UNIT 9 SOUTHEAST DRUM AND CROAKER FISHERIES

INTRODUCTION

	Important species in this unit are the Atlantic croaker, spot, red
drum, black drum, kingfishes (whiting), spotted seatrout, and other
seatrouts (Table 9-1). The drum family includes several
commercially and recreationally important fishes that have been
harvested since at least the late 1800's when commercial landings
were first estimated. Other fisheries are much more recent. A
classic example is the popularity of  blackened redfish  in the
1980's which stimulated a significant demand for red drum so that
in a few years the stock was seriously depleted. 
Most drum and croaker are harvested in state waters and are
therefore under state management. In recent years, several states
have set regulations favoring recreational use of some species,
such as the red drum. 
	Commercial adult red drum purse seining in Federal waters of the
Gulf of Mexico developed rapidly in the middle 1980's as demand
grew for  blackened redfish.  Before that, nearly all red drum were
harvested in nearshore state waters as juveniles. But as the
offshore fishery developed, it became clear that the schooling
adult redfish were extremely vulnerable to heavy harvests. Analyses
showed that long-term potential yields for this fishery required
limiting the harvest of the larger adult fish. In addition, greater
inshore redfish catches by recreational and commercial fishermen,
complicated by other factors, had cut the number of young fish that
could have replenished offshore adult stocks.
	Eventually a Red Drum Fishery Management Plan was developed for
Gulf and, later, Atlantic waters. Both plans ban red drum fishing
in Federal waters until the adult population increases in size.
This effectively bars a significant adult red drum fishery in
Federal waters as long as state rules favor substantial inshore
fishing for young red drum. State actions so far have preserved
inshore harvests and allocated most or all of the catch to sport
fishermen.

SPECIES AND STATUS

	Commercial drum landings peaked in 1956 at over 32,000 t, more than
20,000 t above the 1953 level. That great increase was stimulated
by development of raw material sources for the pet food industry
from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Atlantic croaker was sought for
pet food as well, and about 76% of the associated landings were
croaker and sand and silver seatrout. This pet food catch was
reported with the  industrial fishery  data after 1956, and
estimates of its size and value have since been unavailable. Status
and potential yields for these species are given in Table
9-1.
	The ex-vessel revenue from this group for human consumption was
about $10 million in 1978. This increased to about $22 million in
1986, largely as a result of an increase in the price of the fish.
The overall sport catch of these species has been about equal to
the commercial harvest for human consumption (Fig. 9-1).

ISSUES

Bycatch and Multispecies Interactions

	Efficient and economical means of reducing the bycatch of finfish
in the shrimp fishery must be developed. Large numbers of Atlantic
croaker, spot, and seatrout (sand, silver, spotted, etc.) are
caught and killed in shrimp trawls. Estimates of the 1972-89
bycatch in the Gulf's offshore shrimp fishery averaged about 500
million spot, 1 billion seatrout, and 7.5 billion croaker. These
species constitute the bulk of the offshore bycatch of finfish
which averaged about 175,000 t during the 1980's.