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Red Snapper Discussion

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RED SNAPPER

Red Snapper: Lutjanus campechanus

Appearance

    1. Color pinkish red over entire body, whitish below

    2. Long triangular snout

    3. Anal fin is sharply pointed

    4. No dark lateral spot

    5. Red eye

    6. Juvenile red snapper occur over sandy or mud bottoms.

    7. Sexual maturity is attained at age 2.

Behaviour

    1. Red snapper feed on crustaceans and fish.
    2. Additional Information
    3. State Record: 46 lb 8 oz, caught near Destin
    4. Fishing Tips and Facts: Snappers will take soft-bodied jigs, bucktails and             spoons.
    5. Adult red snapper may live more than 20 years and attain 35 pounds or             more.

Life Cycle

What Are the Health Benefits of Red Snapper?

Red snapper is a low-calorie, lean source of protein that is rich in selenium, vitamin A, and potassium and omega-3 fatty acids. A diet that regularly incorporates these nutrients may significantly benefit your health by preventing serious medical conditions. Despite the potential health benefits, red snapper may contain mercury levels that make it unsafe for pregnant women and young children to eat more than a few times a month. Also, other potentially more contaminated species of fish are often sold mislabelled as red snapper. The Environmental Defence Fund and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch add that red snapper worldwide has been over-fished and should be replaced with Pollock, black cod or striped bass in recipes when possible. Talk to your doctor about the potential risks and benefits before making red snapper a regular part of your diet.

10 Key Facts about Red Snapper

1. Red snapper can grow to about 40 inches, weigh up to 50 pounds and live more than 50 years.
2. Red snapper begin to reproduce when they are about two years old, spawning from May to October along rocky ledges or coral reefs.
3. Fertilized eggs float on the surface and hatch within a day. Only a month later, the young fish settle out of the water column in shallow waters, and as they get older, they move to structured habitat where they will mature and eventually move to the deeper waters of the Gulf.
4. Bigger, older red snappers produce many more eggs than young ones. One 24-inch female red snapper (about 8 years old) produces as many fish as 212 17-inch females (about 5 years old) Most red snapper caught in the Gulf today are only between four and six years old.
5. Economically, red snapper are among the most valuable fish in the Gulf. In 2011, commercial fishermen from the five Gulf states landed more than 3.2 million pounds of red snapper, sold dockside for $11.5 million.
6. They are also tasty! There are more than one million recipes for red snapper online.
7. Sport fishermen love to pursue them as well. In 2011, 3.1 million recreational anglers took more than 22 million fishing trips in the Gulf of Mexico targeting red snapper and other species. These fishing trips are a boon to the local economy.
8. Red snapper have been severely overfished in the Gulf but are now on their way back. The Gulf snapper population reached its low point the late 1980s, but since then science based and effective management and favorable conditions for reproduction have put the red snapper on the road to recovery. Since 2009 catch limits for snapper have steadily increased.
9. There is a science-based plan in place to rebuild red snapper to healthier levels. It is working but will take time. If implemented properly, management agencies hope to restore the population to sustainable levels by 2032.
10. This is the tough part. The population is recovering so people are seeing more and bigger fish in the water and in places they haven’t been seen in decades, making the fish easier to catch. This leads to higher catch rates and more fish being removed during a typical day of open recreational season for red snapper. Science-based limits critical to the successes we’ve seen are thus get reached faster resulting in shorter recreational fishing seasons.  This has been compared to taking antibiotics when you are sick—you’ll start to feel better in a few days, but if you stop taking the medicine too soon you run the risk of undoing the progress you’ve made and could get sick again. Aquaculture-Red Snapper farming in Malaysia(stac.com.my)

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REFERENCE

• http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/habitat/
• http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-red-snapper-4384.html
• http://blog.oceanconservancy.org/2013/05/20/10-key-facts-about-red-snapp/er

The Future of Aquaculture

This is our future!

As the population of the world growth larger, the aquaculture seems to have the same reaction to this changes. The aquaculture sector has grown for about 8 per cent anually over the past 20 years which is faster than any food sector. Today about 60 million tonnes of fish, mussels, crab and other aquatic organisms are farmed around the world each year. This is almost equal to the amount of ocean fish and seafood captured in the wild, which totalled 78.9 million tonnes in 2011.

Something's fishy..

Asia, particularly China, is the most important aquaculture region, currently supplying 89 per cent of global production. Aquaculture will continue to grow strongly and thus make a significant contribution to providing the global population with valuable protein. An advantage of aquaculture is that much fewer feedstuffs are needed to farm fish and seafood than beef and pigs. It takes 15 times as much feed to produce 1 kilogram of beef as to produce 1 kilogram of carp.

Aquaculture is thus a resource-efficient method of producing protein-rich food from animals. Current studies investigating likely developments to 2050 indicate that aquaculture is capable of satisfying the world population’s growing need for fish. This ongoing growth, however, must not come at the cost of the environment or the climate. It is problematic that aquaculture still requires large amounts of wild fish, which is processed into fish meal and fish oil and used as feed. Although the volumes of these commodities have been stagnating for years, in some cases they still make use of fish stocks which are not managed in a sustainable manner.

Aquaculture can thus still be a contributor to the problem of over-fishing. Efforts are now being made to reduce the amount of fish meal and fish oil used in fish farming, not least because prices have soared as a result of high demand in China. Many research groups are developing alternative types of fatty, protein-rich feed from potatoes and rapeseed. In many cases aquaculture production is still not sustainable. Facilities require too much energy and generate nutrient-rich effluent which is often channeled into rivers and coastal waters in an untreated state. The waters then become over-fertilized, causing algal bloom and oxygen-deprived dead zones. Scientists are now developing methods to analyse the full life cycle of aquaculture facilities – life cycle assessments. For some time now the industry has been testing products for their environmental compatibility, embracing all aspects from the extraction of the raw materials through to recycling. The intensive rearing of carp and shrimps in ponds is considered very harmful. It scores extremely poorly in the life cycle assessment because it uses too much feed, produces nutrient-rich effluent, and consumes large amounts of energy.

This is a sample. Cannot be consumed.

Yet in recent years environmental awareness has also become more widespread in the aquaculture sector. A change of thinking is evident, particularly in the industrialized nations which import large volumes of fish from Asia. Increasingly traders and customers are demanding goods which comply with environmental standards. For some years there have been sustainability certificates for marine capture fisheries, and products bearing this label are very much in demand. Soon the “Aquaculture Stewardship Council” certificate, a seal of approval for aquaculture operations, will be appearing on European markets. Traders and producers wishing to have this certificate must undertake to protect species, the environment and the water in farmed areas, and comply with a high level of social standards. We have an opportunity to gear the further expansion of aquaculture towards sustainability. Current environmental problems, over-fishing and climate change make this a matter of urgency.

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Aquaculture Global Production Status

Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing food producing sector in the world. It is highly diverse and the sector consists of many species, systems, practices, people, environments, and operations. Developing countries and Low Income Food Deficit Countries  (LIFDCs) produce the most .Asia produces over 90%.

Aquaculture, probably the fastest growing food producing sector, now accounts for almost 50 percent of the world’s food fish and is perceived as having the greatest potential to meet the growing demand for aquatic food. Total aquaculture production of aquatic animals (excluding aquatic plants) for 2004 was reported to be 45.5 million tonnes with a farm-gate value of US$ 63.4 billion. Given the projected population growth over the next two decades, it is estimated that at least an additional 40 million tonnes of aquatic food will be required by 2030 to maintain the current per capita consumption.

History of Aquaculture

2000–1000 B.C.

C. F. Hickling the English aquaculture author, citing S. Y. Lin a noted Chinese aquaculturist, considered the earliest beginnings of aquaculture as during the period 2000–1000 B.C. This indicated that aquaculture has a long history dating as far as 4000 years ago. However, during the period, and especially before the advent of printing, no records were available except the narratives handed down from one generation to another especially those found in the seat of power during those periods. Admittedly, China was the cradle of the beginning of aquaculture utilizing mainly the common carp (Cyprinus carpio). It is said that aquaculture as a husbandry developed in China resulting from the fact that population started to have a settled condition and has been kept as an unbroken tradition. No detailed description of aquaculture practices was however available during that early period.

500 B.C. (473 B.C. or 475 B.C.)

This year is considered of very great significance in the annals of the history of aquaculture. Many authors round the year as 500 B.C. although most agree that the exact year is 475 B.C. and some even use 473 B.C. as the period when Fan Lai (also spelled Li or Lee by some authors) wrote his book, “The Classic of Fish Culture”. This book consisted the earliest monograph of, fish culture. Although the narrative also dealt on fantasies and metaphysical aspects, it is the first to record and describe the structure of ponds, the method of propagation of the common carp and the growth of fry. Excerpts of an English translation and Chinese facsimile of this book are appended (Appendix 1 and 2).

500 B.C.-500 A.D.

This period can be considered the Golden Age of common carp culture which has continued to develop in China as well as in neighboring countries where the Chinese people migrated or have some form of foreign relations. Not only is actual progress attained in the techniques of culture but also scattered records of the culture systems were made during this period. At about this time in the Indian sub-continent, specifically during the period 321 to 300 B.C., the use of reservoirs to hold fish was first described.

618 to 906 A.D. (Tang Dynasty in China)

The reign of the Tang Dynasty is particularly significant in the history of world aquaculture. The Tang emperor in China had the family name of Li which happened to be the common name of the widely-cultivated common carp. Because of this coincidence, an imperial decree was issued prohibiting the culture as well as other activities connected with this fish. This decree, however, instead of putting a constraint to the development of aquaculture turned to be a blessing in disguise. The Chinese people who were then at the time very much engrossed in fish culture as a source of food and livelihood, looked for other species of fish for pond culture. This resulted in the discovery of the silver carp, the big-head carp, the grass carp and the mud carp, all very suitable pond culture species. It was also found that when raised in polyculture in the same pond, these species complement each other by eating different types of food and staying in different environmental strata within the pond. This led not only in the discovery of new species for culture but also in maximizing the productivity of freshwater pond culture,

906 to 1900 A.D.

1) 906 to 1120 (Sung Dynasty),

The initiative to collect fry of cultivable species seasonally along the rivers was started during the Tang Dynasty as a result of the prohibition decree on the common carp, Systematic fry collection and dispersal in natural waters was highly developed during following period under the Sung Dynasty, At about this time in India, the published work Namasollasa presented a compilation describing the fattening of fish in reservoirs. In China, in 1243, Chow Mit published his Kwei Sin Chek Shik which described fry transport in bamboo baskets.

2) 1368 to 1644 (Ming Dynasty).

It was during the Ming period that works describing the complete aquaculture process were detailed. Methods for culturing fry to adult, the structure of ponds, rearing density, polyculture, stocking/catching rotation, application of food and fertilizer and disease control were dealt with in aquaculture works during this period. In the year 1400 brackishwater aquaculture was recorded as having been started in Indonesia. This was suggested in the penal laws of the country (Kutara Menawa) which provided for the prohibition of stealing fish from ponds. In China, in 1639, the Complete Book of Agriculture which included pond fish culture was released.

3) 1644 to 1911 (Ching Dynasty).

During this period, further detailed description of fish culture methods were emphasized. This included fry production, season of occurrence of fry, differentiation and separation of fry and transport.

Independent developments in other areas

1) French Indochina.

In the French Indochinese countries, the waves of Chinese migration had influenced the development of aquaculture. Due to the indigenous species in this area which became of value to the native population, cage culture of siluroids and related species developed independently and became a distinct aquaculture practice in this area. This practice has continued up to the present time (e.g. cage culture along Mekong River in Kampuchea).

2) Sub-continent of India.

The practice of building water reservoirs of varying sizes as source of water and for religious purposes, started at very early period in this area. At the beginning, they were not used for fish culture. Subsequently, however, they were initially used to hold fish and later on to culture them.

3) Indonesia.

The early development of brackishwater aquaculture is attributed to this country at the beginning of the 15th century. This initiative was spread to neighboring areas including the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and southern parts of China (Taiwan).

4) Europe.

Aquaculture in Europe also started during early period. Palaces of the early rulers, as well as temples and monasteries of the religious, were provided with water areas. Later on, these were used for temporary holding of fish and subsequently, they were used as environment for the culture of fish. Common carp and trout were recorded as the major species.

5) North America.

There were attempts to develop aquaculture during the 19th century specially aimed at the development of sport fishing. A book, A Manual of Fish Culture, was published by the United States Commis sion of Fish and Fisheries in 1897. This dealt mainly on established hatcheries for the production of seeds to stock game waters but also includes some food species of finfish, oysters, clams, etc.

6) Africa.

There were earlier attempts mainly from Europe to spread aquaculture in African countries. Due to the nomadic nature of most African communities at the time, the establishment of aquaculture became difficult. However, the presence of extensive flood plains provided environment for growth and reproduction of indigenous species during the rainy season and concentrating them in depressions or marshes during the dry season. This stimulated the early beginnings of aquaculture in that continent. At the present time, many initiatives for aquaculture development are being started in several countries in Africa. The tilapia, common carp and catfish are the selected species for culture.

7) Elsewhere.

a) Latin America. There is no local tradition of aquaculture in this region but widespread development are being initiated at the present time which are gaining interest and support,

b) Australia and New Zealand. Aquaculture development in these countries has been very recent and is just gaining momentum. Trout and other cold water species and mollusc culture, mussels and oysters, are developed.

c) Pacific Island countries. Varied types of development, especially seafarming activities, are just being initiated in the various Pacific Island countries,

d) Middle East and Israel. Although there are existing rivers which can be focal points of development for aquaculture in this region, early historical records did not mention any early aquaculture activities. Religious tradition in this area, however, indicated heavy utilization of fish for food. Present development show that much progress in aquaculture has occurred in the area especially in Israel. Here carp and tilapia culture have attained advanced state, and the other countries in the region have initiated aquaculture development programs.

e) Japan and Korea. There is no doubt that aquaculture developed in these two countries during very early period. Perhaps China had some influences in this development such as in the use of goldfish and carp for culture. But at same period in their history especially in Japan, the “closed door policy” was enforced in that country. At that time aquaculture continued to flourish especially in the culture of a very wide variety of species. This is probably the reason why in that country most any aquatic species of high economic value are subjected to culture - finfishes, crustaceans, molluscs, other vertabrates and many kinds of marine invertebrates that could be the subject of trade. Development of efficient and high culture technology is also a characteristic of Japanese and Korean aquaculture.

1900–1700 - Expansion in operation and breakthroughs in seed production

This period witnessed worldwide expansion of aquaculture. Easy means of communications and widespread exchange of information through national and international agencies have stimulated the acceleration of the expansion in aquaculture.

The urgent need for seeds to fill the expanded aquaculture industry resulted in technology breakthroughs in inducing the spawning of cultivable species, the seeds or fry of which were only formerly obtained from wild waters. In this period the cultivated Asiatic carps and the Indian major carps were induced to spawn under controlled conditions. Likewise the penaeid shrimp species and the giant freshwater prawns used in culture were also hatched under control in hatcheries.

1970-near future - Continued expansion and selective culture of high value and exportable species and intensification

In this period more species were brought into culture. The industry continued to expand both in area and in quantity of production,

A new trend to select species that are most profitable to culture was adopted by operators in the industry. Therefore, high value species especially those with high export demand were emphasized. Penaeid shrimps, high value finfishes (seabass/groupers), seaweeds and related species became important aquaculture items.

As demand and high market value for selected species persisted, high technology methods and intensification of operations became the norm of the industry. There is competition for major markets and maintenance of product quality standards also became a major concern.