Biotelemetry based estimates of greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) post-release mortality in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Jackson, L., S., Drymon, J., M., Nelson, T., R., & Powers, S., P. Fisheries Research, 208:239-246, Elsevier B.V., 12, 2018.
Biotelemetry based estimates of greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) post-release mortality in the northern Gulf of Mexico [pdf]Paper  doi  abstract   bibtex   1 download  
The Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) stock has been designated as “overfished” by the National Marine Fisheries Service and is currently under a rebuilding plan. Its fishery in the Gulf of Mexico is dominated by recreational landings, where 75% of the total recreational catch are regulatory discards; as such, uncertainty regarding the post-release mortality rate represents a data deficiency in the stock assessment. To determine post-release mortality, a combination of acoustic and pop-up satellite archival transmitting (PSAT) tags were used to monitor the release fate and depth-use of greater amberjack. Thirty-six greater amberjack were tagged with acoustic transmitters at two sites in the northern GOM and monitored for up to 30 days. Sublegal-sized fish (n = 18) ranged from 591 to 740 mm FL (mean = 674.6 ± 40.6 SE) and legal-sized fish (n = 18) ranged from 768 to 1081 mm FL (mean = 871.3 ± 77.5 SE). All 36 fish were detected in the array after release. Based on examination of time series depth profiles, post-release mortality was estimated to be 18.8% ± 6.9%, strikingly similar to the estimate used in the most recent stock assessment. Stepwise model selection using AIC identified the Cox proportional hazards model containing only release condition as the most parsimonious model to predict post-release mortality. Despite differences in depth between the two tagging sites, fish showed slight, but consistent, size-specific segregation patterns. Our findingsadd to a body of literature demonstrating that biotelemetry is an effective tool in catch and release mortality studies, and provide best practices that can aid in the recovery of this stock.

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