Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

James S. Franks

Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
The East Beach Drive
Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Phone: (228) 872-4202

Fax: (228) 872-4204

jim.franks@usm.edu

Position

Senior Research Scientist – Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
Fisheries Biologist – Center for Fisheries Research and Development
Adjunct Faculty – Department of Coastal Sciences
Associate Graduate Faculty – The University of Southern Mississippi

Education

M.S. Degree - University of Mississippi, 1968. Biology.
B.S. Degree - Tennessee Wesleyan College, 1964. Biology.

Research Interests

Life history aspects of coastal and oceanic pelagic fishes; aquaculture of pelagic fishes.

Courses Taught

Techniques in the Study of Marine Fishes

Current Research (conducted with Center for Fisheries R&D and Dept. of Coastal Sciences colleagues)

Identify essential habitat of adult dusky and silky sharks in the northern Gulf of Mexico using pop-up archival satellite archival tags
Identify spotted seatrout spawning habitat in two Mississippi estuaries using passive acoustics
Describe spawning and nursery habitat of Atlantic blue marlin in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Investigate the association of juvenile pelagic fishes with pelagic Sargassum habitat and oceanic frontal zones
Investigate the migration patterns of cobia and tripletail in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Ocean using conventional tag-release
Examine movements and environmental preferences of cobia using pop-up archival satellite tags
Early life history and recruitment of young dolphinfish and greater amberjack to Sargassum habitat
Conduct preliminary studies of age and reproduction of yellowfin tuna and wahoo in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Document occurrence and distribution of whale sharks in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Examine the aquaculture potential of tripletail

Recent Synergistic Activities

Chair, Board of Directors, Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (2007 - 2009); Board member 2003 - 2010
Board of Directors, Mississippi Wildlife Federation (2007 - 2010)
Member (proxy for P. Goodyear), Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel (2007, 2008), NOAA Fisheries Service
Vice-Chairman, Steering Committee, 5th International Billfish Symposium (2010)
2005 Conservationist Of The Year (Governor's Award), Mississippi Wildlife Federation
2005 Recipient, C. A. Shults Conservation Award, Mississippi Chapter of the American Fisheries Society
Editorial Advisory Board, Gulf and Caribbean Research (2004 - )
Board of Directors for four coastal Mississippi fishing tournaments (1992 - )
Convener and program chairman for regional, national and international fisheries meetings (e.g., U. S. Cobia Aquaculture Workshop, Biloxi, MS, Sept. 2000; Mississippi Chapter, American Fisheries Society annual meeting, Biloxi, MS, 2001; Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute annual meeting, Nov. 2002; Large Pelagic Fishes Symposium, Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Belize, 2006)
2003 Recipient (with GCRL Sargassum Research Team colleagues), American Fisheries Society Fisheries Administrator's Sport Fish Award, Research and Surveys Category
Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries Representative (1994 - 2004) and Chair (1997 -2004), Marine Fisheries Initiative Program (MARFIN), NOAA Fisheries Service
Experience at sea: participant in numerous offshore research cruises; Chief Scientist on several Gulf of Mexico cruises.

Selected Publications (recent years only)

Franks, J.S., J.R. Warren and M.V. Buchanan. 1999. Age and growth of cobia, Rachycentron canadum, from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Fish. Bull, U.S. 97(4):459-471.
Franks, J.S., J.R. Warren, D.P. Wilson, N.M. Garber and K.M. Larsen. 1999. Potential of fin spines and fin rays for estimating the age of tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis, from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 50:1,022-37.
Franks, J. S. and K. E. VanderKooy. 2000. Feeding habits of juvenile lane snapper, Lutjanus synagris, from Mississippi coastal waters, with comments on the diet of gray snapper, Lutjanus griseus. Gulf Carib. Res. 1(1).
Franks, J.S. 2000. Pelagic fishes at offshore petroleum platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico: diversity, interrelationships, and perspective. Colloque Caraibe, Actes de Colloques Ifremer. Aquat. Living Resour (France). 13(4):502-515.
Brown-Peterson, N.J., J.S. Franks and A.M. Burke. 2000. Preliminary observations on the reproductive biology of wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri , from the northern Gulf of Mexico and Bimini, Bahamas. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 51:414-427.
Franks, J.S., N. Brown-Peterson, M.S. Griggs, N.M. Garber, J.R. Warren and K.M. Larsen. 2000. Potential of the first dorsal spine for estimating the age of wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri, from the northern Gulf of Mexico, with comments on specimens from Bimini ,Bahamas. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 51:428-440.
Brown-Peterson, N.J., R.M. Overstreet, J.M. Lotz, J.S. Franks and K.M. Burns. 2001. Reproductive biology of cobia, Rachycentron canadum, from coastal waters of the southern United States. Fish. Bull., U.S. 99:15-28.
Franks, J.S., J.T. Ogle, J. Read Hendon, D.N. Barnes and L.C. Nicholson. 2001. Growth of captive juvenile tripletail Lobotes surinamensis. Gulf Carib. Res. 13:75-78.
Brown-Peterson, N.J. and J.S. Franks. 2001. Aspects of the reproductive biology of tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis, in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 52:586-597.
Franks, J.S., J.T Ogle, J.M. Lotz, J.C. Nicholson, D.N. Barnes and K.M. Larsen. 2001. Spontaneous spawning of cobia, Rachycentron canadum, induced by human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), with comments on fertilization, hatching and larval development. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 52:598-609.
Comyns, B.H., N.M. Crochet, J.S. Franks, J.R. Hendon and R.S. Waller. 2002. Preliminary assessment of the association of larval fishes with pelagic Sargassum habitat and convergence zones in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 53:636-645.
Hendon, J.R., J.R. Warren, J.S. Franks and M.V. Buchanan. 2002. Movements of spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in Mississippi coastal waters based on tag-recapture. Gulf Mexico Sci. (2):91-97.
Franks, J.S., K.E. VanderKooy and N.M. Garber. 2003. Diet of tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis, from Mississippi coastal waters. Gulf Carib. Res. 15(27-32).
Cuevas, K.J., J.S. Franks and M.V. Buchanan. 2004. First record of bonefish, Albula vulpes, from Mississippi coastal waters. Gulf Carib. Res. 16(71-72).
Garber, A.F., M.D. Tringali, and J.S. Franks. 2005. Population genetic and phylogeographic structure of wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri, from the western central Atlantic and central Pacific Oceans. Mar. Biol. 147:205-214.
Hoffmayer. E.R., J.S. Franks and J.P. Shelley. 2005. Recent observations on whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Gulf Carib. Res. 17:117-120.
Franks, J.S. 2005. First record of goliath grouper, Epinephelus itajara, from Mississippi coastal waters with comments on the first documented occurrence of red grouper, Epinephelus morio, off Mississippi. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 56:295-304.
Hoffmayer, E.R., J.S. Franks and J.P. Shelley. 2006. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico: A rationale for research. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 57:255-262.
Hoffmayer, E.R., J.S. Franks and J.P. Shelley. 2007. Identification Guide to Sharks of Mississippi. Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, MS. 43 pp.
Peterson, M., N.J. Brown-Peterson and J.S. Franks. 2007. Large pelagic fishes in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico: current status and integrated management. Editorial comments in Special Symposium Issue, Large Pelagic Fishes in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, convened 7 November 2006 in conjunction with the 59th annual meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Belize City, Belize. Gulf Carib. Res. 19(2):1-3.
Brown-Peterson, N.J., J.S. Franks, M.S. Peterson, P. McConney and B. Luckhurst. 2007. Where do we go from here? A summary of issues of concern and recommendations developed during the panel discussion of the large pelagic fishes symposium. In Special Symposium Issue, Large Pelagic Fishes in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, convened 7 November 2006 in conjunction with the 59th annual meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Belize City, Belize. Gulf Carib. Res. 19(2):161-162.
Hoffmayer, E.R., J.S. Franks and W.B. Driggers. 2007. Observations of an aggregation of whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, feeding in the north central Gulf of Mexico. Gulf Carib. Res. 19(2):69-73.
Franks, J.S. and A.D. Russell. 2007. First record of Cerataspis, a larval oceanic penaeoid crustacean, from the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf Carib. Res. 20:87-89.
Franks, J.S. (In press). Pelagic fisheries and their management in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea: historical perspective based on published contributions in Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (1948 - 2004). Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 60.
Posada, J.M. and J.S. Franks. (In press). Bibliometric analysis of printed information published in the Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (1948 - 2004): thematic areas and authors. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 60.
Blend, C.K., N.O. Dronen, J.S. Franks and G.W. Benz. (In press). Endohelminths of a snake mackerel, Gempylus serpens (Trichiuroidea: Gempylidae), from the Gulf of Mexico. Zootaxa.
Brown-Peterson, N.J., J.S. Franks, B.H. Comyns and J.R. McDowell. (In press). Do blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, spawn in the northern Gulf of Mexico? Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 60.
Franks, J.S., E.R. Hoffmayer, J.R. Ballard, N.M. Garber and A.F. Garber. (In press). Diet of wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri, from the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Proc. Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 60.
Cook, M., G.R. Fitzhugh and J.S. Franks. (In review). Validation of yellowedge grouper, Epinephelus flavolimbatus, age using nuclear bomb-produced radiocarbon. Env. Biol. Fish.