Abstract

Southeastern United States reef fisheries are some of the most commercially valuable and recreationally popular in the country. Across these fisheries, a speciose assemblage is targeted by a diverse and geographically variable group of stakeholders who collectively possess a wealth of local ecological knowledge gained from years on the water. Recently, the results of federal stock assessments for many reef fishes have been at odds with the on-the-water observations of commercial and recreational fishermen, creating a disconnect that erodes stakeholder faith in the credibility of scientific findings. Significant Congressional funding has been allocated to alleviate this disparity (e.g., the Great Red Snapper Count), yet funds to effectively disseminate these scientific findings to the appropriate stakeholders are lacking. Broadly speaking, the goal of the proposed regional collaborative is to build upon the conventional unidirectional flow of information (i.e., from research to management to stakeholder) by working directly with stakeholders on a consistent basis to identify pressing research needs and communicate those needs to the scientific and management community (i.e., from stakeholder to research and management). To accomplish this, we have assembled a team comprised of Sea Grant fisheries Extension professionals from across the Southeastern US (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina). We have complemented these Sea Grant professionals with a social-ecological fisheries scientist, management representatives from the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils and an Advisory Panel of commercial and recreational sector stakeholders and state fisheries management representatives. Collectively, this collaborative will work to gather (Objective 1), refine  (Objective 2) and communicate (Objective 3) Southeastern US reef fish knowledge to appropriate stakeholders. 

Objectives

1. Objective 1: Gather information using longitudinal surveys. Our first objective is to develop and conduct longitudinal (i.e., annual) surveys of reef fish stakeholders to identify pressing research needs as well as stakeholder attitudes, perceptions and beliefs regarding the management of Southeastern US reef fish species. A common survey instrument will be implemented throughout the Gulf of Mexico (Texas  Florida) and South Atlantic (Florida -- North Carolina). Conducting annual surveys will afford us a unique ability to examine how stakeholder responses change over time. 
2. Objective 2: Refine information during annual Advisory Panel meetings. The second objective is to refine each set of longitudinal survey results synthesized in Objective 1 through annual consultation with an Advisory Panel. The surveys detailed above are a robust and efficient way to sample a large and geographically diverse group of stakeholders; however, the survey results are best applied when combined with in-person discussion. 
3. Objective 3: Communicate information through expanded capacity. The third objective of this proposal is to develop materials, support additional training opportunities and build capacity for reef fisheries extension based on the needs assessed in Objectives 1 (longitudinal surveys) and 2 (Advisory Panel meetings). Conceptually, this objective is the broadest, as it acknowledges the need to share the results of large-scale projects (e.g., Great Red Snapper Count, Greater Amberjack Research Program, South Atlantic Red Snapper Count) while allowing co-PIs from each state the flexibility to respond to the local needs of their reef fish stakeholders as they see fit.