Distribution and density of prejuvenile Penaeus shrimp in Galveston entrance and the nearby Gulf of Mexico (Texas).

Date
1969
Authors
Kutkuhn, J.H.
Cook, H.L.
Baxter, K.N.
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Abstract

In early 1959 the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries began a study to determine when, from what direction, at what stage of development, under what conditions, and in what quantity prejuvenile shrimp of the commercially important Penaeus enter the extensive Galveston (Texas) estuary. The findings were to aid in circumscribing offshore spawning areas and thereby provide information on the degree to which the progeny of shrimp reproducing in each area are nurtured in specific estuaries bordering the northern Gulf of Mexico. Analysis of over 3,000 samples collected systematically during one biological year revealed: That the frequency of sampling, although high, was insufficient to trace the rapid onshore movement of recently hatched broods of Penaeus; that the gross horizontal distribution of Penaeus larvae and postlarvae in the Gulf and vertical distribution of postlarvae in Galveston Entrance changed markedly from season to season; that Penaeus larvae, rarely occurring within 10 km of shore, were not bottom-dwellers; and that Penaeus postlarvae did not frequent the bottom in winter and otherwise were usually more abundant at mid-depths than at the bottom. For estimating density of prejuvenile penaeids, the study's sampling scheme was relatively efficient in controlling spatial variation but comparatively inefficient in accounting for wide temporal variation in organism abundance.

Description
p. 1075-1099.
Keywords
penaeid shrimp, horizontal distribution, vertical distribution, estuaries, seasonal variations, juveniles, larvae, spatial variations, temporal variations, abundance, population density
Citation