Notes on the underutilized fishery resources of the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is considered extremely productive, especially the north central area around the Mississippi Delta. The area approximately 10,000 square miles extending on either side of the Delta produces from 2/3 to 4/5 of the total Gulf production. Information about the latent and underutilized fishery resources of the Gulf is summarized. Latent resources include several tunas and coastal pelagic species such as herring, sardine, and anchovy. Under utilized species include many species taken by the shrimp fleet incidental to the shrimp catch. The volume of fish discarded by this fleet may reach 3 billion pounds per year. Because of the rapid turnover of the fish stock and consequent rapid growth, a high continued yield can be expected. However, there is a need for developing short-range predictions about the status of the stocks.