Fatal occupational injuries in the U.S. commercial fishing industry: risk factors and recommendations, Gulf of Mexico Region.

Abstract.—Red snapper Lutjanus campechanus were sampled from commercial landings from the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) off Louisiana from October 2001 to May 2004. Fork length (FL), eviscerated weight, otoliths (both sagittae), and sex determinations were taken from 2,900 specimens; FL was subsequently converted to total length (TL) with the equation TL = 1.073 (FL) + 3.56. Red snapper ages (N = 2,867) estimated from counts of opaque annuli in otoliths ranged from 1 to 14 years; however, the vast majority (97.7%) of these were ages 2 to 6 years and the modal age was 3 years. Total lengths among 2,897 specimens ranged from 278 to 940 mm, modal TL was 400 mm, and 98% of all specimens were less than 600 mm TL. We also investigated the fate of red snapper regulatory discards (individuals <381 mm [15 in] TL) during 16 trips on working commercial vessels; over two-thirds of 4,839 red snapper assigned among four discard fate categories (ranging from alive and vigorous to dead) were returned to the water either in moribund or dead condition. Among 399 potential discards retained for age and length analyses, 86% were between 12 and 15 in (305–381 mm) TL and 85% were 2 years of age. The minimum size regulation appears to do little to protect juvenile red snapper from commercial fishing mortality. Heavy red snapper mortality, which begins as bycatch mortality in shrimp trawls, continues as discard mortality at sub-legal lengths when they first recruit to the offshore fishing grounds, and persists as harvest mortality among the youngest legal year- and size-classes. If the minimum size limit is intended to provide a respite from such mortality, a reconsideration of the utility of the minimum length regulation in the commercial harvest of red snapper may be warranted.

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Economic Impacts of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Recreational For-Hire Fishing Industry

Human Dimensions of Wildlife ◽

10.1080/10871209.2014.843220 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 72-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michelle A. Savolainen ◽

J. Matthew Fannin ◽

Rex H. Caffey

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Economic Impacts ◽

Fishing Industry ◽

The U.S

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Mitigating Impacts of Natural Hazards on Fishery Ecosystems

Mitigating Impacts of Natural Hazards on Fishery Ecosystems ◽

10.47886/9781934874011.ch12 ◽

2008 ◽

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Hurricane Katrina ◽

New Orleans ◽

Natural Hazards ◽

Coastal Communities ◽

Fishing Communities ◽

Commercial Fishing ◽

Fishing Industry ◽

Northern Gulf Of Mexico

Abstract.—On 29 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina came ashore devastating coastal communities in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This paper examines the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on two fishing communities in Louisiana: Grand Isle and the Empire- Venice area. Both of these areas were heavily involved in the commercial fishing industry before the hurricane hit. Empire-Venice is one of the top commercial fishing ports by volume of landings in the country. As the storm crossed the wetlands south of New Orleans, boats were sunk, houses and businesses were destroyed, and lives were changed, in some cases, perhaps, forever.

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