FishWatch

Harvesting Vermilion Snapper

Vermilion snapper is one of the most frequently caught snapper along the southeastern coast. In the South Atlantic, vermilion snapper is harvested in the snapper grouper fishery, mainly from North Carolina to northeast Florida. In the Gulf, vermilion snapper is harvested in the reef fish fishery along with other snapper and grouper species, mainly off the Gulf coast of Florida and Texas. In the U.S. Caribbean, vermilion snapper is also harvested in the reef fish fishery along with other snapper and grouper species.

In all regions, commercial fishermen primarily use vertical hook-and-line gear (handline and bandit gear) to catch snapper. While it has minimal impacts on habitat, hook-and-line gear can incidentally catch other finfish. Fishermen in the Gulf and South Atlantic are required to use circle hooks and dehooking devices to improve the chance of survival of any unintentionally caught fish. In the Gulf of Mexico, they're also required to use venting tools when necessary. (When reef fish are brought quickly to the surface by hook and line, the gas in their swimbladder can overexpand. Venting tools help deflate the expanded swimbladder, preventing serious injury to the fish.) Management also prohibits the use of trawl gear, fish traps, entanglement nets, and bottom longlines (in certain areas) in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to reduce bycatch. Several areas are also closed to fishing to protect sensitive snapper and grouper populations. Similarly, in the U.S. Caribbean, fishing with pots, traps, bottom longlines, gillnets, or trammel nets is prohibited year-round in certain areas to reduce any adverse fishing impacts in federal waters.

Management

Who’s in charge? NOAA Fisheries and the South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils

Current management:
South Atlantic: Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region

• Commercial fishermen must have a permit to harvest snappers and groupers. Managers limit the number of permits to control participation in the fishery and potential harvest rates.
• Annual catch limit divided between the commercial and recreational sectors; the commercial quota is further divided between two 6-month fishing seasons. Managers set annual catch limits at levels that will prevent overfishing. When the commercial annual catch limit is harvested, the vermilion snapper fishery is closed for the rest of the year, protecting the resource from overharvest.
• Limit on the amount that a commercial vessel can harvest per fishing trip.
• Several "marine protected areas" are closed to fishing for and possession of snapper and grouper to protect a portion of the population and habitat of long-lived deepwater snapper-grouper species.
• Minimum size limit to slow the rate of harvest and to protect spawning stocks and juveniles.
• Gear restrictions prohibit the use of trawls, traps, and longlines (in some areas) to reduce bycatch.

Gulf of Mexico: Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan

• Commercial fishermen must have a permit to harvest reef fish.
• Minimum size limit to slow the rate of harvest and to protect spawning stocks and juveniles.
• Gear requirements and restrictions to reduce bycatch.
• Areas closed to fishing to protect sensitive fish populations and habitats.
• Annual catch limit to prevent overfishing, and measures to respond if the limit is exceeded (closing the fishery in season if harvests are projected to exceed the limit).

Caribbean: Fishery Management Plan for the Shallow Water Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

• Fishing with pots, traps, bottom longlines, gillnets, or trammel nets is prohibited year-round in certain areas to reduce any adverse fishing impacts in federal waters.
• Seasonal closure from October 1 through December 31 to protect the species during spawning.
• Annual catch limits and accountability measures for Snapper Unit 1, which includes vermilion snapper.

Annual Harvest

Commercial fishermen brought over 3 million pounds of vermilion snapper to port in 2010. Over a third of this was harvested off the west coast of Florida.

Economy

The 2010 commercial harvest of vermilion snapper was valued at more than $7.85 million.

Data on imports and exports do not differentiate between different species of snapper and grouper. In general, imported snappers and groupers are dominant in the U.S. market, with imports far exceeding the amount supplied by U.S. commercial fisheries.

Recreational

Vermilion snapper are also a popular catch for recreational fishermen. In all areas, managers have established annual catch limits for vermilion snapper, as well as measures to respond if these catch limits are exceeded. In the South Atlantic, there's a limit on how many vermilion snapper a fisherman can catch per day as well as a limit on the minimum size that can be caught. The recreational fishing season is closed from November through the end of March.

In the Gulf of Mexico, there's also a limit on how many vermilion snapper a fisherman can catch per day (as part of the reef fish aggregate bag limit) as well as a limit on the minimum size that can be caught.

In the Caribbean, there's a limit on the amount of vermilion snapper a fishermen or vessel can land per day, within the aggregate bag limit including snapper, grouper, and parrotfish.