Comparing Reproductive Activity of Adult-Sized Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) on Nearshore and Offshore Artificial Reefs in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) stocks are overfished and recovering slowly. Seasonal closures in summer, when red snapper spawning peaks, could increase recruitment rates and, subsequently, stock recovery rates. Due to regional variations in spawning seasonality, determining when reproduction peaks throughout the species’ distribution is essential. In south Texas, where warmer water temperatures may illicit prolonged spawning periods, reproductive trends are unstudied. To quantify red snapper reproduction, we will use ovarian histology to assess reproductive state, and reproductive characteristics will be estimated. To establish seasonality, adult-sized red snapper will be collected quarterly from four artificial reef sites in south Texas, of which two are in state managed waters (nearshore and fished year-round) and two in federally managed waters (offshore and fished <1 mo/yr).  We expect greater offshore protection will afford higher densities and bigger fish (confirmed by preliminary results), yielding a higher reproductive output.  Larger fish offshore could be the result of varying levels of fishing pressure, offshore migration as fish mature, or a combination of both. Regardless, this study will illustrate the timing and intensity of red snapper reproduction in nearshore and offshore south Texas stocks and will ultimately be very useful to Texas fishery managers.