SEDAR 75 Stock Assessment Report Gulf of Mexico Gray Snapper

SEDAR 75 addressed the stock assessment for Gulf of Mexico gray snapper. The assessment process consisted of a series of webinars. There were two Topical Working Groups (TWGs): one on Life History topics and one focusing on the Shore Mode for recreational catches. SEDAR organized two webinars for each TWG which were held between December 2021 and June 2022.

The Stock Assessment Report is organized into 2 sections. Section I: Introduction contains a brief description of the SEDAR Process, Assessment and Management Histories for the species of interest, and the management specifications requested by the Cooperator. Section II is the Assessment Process report. This section details the assessment model, as well as documents any data recommendations that arise for new data sets presented during this assessment process, or changes to data sets used previously.

The final Stock Assessment Report (SAR) for Gulf of Mexico gray snapper was disseminated to the public in December 2022. The Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will review the SAR for its stock. The SSCs are tasked with recommending whether the assessments represent Best Available Science, whether the results presented in the SARs are useful for providing management advice and developing fishing level recommendations for the Council.

An SSC may request additional analyses be conducted or may use the information provided in the SAR as the basis for their Fishing Level Recommendations (e.g., Overfishing Limit and Acceptable Biological Catch). The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's SSC will review the assessment at its January 2023 meeting, followed by the Council receiving that information at its January/February 2023 meeting. Documentation on SSC recommendations is

not part of the SEDAR process and is handled through each Council.