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DMR reports rising snook sightings; commission adopts two state snook records
Summary
Marine fisheries staff reported 16 snook observations in the last 18 months, including juveniles and adult specimens, and the commission recommended adoption of two new state conventional‑tackle records. Staff cautioned that cold freezes can cause mortality and said they will monitor for possible cold‑water kills.
Trevor (last name not specified), Marine Fisheries staff, briefed the Mississippi Advisory Commission on rising observations of common snook in Mississippi waters and asked the commission to adopt two new state records.
Trevor said snook (Centropomus undecimalis) prefer subtropical inshore habitat and have limited survival below about 45 degrees Fahrenheit, which historically restricted their range farther south. He told commissioners that after an initial museum and agency record review, staff logged roughly 16 observations of snook in Mississippi over the past 18 months, ranging from cast‑netable juveniles to larger, angler‑captured fish. The pattern, he said, is consistent with range expansion along parts of the Gulf and with increased observations in neighboring Alabama.
Trevor said the DMR has encouraged anglers to report catches and that the agency will monitor for cold‑weather mortality following recent unusual winter conditions; staff and partner groups conducted inshore sampling after the cold event and reported some live young‑of‑the‑year spotted sea trout and other species in deeper holes.
The commission then voted to recommend adoption of two new state conventional‑tackle finfish records: a common snook adult record documented at 15.36 pounds by angler Vince Ray, and a youth conventional record of 8.96 pounds by Zach Broussard. The motion to recommend the records passed on a voice vote; the mover and seconder were not named in the transcript and the roll‑call tally was recorded as a voice vote in favor. Staff will publish the new records in the agency record registry.
Commissioners discussed the species’ thermal sensitivity and the potential for increased recreational interest if snook establish more regularly along the Mississippi coast. Trevor said that short‑term freezes can overwhelm local populations and that any regulation would be harder to design if winter mortality remains sporadic. The commission asked staff to continue outreach so anglers report catches and to brief the commission on any cold‑water mortality findings.
