Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlieFoxtrot
Can the speckled trout fishing slowdown during 2013 trace back to the oyster over harvesting ?
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Prolly not. Numbers may have been down in 2013, but body condition was way up. Been looking over the data the past few days with a colleague. There was lots of bait in 2013, and the specks were fat, happy, and growing fast.
Bull reds were real skinny and growing slow, as were bull drum, like 80% of their normal weight. Most fish below 80% of expected weight at a given length do not survive.
Gafftops were down too. Juvenile redfish were also fat and happy. Raping the oyster reefs hurts the more benthic feeders (gafftops, bull reds, drum) more than it hurts the juvenile redfish and the specks. With the closing of the pogey plant (Omega Protein), we're looking for there to be a lot more Gulf Menhaden around in 2014, so look for both specks and redfish to be fat and happy.
Remember that population and body condition are a teter tot. A lot of skinny, hungry fish means they are easy to catch. Smaller numbers that are fat and harder to catch is actually a good thing, because they will be more likely to grow to trophy sizes and have higher fecundity rates.
Trout are healthy and in balance in 2013. I am worried much more about the redfish and the drum. At 80% body condition, fecundity rates will be very low.