Panama City Laboratory Reef Fish Video Survey

Many species of fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico spend the early part of their lives in seagrass beds in the bay. The most important of these species include gag grouper, lane snapper and gray (mangrove) snapper. The grouper spawn in the late winter and juveniles arrive in the bay in late spring. The snapper are early summer spawners and their offspring arrive in the middle of summer. When the juveniles arrive in the grassbeds, they are less than an inch long and use the grass as both a place to hide to avoid larger fish and a place to hunt for food (usually small shrimp). By using a small trawl to collect juvenile grouper and snapper in the grassbeds, we can evaluate the size of each year's production and predict how many grouper or snapper will be available to fishermen a few years in the future when the juveniles grow into adults. This predictive capability helps fishery managers adjust the regulations to avoid shortages of these species in the future. The number of fish produced each year fluctuates widely; we have seen 20 times the number of snapper and grouper in one year compared to the number the year before or after. Our sampling method uses short tows of less than one minute and all fish are quickly measured and released alive to minimize our impact on the resource. Between 95 and 98% of the grouper and snapper we collect survive.

Methodology followed for the Juvenile Reef fish study

Tie a knot at the end of the net

Throw the net in the water near the buoy

Drive for 50m at 2 Knots

Pull the net back to the boat

Measure the distance from the boat to the buoy with the laser rangefinder

Put the sample in a tray

Go through sea grass to find snapper and grouper

Measure snapper, grouper and flounder and throw them back into the water

Get water temperature and salinity with the YSI-30

Panama City Lab

To fishery Scientists and other qualified researchers upon request

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Data set is not for use in litigation. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentations caused by inaccuracies in these data, or as a result of these data being used on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does distribution constitute any such warranty