Scyphers Lab at the University of South Alabama
GREAT RED SNAPPER COUNT
With funding from Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, we are collaborating with Dr. Marcus Drymon (Mississippi State University / MS-AL Sea Grant) and fisheries scientists across the Gulf to conduct survey research on angler perceptions of Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) populations, fisheries, and management.
Latest Updates
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We’ve now completed our survey of 1000 saltwater anglers. Here’s a sneak peak at a few key findings that we are currently writing up:
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Red Snapper is considered the single most important reef fish species by ~50% of Gulf anglers.
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Roughly 60% of anglers were aware of the Great Red Snapper Count, with the “tagging and rewards” program the most widely known.
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Awareness of the Great Red Snapper Count was associated with higher satisfaction with Red Snapper populations and management
Our Collaborations:
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Dr. Marcus Drymon, Mississippi State University & Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant
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Dr. Greg Stunz, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Funding:
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This study was funded as a supplement to the NOAA Sea Grant award for the project “Estimating the Absolute Abundance of Red Snapper in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico” (PI: Greg Stunz, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi) through a subaward from Mississippi-State University.
SHORELINES iNATURALIST PROJECT
HURRICANE MICHAEL
Here is the link to the Hurricane Michael Story Map:
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https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4324ed8427964ca18bdfdec9cbe5397b
AMBERJACK PROJECT
Our work included network analysis, interviews and collaborative modeling as we conducted a study to estimate the abundance of Greater Amberjack.
​The overarching research focus of our study was to determine GAJ abundance variations among habitats (artificial, natural, and unknown/unconsolidated bottom [UCB]) and regions, as well as to demonstrate the limited connectivity between South America and Gulf of Mexico regions with a mixing zone near the Florida Keys. ​​
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Key findings of this project :
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eDNA sampling during the fisheries survey was much faster than camera surveys (15 minutes versus 2 hours).
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Both eDNA and cameras consistently found S. dumerili and S. rivoliana, but neither detected S. fasciata or S. zonata.
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eDNA levels for S. dumerili were higher than for S. rivoliana, matching camera observations.
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eDNA results closely matched camera/ROV data with a very high correlation (r = 0.97).
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Funding/Collaborators:
​The Greater Amberjack Research Project was funded by the National Sea Grant College Program and National Marine Fisheries Service. In this project we worked along side Dr. Marcus Drymon, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University, who also worked at South and Sea Lab.
REEF FISHERIES EXTENSION PROJECT
Our work included network analysis, interviews and collaborative modeling we studied the disconnect that erodes stakeholder faith in the credibility of scientific findings.
The overarching research question of our study was: How can we work directly with stakeholders on a consistent basis to identify pressing research needs and communicate those needs to the scientific and management community?
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Funding/Collaborators:
​The project was funded by the National Sea grant office. The collaborators include a range of Sea Grant leads, university scientists, and fishery management council representatives. For instance we worked along side the project lead, Marcus Drymon as well as many other leads from different states.
Here is the link to the learn more about the reef fisheries extension project:
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ADAPTIVE CAPACITY PROJECT
Our work included a public document review followed by semi-structured interviews in a focus group setting as we studied the impacts of risks perceived by five distinct commercial fishing fleets operating in the North Pacific and New England regions.
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The overarching research question of our study was: How could we work with participants in each fishery to develop a fleet-specific adaptive capacity framework for perceptions of environmental, social, economic, and regulatory risks? We used the resultant distribution to gain a novel perspective on fleet similarities and differences, as well as the context for developing a generalized framework for future fishery resilience assessments. We concluded that U.S. commercial fisheries face a broader set of shared risks than public documents reveal especially from climate shifts, regulation, and market pressures and that more ecosystem-based, participatory management is needed to build resilience and better incorporate fishermen’s knowledge.
Key Findings:
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Public records missed many risks that focus groups revealed, especially about business operations, safety, and management.
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All five fisheries shared similar concerns: climate impacts, regulatory changes, market instability, and competition with other ocean sectors.
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Climate shifts affect target species and fishing operations.
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Managers should use ecosystem-based, participatory approaches to better include fishermen’s knowledge and improve resilience.
Funding/Collaborators:
This project was supported by funding from the North Pacific Research Board. We collaborated with researchers at Alaska Pacific University, Northeastern University, and NOAA Fisheries. We also worked closely with fishing industry stakeholders in five commercial fisheries: Alaskan Halibut, Bering Sea Pollock, Central Gulf of Alaska Trawl, Northeast Groundfish, and Atlantic Sea Scallop.
Relevant Research Papers:
Threats Perceived by Five Prominent U.S. Commercial Fisheries