Snapper and Shark Longline Surveys

In the above photo, longlining is conducted from the starboard side of the GORDON GUNTER. The ship conducts Snapper and Shark Longlining in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea along the coasts of the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. The primary objective of these cruises is to collect data to estimate the abundance and distribution of large red snappers in deep waters off the northern Texas coast. The secondary objective is to tag sharks and collect abundance and distribution data on all species of sharks. During longline cruises the vessel will deploy as much as 1.5 miles of longline (monofilament) with 100 baited hooks. When deployed, the longline fishes at a depth of 5-40 fathoms. During longline operations the CTD, Neuston, XBT and Bongo sampling devices may be deployed as well.