PORT ROYAL SOUND MARITIME CENTER IN-SHORE TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Each year, the Port Royal Sound Maritime Center sponsors an in-shore Fishing Tournament. The Tournament is open to both Charter Captains and individual anglers. The results from the 2024 Tournament have been made available and show some interesting facts about our local fishery. Ninety five anglers took part in the tournament and completed 386 fishing trips to 41 different water bodies. Anglers spent a total of 1475 trip hours, caught 1132 fish of various species, and suffered through 80 fish-less “Zero Trips”.
Results from the Red Drum (Redfish) fishery are of particular interest. 752 Red Drum were caught during 186 of the trips. The smallest Drum caught measured 11 inches and the largest 31.5 inches. The number of fish in each size increment was recorded. Divided into three groups, the first group covered a range of 11 inches to 14. Those are undersized fish in the DNR size regulation table. There were 343 fish in this group (45.6%). The second group contained 327 fish from 15 to 23 inches, the size range for legally kept fish (43.5%). The third group contained 82 fish (10.9%), 24 to 31 inches, all above the legal size limit.
These results raise some concerns. The Department of Natural Resources considers Red Drum as mature and capable of spawning when a male fish reaches 28 inches and when a female reaches 33 inches. In low-country waters Red Drum are expected to grow about one inch per year. The tournament produced 20 mature fish (if the 28 inchers were all males) and no mature females. 386 trips produced 327 “keepers”, less than one per boat trip. Current DNR regulations of six per boat per day would have permitted keeping every one of those fish, allowing none to grow to the point when they could reproduce.
If Red Drum do indeed grow one inch per year, the population in the second group of legal-sized fish will gain 172 fish from last year’s 14 inch population while thirty three 23 inch fish move out of the group. Thirteen additional fish grow to 28 inches and become spawners if male. No fish grow enough to become a spawner if the fish are female.
These results are a small fraction of what’s swimming in our waters. Are these limited results statistically significant? It’s just one set of data taken in one local area during a few fishing days. The DNR has announced a new study to try to confirm the status of the Red Drum population. That study will provide much more information to guide the DNR in maintaining the Red Drum fishery.
Earle Nirmaier
