NOAA Online Species Guide – NOAA Fisheries currently manages red snapper, ten grouper and three tilefish species under the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper and Grouper-Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) programs. An online IFQ species identification guide is now available under the Additional Information tab on the Catch Shares Homepage at: portal.southeast.fisheries.noaa.gov/cs.
A direct link to the PDF is here: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/ifq/documents/pdfs/ifq_species_id.pdf
WHY THIS MESSAGE IS IMPORTANT:
Certain species are very similar in appearance and could be confused when captured or landed after a trip. Some common examples are:
Gag Grouper vs. Black Grouper
Black Grouper vs. Yellowfin Grouper
Scamp Grouper vs. Yellowmouth Grouper
Golden Tilefish vs. Goldface Tilefish
Blueline Tilefish vs. Goldface Tilefish
Correctly identifying and reporting all species is important because these data inform both stock assessments and fisheries management.