Project Timeline

Programmatic Milestones

An initial $1.575M in funding was made available for an independent assessment of the South Atlantic red snapper stock. The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium submitted a proposal to the NOAA National Sea Grant on behalf of the four South Atlantic Sea Grant Programs (NC, SC, GA and FL) to administer a research competition and program.

The South Atlantic Red Snapper Research Program began in August, administered by the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium.

A steering committee was convened, composed of regional Sea Grant directors and extension staff, state and national fisheries researchers and fishermen.

A request for proposals (RFP) was created based on priority research questions.

The RFP was distributed widely, proposals were reviewed by a technical panel, and the successful proposers were notified of selection.

Programmatic Milestones

Research began in March with the following goals:

Produce two independent estimates with associated uncertainty of the population size of red snapper age 2 years and older from North Carolina to Florida using two different methods: 1) Close-kin mark recapture (CKMR) and 2) Bayesian hierarchical integrated model.

Assess the occurrence and estimate the density of red snapper in areas that have not been surveyed (unknown and unconsolidated habitats) across the US Atlantic shelf from NC to FL Keys.

Integrate study results with the red snapper stock assessment model.

Programmatic Milestones

An additional $1.8M in funding was made available for the research team to expand ongoing work.

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium submitted a proposal to the NOAA National Sea Grant Office on behalf of the four South Atlantic Sea Grant Programs (NC, SC, GA and FL) to administer a research competition that would expand the program.

A RFP was crafted by the steering committee and distributed widely. The proposal was reviewed by a technical panel, and the successful proposer was notified of selection.

Programmatic Milestones

An additional $1.47M awarded to further expand ongoing work with the following added goals:

1) Conduct tagging simulation analysis to estimate the efficacy and sample sizes needed to estimate the magnitude of US South Atlantic red snapper fishery discards via conventional or genetic tagging.

2) Conduct 3D telemetry spatial capture-recapture experiments off N.C. and FL to estimate the effective sample area of camera-traps for red snapper.

Programmatic Milestones

Nothing to report. 

Programmatic Milestones

Final research report due to S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

Research report independent review by the Center for Independent Experts.

Revised report, based on independent review.

SARSRP and Beyond

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Science and Statistical Committee will review the data and consider it for incorporation in the red snapper stock assessment.