THE GULF OF MEXICO ECOSYSTEM: A COASTAL AND MARINE ATLAS
el. Due to the overlap of the different life stages in areas of occupation, only select seasons are used to represent life stage distribution in the Gulf. The coastal and estuarine September and November delineations of egg and larvae distribution are used to show the importance of these habitats to the reproductive cycle of red drum. The greatest extent of adult distribution in the Gulf is during spring and summer, which are the seasons used here to show the maximum likely adult distribution. The primary spawning season of August to October is illustrated to show the areas important for adult red drum spawning (Wilson & Nieland, 1994). Due to the lack of a Gulf-wide abundance database for this species, essential fish habitat designation extent is used to illustrate the use of coastal rivers for red drum for reproduction and development. Red drum essential fish habitat (EFH) includes all Gulf estuaries in U.S. waters, extending seaward to different depths depending on the location. Boundaries for EFH during the different life stages were derived using all available distribution data points or known samples and were generated using a 95 percent probability envelope surrounding all sample points.
Data Quality Data quality for red drum distribution in U.S. waters is fair because of the lack of supporting documentation that provides information on the data used to build the life stage distribution models. While these distribution delineation models are generally accepted by the fisheries management community, lack of supporting documentation to verify the models reduces the quality of data. While the geographic range of this species extends from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to as far south as Tuxpan, Veracruz, no data were located for their distribution in Mexican waters. Synthesis and Conclusions In the U.S. portion of the Gulf, all estuaries are classified as EFH for red drum. Adult red drum can also occur offshore. Red drum fisheries in federal waters have been closed since the 1980s, when sharp declines in the spawning population were documented following years of heavy fishing. The only fisheries open today are in state waters. Impacts on red drum resulting from the DWH oil disaster are still not known, but continued long-term research and monitoring are essential to understand the related sublethal impacts on this species.
Text Citations Davis, J. T. (1990). Red drum: Biology and life history. (Southern Regional Aquaculture Center Publication No. 320). College Station, TX: Texas A&M University. Retrieved from https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/ event/getFactSheet/whichfactsheet/59/ Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). (2010, August 26). Fisheries-independent monitoring red drum hatchery release program. Retrieved from http://research.myfwc.com/features/ view_article.asp?id=7545 Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council (GMFMC). (2004). Final environmental impact statement for the generic essential fish habitat amendment to the fishery management plan of the Gulf of Mexico. Tampa, FL: Author. Louisiana Sea Grant. (2010, August 26). Understanding redfish biology. Retrieved from http://www. seagrantfish.lsu.edu/resources/factsheets/redfish.htm Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR). (2012). Commercial spotted seatrout, red drum and flounder seasons to open Jan. 1, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.dmr.ms.gov/news-a-events/recentnews/275-11-133-jgl
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