Key Takeaways

• The ASMFC’s recent Red Drum Stock Assessment, discussed at CRD’s Finfish Advisory Panel meeting on Nov. 20, will inform potential regulation changes at the ASMFC’s spring 2025 meeting.
   
• Dr. Jared Flowers presented findings focused on the southern red drum stock in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, using data through 2021 and evaluating juveniles, subadults, and adults.
   
• The assessment revealed that red drum are overfished (too few fish to sustain reproduction) and experiencing overfishing (too many being caught), with a spawning potential ratio (SPR) below the sustainable 40 percent target and below the 30 percent overfishing threshold.
   
• Juvenile recruitment has declined since the 2000s due to environmental factors or spawning challenges, while limited data on adults makes estimating their population trends difficult.
   
• Increased fishing effort and discard mortality contribute to rising fishing removals, though Florida’s regulatory changes have reduced catches there, with South Carolina and Georgia showing stable trends.
   
• The study stressed the need for proactive management, including reducing fishing pressure and enhancing adult red drum data collection, as recovery could take decades if biomass levels fall too low.

Narrative

The ASMFC’s recent Red Drum Stock Assessment was discussed during CRD’s Finfish Advisory Panel meeting Nov. 20. 

This stock assessment will be used by the ASMFC when it makes potential regulation change recommendations to Georgia at its upcoming spring 2025 meeting.

Dr. Jared Flowers, CRD’s Research and Surveys Unit Lead, presented the findings, which focused on evaluating the health of the southern red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) stock in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. The assessment relied on data through 2021 and evaluated various life stages, including juveniles, subadults, and adults, to provide a comprehensive population status.

Key findings revealed a concerning trend: red drum are both overfished (not enough fish in the population to reproduce at sustainable levels) and experiencing overfishing (too many fish being caught). Overfishing was determined based on a spawning potential ratio (SPR), which measures the reproductive capacity of the stock.

The target SPR for sustainability is 40 percent, with a threshold of 30 percent defining overfishing. Recent estimates show SPR below the threshold, indicating overfishing is occurring. Similarly, spawning stock biomass (SSB), which measures the total reproductive stock, has declined, placing the population in the overfished category.

Trends show juvenile red drum recruitment has been highly variable, with a general decline since the 2000s. This decline may result from environmental factors or changes in spawning success. While juvenile data is robust, the model struggled to estimate adult population trends due to limited data. This shortfall highlights challenges in assessing a species where only a small portion of its 40-year lifespan is targeted by anglers. Most red drum in Georgia’s slot limit are around 3 years old.

Fishing mortality has increased over time, driven by higher effort and removals. Discard mortality also plays a role in total removals, but current estimates may underrepresent its impact. Notably, Florida’s recent regulatory changes have led to reduced catches in that state, while South Carolina and Georgia have shown relative stability in removals.

The study emphasized the need for proactive management to prevent further population declines. The long lifespan of red drum means recovery could take decades if biomass levels fall too low. Management strategies will likely focus on reducing fishing pressure and improving monitoring of adult red drum populations.

The assessment underscores the importance of maintaining sufficient spawning stock biomass to ensure long-term sustainability. Enhanced data collection, especially for adult red drum, and collaborative regional management will be crucial in addressing the challenges posed by the current overfished status.

Download the ASMFC's 2024 Red Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment Report

Questions?

Contact CRD's Research and Survey's Unit Lead, Dr. Jared Flowers, at jared.flowers@dnr.ga.gov or by calling 912-264-7218.