Commercial catch composition with discard and immediate release mortality proportions off the southeastern coast of the United States

The snapper-grouper fishery off the coast of the southeastern United States contains many exploited species that are governed under a multitude of species-specific regulations. Despite ample information on landed commercial catches, there is a critical need to characterize the entire commercial catch to identify catch composition, discard proportion and immediate release mortality proportions. This study recorded the lengths of all fish caught on a commercial snapper-grouper vessel and their subsequent disposition. Over 40 fishing days, the captain captured 55 species, but the majority of the catch (97%) was comprised of just 8 species (vermilion snapper, gray triggerfish, red porgy, black sea bass, tomtate, scamp, greater amberjack, and Almaco jack). Discard proportions were low overall, but varied by species, while immediate release mortality proportions were generally high (>40%). Species with high discard proportions were red porgy (56%), scamp (44%), bank sea bass (46%), and red snapper (42%). Three of these species also had high immediate release mortality proportions: red porgy – 82%, scamp – 98%, and red snapper – 93%. Species with both high discard proportions and high immediate release mortality proportions might indicate that current management regulations are not adequately protecting these stocks, as a large number of discarded fish do not survive.