Florida's State Reef Fish Survey (SRFS) Annual Catch Estimates

The State Reef Fish Survey (SRFS) is a specialized recreational fishing survey that provides timely and precise data used to manage and assess key reef fish stocks in Florida. High-quality data offers a clearer understanding of reef fish population health and helps support the long-term sustainability of recreational fishing in the state. SRFS collects information on private boat recreational reef fishing through two complementary methods: a mail survey and in-person interviews. The in-person interviews were designed to operate alongside the existing Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP). MRIP is a broad survey that serves as the primary source of recreational fishing statistics for many more commonly caught Florida species, such as spotted seatrout, red drum, and common snook. By design, SRFS and MRIP complement one another. Angler interview data from both surveys are combined to provide more precise estimates of the average number of reef fish species caught per trip. When paired with monthly trip estimates from the SRFS mail survey, these data yield more accurate estimates of the total numbers of reef fishes harvested and released in Florida. This dataset includes monthly SRFS catch estimates, which contain: • Landings (number of fish) • Landings (pounds of fish) • Releases (number of fish) • Adjusted Effort (angler trips) *NOTE: 2016-2020 data only includes Gulf (excluding the Keys) estimates from the original SRFS species. 2021-2024 data includes estimates from all coasts and species. Please refer to the supporting documents for guidance on exploring and using SRFS data. Last Updated: 10/2025