All About Florida Keys Fishing & Key West Fishing
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Lane snapper, Lutjanus synagris

In Florida waters, lane snapper are found over a variety of bottom types, including reefs,
rocky outcrops, shipwrecks, smooth bottom in association with seagrass, and mangrove prop
roots. The species ranges from northern Florida south throughout the Gulf of Mexico and
Caribbean south to southeastern Brazil. Spawning occurs from March through September; peak
spawning activity occurs during June–August (Manooch 1984). Both sexes mature at age 1 or as
small as 5.9 inches total length (TL). Lane snapper have been aged to 10 years on the Atlantic
coast of Florida (Manooch and Mason 1984) and to 17 years in the northern Gulf of Mexico
(Johnson et al. 1995). Lengths at age are larger in the northern gulf through about age 10; males
were generally larger than females, at least through age 9 (Table 1).

Total annual landings of lane snapper in Florida during 2005 were 300,008 pounds. The
recreational fishery made 93 % of the statewide landings in 2005. Landings were greater on the
gulf coast, where about 69% of the statewide landings were made. Commercial landings of lane
snapper were highest in Dade and Palm Beach Counties on the Atlantic coast (Fig. 1). The
greatest recreational landings of lane snapper were in the southwest region of Florida from Levy
to Collier Counties during 2005 (Fig. 2). The 2005 total landings of lane snapper were 1.5%
lower than the average landings in the previous five years (2000-2004) and were 18% lower than
the 1982-2005 historical average landings (Fig 3). Total annual landings of lane snapper have
been small but gradually increasing on the Atlantic coast since 1991 (Fig. 3). In the 1990s, total
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conserv. Comm., FWRI (2006) LANE SNAPPER - 2
gulf coast landings peaked at about 639,000 pounds in 1991 then dropped to 163,000 pounds in
1996, peaked again in 1997 and dropped to 113,000 pounds in 2000. Since 2001 landings have
averaged 216,000 pounds.
Commercial catch rates on the Atlantic coast peaked in 1994 then declined, increased
again from 1997-2001 then have decreased since then (Fig. 4). Gulf coast catch rates for the
commercial fishery were relatively stable until 1998, increased steadily to 2002, then decreased
through 2005 (Fig. 5). Atlantic coast recreational angler catch rates, which have shown higher
values since 1997, have been quite variable on the Atlantic coast (Fig. 6). Recreational catch
rates on the gulf coast show an increasingly strong decline through 2003, and have since
rebounded slightly (Fig. 7).
Fishery-independent-monitoring data show strong young-of-the-year (YOY) recruitment
occurring in 1994, 1999, 2002, and 2004 on the gulf coast (Fig. 8). Too few YOY were collected
on the Atlantic coast to determine trends. For post-YOY fish, there appeared to be a cyclical
pattern on the Atlantic coast with a low in 1999 and a high in 2003 (Fig. 9). Abundances of post-
YOY on the gulf coast were rather low to discern any clear trends (Fig. 10). No incidences of
gross external abnormalities were noted in lane snapper from 1999 to 2005.
The Snapper-Grouper Assessment Panel of the South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council found that there were insufficient data to evaluate the condition of the stocks
quantitatively and assumed that the stocks were not overfished nor undergoing overfishing.
Yield-per-recruit analyses of lane snapper in Puerto Rico showed that yield increased as the
length-at-capture was increased to about 7.9 inches fork length (FL) and when the instantaneous
fishing mortality (F) was higher than 0.5 per year (Acosta and Appeldoorn 1992). The fishery in
Puerto Rico was harvesting 91% of the potential yield with an age at entry to the fishery that
corresponded to 9.8 inches FL and an F of 1.13 per year. Estimated fishing mortality in the
northern Gulf of Mexico during 1991–1994 was one to three times that of lane snapper’s likely
natural mortality rate (Johnson et al. 1995). This would suggest that lane snapper were being
overfished at that time. No detailed assessment of the condition of lane snapper is available at
this time. The 8-inch minimum size limit for lane snapper was implemented in February 1990.
Download complete report
(including figures)
Status and Trends 2007 Report
Florida’s Inshore and Nearshore Species
by Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute