Funding opportunity to design red snapper population assessment

May 16, 2016

Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant programs accepting proposals for 2017 red snapper work

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, on behalf of the Sea Grant college programs in the Gulf of Mexico region and NOAA Fisheries, is accepting proposals to develop an experimental design(s) that will be incorporated into larger advanced technology and mark-recapture requests for proposals planned for Fiscal Year 2017.

The design will be used to assess the population of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) on artificial reefs and other structures, and as the basis for a Gulf-wide estimate (with estimates also produced for natural habitats) of absolute abundance. The design may include traditional tagging methods and/or advanced technology for a large-scale field projects to be used in red snapper stock assessments.

The red snapper is a popular target of sportfishers and the commercial fishing industry throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Historical overharvesting resulted in a depleted population, but under current management measures the population is recovering, with full recovery expected by 2032. Some controversy surrounds the current stock assessment for red snapper, particularly with regard to accuracy of population estimates on artificial reefs and other structures considered to be difficult to sample using trawl surveys. Given this, interest exists in the development of an independent estimate of red snapper abundance in the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico. There are two main objectives for the proposed program:

Assess the population of red snapper and provide a Gulf-wide estimate of red snapper that are two years old and older
Estimate biological parameters, such as growth and natural mortality rates

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program and NOAA Fisheries is providing funding for this two-phase red snapper research competition.

The deadline for letters of intent for the design phase of this research effort is 5 p.m. Central Time on Friday, June 3, 2016. See full announcement for detailed information.

Four people install substrate for an oyster reef.

Alaska

Biden-Harris Administration invests $60 million to build a climate-ready workforce through Investing in America agenda

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced $60 million in funding to help train and place people in jobs that advance a climate-ready workforce for coastal and Great Lakes states, Tribes and Territories as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda under the Inflation Reduction Act. To date, awards like these from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda have created more than 270,000 jobs across the country.

The funding will support nine projects around the nation, with $50 million going directly to the projects and $10 million for technical assistance to support the grantees.

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Sea Grant takes center stage in Oceanography special issue

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This special issue, published in April 2024, features 36 articles contributed by Sea Grant authors across 29 programs and the NOAA National Sea Grant Office.