ALABAMA (WKRG) — With Alabama Red Snapper season just a day away, the University of South Alabama shared some interesting facts about the species.
Private and state-licensed charter vessel anglers can fish for Red Snapper on four-day weekends, Friday through Monday. The end date of the season coincides with when the quota of 558,200 pounds is met.
Dr. Sean Powers, director of the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, said the season will “probably close sometime around Labor Day,” according to the release.
Contents
- Five things to know:
- 92 million Red Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico
- About 100,000 Red Snapper are harvested each year in Alabama waters
- Alabama coastlines account for a third of the recreational harvest
- Most Red Snapper are found near underwater structures
- Oldest Red Snapper was 56 years old and came from Alabama coastal waters
Five things to know:
92 million Red Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico
- The Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences estimated there were 7.2 million snappers over 11 inches in 2022
About 100,000 Red Snapper are harvested each year in Alabama waters
- That is 3-4 percent of the total population over 16 inches, which is the legal catch minimum size, and 10 percent of those living near artificial reefs
Alabama coastlines account for a third of the recreational harvest
- There are more than 12,000 artificial reefs in the coastal waters off Alabama, which is the largest artificial reef zone in the world
Most Red Snapper are found near underwater structures
- According to the release, Red Snapper are “tightly associated” with underwater structures for the first eight years of their life and stay there or move to a neighboring reef
Oldest Red Snapper was 56 years old and came from Alabama coastal waters
- The researchers at the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences learn the ages of over 2,000 Red Snapper a year