Age, Growth, and Reproduction of Red Snapper in Florida Waters

Futch, Rena; Bruger, Gerard

Investigations of the life history of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, were conducted in the Gulf of Mexico off the west ooast of Florida from 1972 to 1975. Catches from party boats fishing west of Clearwater Beach, Fla. at depths of 15-30 fathoms were sampled regularly. Two hundred and forty fish were used in age and growth analyses. Ages, derived from otolith examination, ranged from 1 to 5 years, but ages greater than 20 years can be expected. Annuli are formed on otoliths at a time coinciding with spawning season. Sexual dimorphism is not apparent in the length-weight relationship,and the equation for this relationship is log W = 2.99420 log Fl - 4.77239. Back-calculated fork lengths are consistent with data from tagging and other studies. Red snapper are opportunistic, polyphagous feeders, often consuming items not associated with reef-type environments. Sexual maturity is reached at 2+ years, and spawning occurs from July through October. Spawning apparently does not occur within our study area. Data on the fishery are presented and show that a large proportion of immature fish are being caught.