Spotted Seatrout

In 2011, the South Atlantic Board approved the Omnibus Amendment for Spot, Spotted Seatrout, and Spanish Mackerel. The Amendment updates all three species plans with requirements of the Commission’s ISFMP Charter. Specific to spotted seatrout, the Amendment includes recommended measures to protect the spawning stock, as well as a required coastwide minimum size of 12″.

In March 2017, a report on Sciaenid Fish Habitat was released including information on habitat for several species, including spotted seatrout, during all stages of their lives, their associated Essential Fish Habitats and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, threats and uncertainties to their habitats, and recommendations for habitat management and research. This report is meant to be a resource when amending FMPs in the future for these species.

Increased coastal development and the resulting loss of estuarine habitat, coupled with heavy fishing pressure, have affected spotted seatrout populations. The extent of anthropogenic effect is unclear as there is no coastwide stock assessment for the species and local assessments vary by state. Spotted seatrout are also susceptible to inshore calamities such as winter freezes, excessive fresh water, hurricanes, and red tide conditions. Fortunately, seatrout have two life history traits that helps maintain population size – maturing quickly and the ability to reproduce prolifically. Compared to other marine gamefish, spotted seatrout enjoy one of the longest spawning seasons.

A coastwide stock assessment of spotted seatrout has not been conducted given the largely non-migratory nature of the species and the lack of data on migration where it does occur. Instead, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida have performed age-structured analyses on local stocks of spotted seatrout. Recent assessments are putting more emphasis on the inclusion of incidental bycatch data, release mortality, and the size and age structure of releases. Stock assessments provide estimates of spawning potential ratio (SPR), which is a measure of the effect of fishing pressure on the relative abundance of the mature female segment of the population. The Commission’s Spotted Seatrout FMP recommends a goal of 20 percent SPR; South Carolina and Georgia have adopted this goal, and North Carolina and Florida have established a 30 percent and 35 percent SPR goal, respectively.

Commercial landings of spotted seatrout along the Atlantic coast historically came from Florida’s east coast and North Carolina, with Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia accounting for a small portion of the total. From 1950 to 1976, commercial landings averaged 1.33 million pounds, but have declined since then due to increased regulation and possible declines in abundance.

Significant changes to regulations include the 1987 designation of spotted seatrout as a gamefish in South Carolina, and the 1995 prohibition on the use of gillnets in Florida’s coastal waters. In the last 10 years, from 2014 to 2023, commercial landings averaged approximately 453,178 pounds. Variability in annual harvest is typical and seems to parallel the climatic conditions of the preceding winter and spring. In 2023, the commercial landings were estimated at 522,290 pounds, with the majority harvested in North Carolina (83%).

The spotted seatrout fishery is largely recreational. Recreational catch (harvest and releases) has markedly increased from 1981 (4.3 million fish) to 31.2 million fish in 2018. In 2023, recreational catch was 16.2 million fish. Recreational harvest has varied without trend throughout the time series, with 2.4 million fish (4.3 million pounds) harvested in 2023. Numbers and proportions of fish released alive have increased throughout the time series due to size and creel limits, as well as the encouragement of catch and release practices. In 2022, 85% of recreationally caught fish (13.7 million fish) were released.