Establishment of operational guidelines for Texas coastal zone management. Biological rises criteria.

The study is part of a larger project to develop a methodology and the criteria for assessing the economic and environmental impacts of alternative public policies for management of the Texas Coastal Zone. Progress toward accomplishing the objective of this particular study includes: Providing a common description (Biotopes) and identification of the various components of the estuarine environments of Texas, including a historical description of ecological change, the natural fluctuations, and life history information; estimating the productivity of these various environments and the associated nutrient balances; establishing water quality guidelines for these environments; and demonstration of the utility of the approach by evaluating the effects to the environment of man-made changes associated with different hypothetical coastal zone management policies.