1 Introduction

At the June 2022 Council meeting, the Council requested a list of data needed for a better understanding of the recreational fishery. The report describes the number of fish caught (kept + released), kept, and released in the recreational fishery (private recreational, charter, and headboat) by combining datasets from the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) and the Southeast Region Headboat Survey. NOTE: The estimates of landings for Red Snapper come from MRIP and are substainally higher than estimates that are used to monitor catch for comparison with annual catch limits.

The figures includes data from 1984 to 2021 collected in the South Atlantic region (North Carolina/Virgina border through Monroe County) with most of the graphs focusing on the last five years (2017 to 2021). Data are presented by state for North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Florida is separated into three regions: north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), and south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe) (Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1: Map of state and area codes.

2 Spatial Plots

In the following plots, recreational data are presented with landings on the x-axis and location on the y-axis for 12 assessed species in the South Atlantic region organized alphabetically. Figure 2.1 includes landings and releases from 1984 to 2021. The remaining graphs focus on 2017 to 2021 (catch (Figure 2.2) , number kept (Figure 2.3), and number released (Figure 2.4)). For each graph, average landings are scaled within a species by area (circle size) and among species (circle color). For example, a large circle for Black Grouper off south Florida relative to all other circles in the Black Grouper graph indicates most of the catch of Black Grouper is coming from south Florida. The color of the circle indicates relative catch levels across species with red indicating low and purple indicating high. In Figure 2.1, the color of the circle for Black Grouper catch is red (low) indicating catch is low relative to other species such as Yellowtail Snapper and White Grunt with purple and blue circles (high).

Average annual number of kept and released fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 1984 to 2021 by state or area. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species, and color is relative across species.

Figure 2.1: Average annual number of kept and released fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 1984 to 2021 by state or area. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species, and color is relative across species.

Average annual number of kept and released fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species, and color is relative across species.

Figure 2.2: Average annual number of kept and released fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species, and color is relative across species.

Average annual number of kept fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species, and color is relative across species.

Figure 2.3: Average annual number of kept fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species, and color is relative across species.

Average annual number of released fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species, and color is relative across species.

Figure 2.4: Average annual number of released fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species, and color is relative across species.

3 Seasonal Plots

In the following plots, recreational data are presented with wave on the x-axis and landings on the y-axis for 12 assessed species in the South Atlantic region organized alphabetically. The graphs focus on 2017 to 2021 (catch (Figure 3.1), number kept (Figure 3.2), and number released (Figure 3.3)). For each graph, landings are scaled among species based on bar height.

Average number of fish caught (kept + released) by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by wave.

Figure 3.1: Average number of fish caught (kept + released) by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by wave.

Average number of fish kept by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by wave.

Figure 3.2: Average number of fish kept by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by wave.

Average number of fish released by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by wave.

Figure 3.3: Average number of fish released by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by wave.

4 Seasonal and Spatial Plots

In the following plots, recreational data are presented with wave on the x-axis and location on the y-axis for 12 assessed species in the South Atlantic region organized alphabetically. The graphs focus on 2017 to 2021 (catch (Figure 4.1), number kept (Figure 4.2), and number released (Figure 4.3)). For each graph, the size of the bubble indicates relative landings for the area and wave combination. Bubble size is not comparable across species.

Average annual number of fish caught (kept + released) by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area and wave. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species.

Figure 4.1: Average annual number of fish caught (kept + released) by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area and wave. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species.

Average annual number of kept fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area and wave. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species.

Figure 4.2: Average annual number of kept fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area and wave. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species.

Average annaul number of released fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area and wave. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species.

Figure 4.3: Average annaul number of released fish by the recreational sector (private rec, charter, and headboat, sources: MRIP and SRHS) in the snapper grouper complex with assessments in the South Atlantic region from 2017 to 2021 by state or area and wave. State and areas included are North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), north Florida (N FL, counties include Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns, Flagler, Volusia), central Florida (C FL, counties include Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie), south Florida (S FL, counties include Martin, West Palm, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe). Size of the circle is relative catch level for the species.