NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A new study estimates there are three times the number of red snapper previously thought to swim in the Gulf of Mexico. Congress appropriated $9.5 million for the study in 2016, as arguments grew heated between recreational anglers and federal regulators. It estimates the Gulf holds about 110 million adult red snapper. That compares to a 2018 estimate of about 36 million. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries official says earlier studies were based on information from natural and artificial reefs, while the new study also looks at the immense spaces in between.
New study triples estimate of red snapper in Gulf of Mexico
