Wreckfish (Polyprion americanus)

• Only 4 vessels currently participate in the wreckfish fishery so harvest is very low, and the population is estimated to be at healthy levels.
• The wreckfish fishery is highly regulated and is a fishery management success story. Regulations have allowed some fishermen to catch and sell the fish to the fish-consuming public, while still maintaining a sustained population.
• Wreckfish is a lowfat, high protein source of B vitamins and minerals, including selenium. For more on nutrition, see Nutrition Facts. (USDA)
• Most of the wreckfish on the U.S. market is caught domestically. The supply of wreckfish in the market is limited from mid-January to mid-April when the fishery is closed to allow wreckfish to spawn.

Sustainability Status

Biomass: Not available
Overfishing: No
Overfished: Unknown*
Fishing and habitat: Heavy-duty hydraulic reels with 1/8 inch cable are used to fish wreckfish. Heavy weights and multiple circle hooks baited with squid are attached to the cable. The gear is used just above the bottom with the boat under power and does not impact bottom habitat.
Bycatch: There is minimal bycatch in the wreckfish fishery.
Aquaculture: There is currently no commercial aquaculture of wreckfish in the United States.

*Although the overfished status is not known, landings are at extremely low levels and there are only four participants in the fishery.

Science and Management

The only fishery for wreckfish in North America is located in the Atlantic Ocean off South Carolina on the Charleston Bump. The Bump is the only place in U.S. waters where wreckfish occur in numbers large enough to support a fishery. This fishery is managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council under the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. An annual permit is required to fish for, land, or sell wreckfish. Bottom longlining for wreckfish is prohibited (only vertical hook and line may be used), and the wreckfish fishery is closed during their spawning season (mid-January to mid-April). The fishery is also managed under an Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) system. Under the ITQ system, each wreckfish fisherman owns a share of the 2 million pound quota and can choose to fish it anytime during the open season. This prevents an opening day rush to bring the fish to market and assures fishermen of a stable, reasonable price. No recreational harvest allowed for wreckfish.

Life History and Habitat

Life history, including information on the habitat, growth, feeding, and reproduction of a species, is important because it affects how a fishery is managed. The biology of wreckfish is not well-known. Fishery biologists do know that wreckfish are long-lived and slow-growing and that their habitat is fairly limited. Because of this, biologists, fishermen, and managers recognized that the wreckfish resource could not support unlimited expansion. As a result, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council implemented a fishery management plan that included a total allowable catch, a closure of the fishery during spawning season, banning of bottom longlines, and an individual transferable quota system.

• Geographic range: Wreckfish are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Norway to South Africa, including the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Madeira, Cape Verde, and Tristan da Cunha. In the western Atlantic Ocean, they range from Grand Banks, Newfoundland, to La Plata River, Argentina. Wreckfish are also found in the western Indian Ocean and in the Southwest Pacific Ocean near New Zealand.
• Habitat: In general, wreckfish inhabit depths ranging from 140 feet up to 3,300 feet. They are found in surface waters for the first several years of their life, often associating with floating debris. As adults, wreckfish are attracted to steep, rocky bottoms and deep reefs, which provide food and shelter. They are often associated with caves and overhangs.
• Life span: Long-lived
• Food: Fish and squid
• Growth rate: Slow
• Maximum size: Large, about 220 pounds in weight and 6.5 feet in length.
• Reaches reproductive maturity: The smallest mature female found in studies was 33.5 inches and the smallest mature male was 31 inches.
• Reproduction: Wreckfish are gonochorists, meaning that males and females are sexually distinct. Eggs are fertilized externally. Wreckfish spawn multiple times per season.
• Spawning season: January to mid-April
• Spawning grounds: The only known spawning ground of wreckfish in the western Atlantic is the Charleston Bump, located 80 to 100 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. The Bump is a deepwater bank that rises up from the Blake Plateau at depths of over 2,300 feet to 1,230 feet. From there, the bottom plunges 410 feet in a series of steep slopes with rocky cliffs, overhangs, and caves.
• Migrations: Wreckfish migrate throughout the North Atlantic during its life cycle.
• Predators: None known.
• Commercial or recreational interest: Commercial
• Distinguishing characteristics: Wreckfish are a bass-like species that are bluish grey above and paler below with a silvery sheen. Their fins are blackish brown. Juveniles have black blotches on their head and body. Wreckfish have a big mouth with big head and a rough bony ridge across the upper part of the gill cover. (Fishbase)

Role in the Ecosystem

Wreckfish is a large predator in the dynamic food chain of the Charleston Bump. The Charleston Bump deflects the Gulf Stream offshore, which causes upwelling of nutrient-rich water that supports the growth and production of tiny plants (phytoplankton), and the (tiny animals) zooplankton that feed on them. Fish in the water column migrate upward at night to feed on the zooplankton near the surface. During the day, these midwater fish return to the deep to avoid predators and digest their meal in the deep, dark, cooler waters. However, the Charleston Bump rises up and reaches into the layers where these well-fed fish, squid, and shrimp rest during the day. The deep-living wreckfish lurk in caves and under overhangs on the Bump and come out to feed while the midwater fish are migrating during the day.

Additional Information

Market names: Sea Bass, Wreckfish
Vernacular name: None

Biomass

Biomass refers to the amount of wreckfish in the ocean. Scientists cannot collect and weigh every single fish to determine biomass, so they use mathematical models to estimate it instead. These biomass estimates can help determine if a stock is being fished too heavily or if it may be able to tolerate more fishing pressure. Managers can then make appropriate changes in the regulations of the fishery.

The wreckfish population off the southeastern United States was last assessed in 2001. Overfishing occurred prior to 1994, leading to depressed levels of stock biomass. Biomass declined from high values in 1988-1989 until about 1997. However, fishing rates have since declined, and spawning potential and recruitment have been increasing since 1994. The results of this assessment should be viewed with some caution – wreckfish are fished upon in other areas, and there is insufficient data available on the entire stock, especially from the eastern North Atlantic areas.

Landings

Landings refer to the amount of catch that is brought to land. The southeastern wreckfish fishery began in 1987 with two vessels landing wreckfish off South Carolina. Initial catch rates were impressive, ranging between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds per 7 to 8 day trip. The fishery expanded rapidly since then. In 1988, six vessels participated in the fishery and by 1989, 25 vessels were fishing for wreckfish. Landings increased even further in 1990 as more than 80 vessels were fishing for the species, and prices for the species declined. An individual transferable quota program was implemented in 1992 to manage the resource and preserve the fishery's economic viability. There are currently four vessels operating in the fishery. Landings data has been confidential since 2001 because so few vessels are involved, but the average landings have been below about 10% of the Total Allowable Catch (2 million pounds) from 2001 to 2007.

Biomass and Landings

Are landings and biomass related? Landings are dependent on biomass, management measures in the fishery, and fishing effort.

Data sources:
Landings and vessel information from NMFS Annual Landings Statistics using "WRECKFISH" as Species and "ALL STATES" as State; personal communication with the Southeast Fisheries Science Center; Assessment of the Wreckfish Fishery on the Blake Plateau (PDF)

Important Dates

1987 – Southeastern wreckfish fishery begins with two vessels landing the species in South Carolina
1988 – Six vessels participate in the U.S. wreckfish fishery
1989 – 25 vessels fish for wreckfish in the U.S.
1990 – As many as 80 boats participate in the wreckfish fishery
1990 – A management program is established for the wreckfish fishery under the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. Requires an annual permit to fish for, land, or sell wreckfish, establishes a fishing year beginning April 16 and a process whereby annual quotas would be specified, and implemented a 10,000 pound trip limit and a January 15 to April 15 season closure.
1991 – Amendment 4 to the Snapper Grouper FMP prohibits the use of various gear including bottom longlines for wreckfish.
1991 – Amendment 5 to the Snapper Grouper FMP establishes an Individual Transferable Quota management program for the wreckfish fishery; implemented in 1992

Notes and Links

General Information:
NOAA Ocean Explorer - A Profile of the Charleston Bump

NOAA Ocean Explorer - The Charleston Bump: A Deep Reef 'Island' in the Gulf Stream

NOAA Ocean Explorer - Expanding Fisheries and Fishery Potential on the Blake Plateau

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Fish ID for Wreckfish

S.C. Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Initiative - Wreckfish Fact Sheet

Fishery Management:
Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan

History of Management for the FMP for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region

Description and Evaluation of the Wreckfish Fishery Under Individual Transferable Quotas

Stock Assessments:
Assessment of the Wreckfish Fishery on the Blake Plateau (PDF)