Study of Juvenile Shrimp Populations of the Aransas Bay System - Study of the Texas Shrimp Populations

Tertiary bay samples indicated a large crop of brown shrimp, Penaeus aztecus, could be expected in 1964. These samples also indicated an increase in white shrimp, Penaeus setiferous. Samples made with the 10-foot crawl in secondary and primary bays showed an increase in white shrimp abundance and a decrease in brown shrimp abundance. Brown shrimp caught in tertiary samples averaged from 15 to 40 millimeters in length. White shrimp averaged from 15 to 60 millimeters in length. Commercial brown shrimp landings for 1964 increased 135 per cent and white shrimp catches increased 64 per cent over 1963 in the Aransas area.