Gulf Fisheries E Outflow of Mississippi River W

  19. Cultural Importance of Fishing • Family traditions • Ethnic connections • Capital investment • Historical knowledge (gone is gone)

  20. Gear types - Trawl • Otter or bottom trawl Trawling front view Trawling side view

  21. Gear type - Longline

  22. Gear types - Traps Fyke net Crab trap Lobster trap Derelict crab traps

  23. Fisheries Management Magnuson-Stevens Act of 1976 Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 • Federal government MUST develop a Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) aimed at a SUSTAINABLE fishery • The FMP must consider protection of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)

  24. Essential Fish Habitat Links fishing to juvenile nursery habitat and open water larval habitat

  25. Sustainability ? Are landings and population size constant through time? Fishery removals = fish growth + new recruits – non-fishing mortality

  26. Traditional management actions • Size and gear restrictions • Minimum size limits for capture • Mesh sizes of capture gear • Fishing seasons • When can’t you fish? • Limited entry • Buy and sell the right to fish • Marine Protected Areas (MPA) • Where can’t you fish

  27. NMFS Fishery Report Card Overfishing – Currently catching more fish than are being added to the population each year. Overfished – Continued overfishing has resulted in a measurable decline in population size.

  28. Aquaculture • Stock enhancement • Commercial fish farming • Value and issues to consider • Relief for natural populations • Commercial profit • Potential pollution issues • Fish fed to fish • Genetic concerns

  29. Web sites to Explore • NMFS • World Aquaculture Society • GMFMC • GCCA • EPA Gulf of Mexico Program • Tree of Life Project Richard.Fulford@usm.edu

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