The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) completed the year’s release of red drum into South Carolina’s estuaries this fall. Red drum are also known as spottail bass and redfish, and are considered to be the most popular inshore species sought after by anglers in the state.
Biologists released approximately 2.9 million juvenile red drum into four estuaries. These include the Colleton River in Beaufort County, the North Edisto River in Charleston County, and Murrells Inlet and Winyah Bay estuaries in Georgetown County.
Contact DNR biologist Wallace Jenkins at 843-953-9835 or via email at jenkinsw@dnr.sc.gov for more information on the program.
“This is the most fish we have ever released in one year and allows us to simultaneously conduct a number of studies,” said Jenkins.
For the third year in a row DNR staff were able to increase production by improving management techniques. During this three year period production has increased by nearly 33 percent. “This year we were fortunate to be able to send a staff member to Texas to gain experience producing red drum with the Texas Parks and Wildlife staff at the Sea Center Texas. The methods used in Texas were directly applicable to our activities and allowed us to reduce some of the variability in production that we have encountered in the past,” said Jenkins. “In addition, the average size at release was intentionally increased from .75 inches to nearly 1.5 inches, which should greatly increase post release survival of the stocked fish,” Jenkins said.
The goal of the project is to determine whether stocking can increase the population of red drum along South Carolina’s coast. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission currently defines the red drum fishery as over-fished. The changes in size and catch limits that were enacted by the South Carolina General Assembly in August 2001 are projected to significantly help the population move to a position of sustainable when the next assessment is completed in 2009.
The DNR collects and spawns