Amberjack length requirement to change?

[crappielimits]

Do the guys making these decisions really fish? What science says the Amberjack populations are low? There are more than I have seen in 25 years. Why are we not challenging their science?

[bman]

SO you guys know what he is talking about
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) today approved changing the minimum size limit for greater amberjack caught in Gulf of Mexico state waters from 30 inches fork length to 34 inches fork length.
http://myfwc.com/news/news-releases/201 ... ize-limit/

I don't know enough to really comment on the biology. I do know our area has less pressure than many spots statewide.
We are blessed to have the number of fish we have here...

[zload]

Sent this to my buddy and his response was dang I couldn't catch them when it was 30"... AJs overfished must mean that they hang out with and learned from the elusive red snapper. I'm usually glad I don't catch but one reef donkey per trip although they are fun when you can get them to hit top water and break off before the tug of war gets too tough

[MuleTrainGA]

I hope I'm not too late on this but I can give a bit of insight into the biology of this fish. Greater Amberjack is a very popular sport fish species along the entire Gulf of Mexico. Like many of the reef fish in the Gulf, their specific reproductive activities are not well known. One thing that has been studied in recent years is there age at sexual maturity (I.E. age at which individuals become able to reproduce). This value in fisheries is often listed as L50, or LENGTH at 50% maturity (since length is directly correlated to age). For Greater Amberjack, L50 has been found to be around 26-30 inches. The thought behind a change in length requirement for harvest is to ensure that nearly each fish is able to spawn at least once before being harvested, allowing a larger number of recruits to enter into the population the next year. I cannot confirm that this is the reasoning behind the change however in my opinion, this was a good use of fisheries biology and science to come to a reasonable length limit. Many people may have differing thoughts but I think this was a wise management decision to ensure a sustainable fishery in the future.

[crappielimits]

My question is why are they regulating another species that is not under populated? Second, there is no definitive science on the reproduction of Greater Amberjack to be found. It's all theories. I respect management, but recreational fisherman are losing our fisheries. Middle and low income families will no longer be able to own offshore boats, equipment, buy gas etc... If they can not keep fish to justify the trip. If we want to regulate stop commercial harvest first or at least be stricter on it. I personally would rather keep a Black Sea Bass over all these heavily regulated species for my table. Though, I think a young angler should have a chance to enjoy what we all have over the years. If it's such a weak fishery, why are we allowing commercial boats to take over?

[MuleTrainGA]

I couldn't tell you the reasoning behind this new regulation and why the population is regarded as "overfished". Most likely the annual qouta was passed or fish were being depleted at rates that fishery would lose sustainability. I am but a lowly graduate student who isn't quite high up enough to be apart of all that stuff. One day I hope to be but for now I just stick to investigating changes in fisheries in regards to biology. I attached a few papers that addressed my earlier topic about growth and length at maturity. There is also a couple of papers on reproduction. These papers don't present "theories" by any means. They include observed data that was analyzed to determine specific important characteristics of the fishery. This data was used in stock assessments to help figure out management decisions needed for the fishery. I understand where the confusion can come in as I too have been out fishing many times for the past 4 months and know how many amberjack are on top of almost any structure out there. Take a minute to read this papers if you would like, many more can be found on Google Scholar.


Harris, P. J., Wyanski, D. M., White, D. B., Mikell, P. P., & Eyo, P. B. (2007). Age, growth, and reproduction of Greater Amberjack off the southeastern US Atlantic coast. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 136(6), 1534-1545.

Gold, J. R., & Richardson, L. R. (1998). Population structure in greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili, from the Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic Ocean. Fishery bulletin, 96(4), 767-778.

Manooch III, C. S., & Potts, J. C. (1997). Age, growth, and mortality of greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili, from the US Gulf of Mexico headboat fishery. Bulletin of Marine Science, 61(3), 671-683.

Schirripa, M. J., & Burns, K. M. (1997). Growth estimates for three species of reef fish in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Bulletin of marine science, 61(3), 581-591.

Wells, R. J., & Rooker, J. R. (2004). Distribution, age, and growth of young-of-the year greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) associated with pelagic Sargassum. Fishery Bulletin, 102(3), 545-554.