High
fishing pressure has impacted red snapper throughout the Gulf of
Mexico. Historically, there were large populations of red snapper
on reefs off Sarasota’s shores, but
over-fishing eliminated most of these fish in the 1960s and ‘70s. Red snapper
are currently being reared in a cooperative effort with Gulf Coast Research
Laboratory in Mississippi and The
Oceanic Institute in Hawaii to
develop an effective stock enhancement program. Mote’s red snapper aquaculture
research is focused on reducing cannibalism in nursery culture systems and
developing transport techniques to ship juvenile red snapper.