A massive study to gauge the population of red snapper in the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico indicates there’s way more fish in the sea than previously estimated.

Officials this week released the results of The Great Red Snapper Count, a three-year effort led by the Harte Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Auburn University and the University of South Alabama were among more than a dozen universities involved in the project.

The results put the snapper population at more than 110 million – three times the earlier, 36 million estimated by federal officials. The new study puts the population off the Mississippi and Alabama coasts at 10 million.

Alabama elected officials praised the results, which could be used to adjust the way state and federal agencies manage the snapper fishery.

“This is fantastic news,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, who supported $10 million in federal funding for the study. “I’m very pleased with its results.”

According to the study’s authors, the much greater estimate is based mostly on a “major new discovery” of what they call a “cryptic biomass” of fish caught over open bottom habitat in the Gulf.

More than 80 scientists were involved in the project, along with numerous “citizen scientists” – anglers from across the Gulf who helped with the snapper count.

The authors describe red snapper as “perhaps the most economically valuable and culturally relevant fishery in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.” Fishing activity over the past 150 years led to a depleted stock, and a government-coordinated rebuilding plan. But in recent years, as stocks have shown signs of recovery, controversy has swirled around catch limits.

In 2016, Congress provided funding for an independent study to better estimate the snapper population. Team investigators deployed a host of methods across the U.S. Gulf to come up with the new estimate, including surveys, direct visual counts and fish tagging.

“This project represents a unique opportunity to bolster the stock assessment-derived estimate of red snapper abundance in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, with the goal of ensuring the most robust management possible for this iconic fishery species,” the authors said.

Alabama Power has worked with public and private partners, including the Alabama Wildlife Federation, to expand fisheries in Alabama’s offshore waters, including red snapper habitat, by helping create artificial reefs that support commercial and recreational angling. The company also has supported efforts to protect and expand oyster habitat along Alabama’s Gulf coast.

Learn more about the The Great Red Snapper Count and details about the study by clicking here. To learn more about Alabama Power and its environmental conservation and stewardship efforts, click here.