Vol. 7, Issue 4 - Commercial Spotted Seatrout

Filed Under:

Agri-business, Seafood Economics, Seafood Harvesting and Processing, Agricultural Economics

February 22, 2017

Commercial Spotted Seatrout Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico Region

Posadas, B.C. Mississippi MarketMaker Newsletter, Vol. 7, No. 4, Feb. 22, 2017.

Spotted Seatrout Commercial Landings

According to Gulf FINFO (http://gulffishinfo.org/), “spotted seatrout" (Fig. 1), which are also known as speckled trout, are found in coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and throughout the entire Gulf of Mexico. They are most common along the northern Gulf and Florida Gulf Coast.”

Fig. 2 shows the commercial landings of spotted seatrout harvested from the Gulf of Mexico Region since 2000. The commercial landings databases are compiled from the NOAA Fisheries website. On average, about 70,000 pounds were landed each year (standard deviation ± 34,000) from Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2015. Since 2000, Mississippi landed about 10 percent of total domestic harvest, and 58 percent were from North Carolina. About 59 percent of Gulf-wide landings in 2000-2015 came from Mississippi, while West Coast Florida landed 22 percent.

Seatrout Businesses Registered in MarketMaker

In 2015, the Gulf-wide landings of commercial spotted seatrout fishing reached about 38,000 pounds. The fish species was caught from February to November with the bulk of the landings reported between April and August (Fig. 3).

Thirty-three charter boat for-hire businesses registered in MarketMaker offer to take recreational fishermen to catch seatrout. Click this LINK to view the search results online. For details, you can view the individual business profiles of these businesses listed in MarketMaker.

Eight seafood and fish markets registered in MarketMaker sell seatrout. Click this LINK to view the search results online. For details, you can view the individual business profiles of these businesses registered in MarketMaker.

Economic Contribution of Spotted Seatrout Commercial Fishing

The economic contribution of spotted seatrout commercial fishing to the Gulf of Mexico regional economy was estimated using IMPLAN (http://implan.com/) software and the 2013 input-output data for the five Gulf States. Sector 17 or commercial fishing of the 2013 IMPLAN input-output data was used to represent commercial spotted seatrout fishing.

The total commercial landing values of spotted seatrout in the Gulf of Mexico Region in 2015 reached $109,669. The total economic contribution of commercial spotted seatrout fishing in 2015 amounted to $216 thousand (Fig. 4). Commercial spotted seatrout fishing created 2.7 jobs and generated labor income amounting to $84.1 thousand in the Gulf regional economy.

Figure 4. Total economic impact includes direct, indirect, and induced effects estimated by using 2015 annual landing values and 2013 IMPLAN data. Local purchases percentage was set to 100%. Dollars are rounded to nearest $1,000.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MarketMaker?
MarketMaker is the largest and most in-depth database of its kind featuring a diverse community of food-related businesses: buyers, farmers/ranchers, fisheries, farmers markets, processors/packers, wineries, restaurants, and more. MarketMaker provides simple yet powerful search tools to connect with others across the production and distribution chain (http://ms.foodmarketmaker.com/).

Where can you find Mississippi MarketMaker?
MarketMaker is located at http://ms.foodmarketmaker.com/.
Ask Siri or Cortana to search for “Mississippi MarketMaker” on your smart phone.

How do you register your food business in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Click Register and type your email address and a password in the spaces under Register. Be prepared to enter information (and pictures) about your business.

What are the benefits in registering your food business in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Producers register their businesses in MarketMaker because food buyers of all types access our database to find products and services to meet their specific needs. Through MarketMaker, producers can reach more buyers and more efficiently form profitable business alliances.

How do you search for your business profile in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Click Search and type the name of your business in the space under Search MarketMaker.

How do you update your business profile in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Click Register and then click UPDATE YOUR PROFILE. Type your email address and password in the spaces under Account Login. Be prepared to enter updated information (and pictures) about your business.

MarketMaker Training Workshops
This training workshop is available upon request by a group of 6-12 producers, extension agents, state regulatory agencies staff, and teachers. Each workshop will best fit the needs of the participants. Email Dr. Ben Posadas for details at ben.posadas@msstate.edu.

How do you search for local food businesses in Mississippi MarketMaker?
Click Search and type a keyword in the space under Search MarketMaker.

What is the Market Research tool of MarketMaker?
The MarketMaker research tool is an interactive mapping resource for identifying target markets, developing customized census profiles, and mapping food related businesses over demographic maps.

Where do you find the Market Research tool in MarketMaker?
Look for the Market Research section in MarketMaker and click Research your market now or Use previous version.