The red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a popular target of the recreational and commercial fishing industries throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Historical overharvesting resulted in an overfished red snapper population. There is some disagreement among resource managers, fishermen and environmental groups surrounding the 2014 and earlier stock assessments for red snapper. Much of the disagreement centers on the accuracy of estimating the red snapper population around oil and gas platforms, artificial reefs and other structures considers to be difficult to sample using traditional sampling methods such as trawl surveys. 

In FY 2016, Congress directed the National Sea Grant College Program to implement a competitive research for red snapper fisheries data collections, surveys and assessments independent of the National Marine Fisheries Service. In the fall of 2017 a research team, made up of 21 scientists from 12 institutions of higher learning, a state agency and a federal agency, was awarded $9.5 million in federal funds for the project; with matching funds from the universities, the project will total $12 million. This panel will include scientists, fishermen and resource managers who will discuss the role of science in informing fisheries managers.