Contract Drum Fishing, Lower Laguna Madre, Computation of Record of Catch Data - Marine Fisheries Management in Texas

Abstract

Of the 462,577 pounds of dressed black drum harvested during the 1962-63 season in Cameron and Willacy Counties, 31 per cent were under 5 pounds in weight, 43.5 per cent were between 5 and 10 pounds, and 22.5 per cent were over 10 pounds. During the 1961-62 season, 70 per cent of the black drum harvested were under 5 pounds in weight. The calculated live weight of the total landings was 685,558 pounds, which sold for a total of $30,315.60 or an average of 7.396 cents per pound. The average catch per day per contractor was 449.8 pounds compared to 361.9 pounds for the 1961-62 season, the increase due to the larger size of the drum present. Deeper water areas yielded a consistently better catch than shallow waters, as the larger drum, which were more abundant, preferred deeper waters. The average pounds per net day (300 feet of net per 24-hour period) was 65.1 with the peak of harvest occurring in mid-January 1963.

Description

pages 491-500; available for download at the link below.

Keywords

Lower Laguna Madre, black drum fish, marine fisheries management

Citation