Multidecadal Evidence of Recovery of Nearshore Red Drum Stocks off West-Central Florida and Connectivity with Inshore Nurseries

The importance of defining and quantifying ontogenetic movements and connectivity between juvenile and adult fish populations, especially for exploited species, has been well documented. Furthermore, the persistence of strong year-classes can be used to track the success of regulations that contribute to the increased survival and escapement of fish into the adult population. Size and age structures of Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus were documented within the Tampa Bay estuary, in southwest Florida, using haul seines and trammel nets (1989-2008), and in nearshore Gulf of Mexico waters using a commercial purse seine (2005-2008). In the estuary, juvenile Red Drum (<100-mm TL) were collected from low-salinity backwater areas, and peaks in the annual relative abundance were apparent. In the estuary, Red Drum older than age 4 (>800-mm TL) were rare. Red Drum from nearshore gulf waters ranged from 2 to 35 years of age (674-1,074-mm TL), but most were greater than age 4. After back-calculating ages from Red Drum collected in the estuary and in nearshore gulf waters, we found that specific year-classes of Red Drum, driven by strong juvenile recruitment, were disproportionately represented in the adult spawning stock. We evaluated the long-term effectiveness of fishing regulations as a tool for rebuilding local adult Red Drum stocks by comparing data on size and age structures with results from earlier research conducted in the same geographic area. Adult Red Drum in nearshore waters off Tampa Bay were significantly longer, heavier, and older than were individuals collected a decade earlier, suggesting rebuilding of local Red Drum stocks. These observations validate the utility of long-term, multigear monitoring efforts to track populations from the estuary to nearshore coastal waters.