The daytime fall southern flounder recreational fishery in three Texas passes

A survey of wade/bank daytime southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) fishermen in the Galveston jetty-Pelican Island area, the Colorado River tidal area, and the Port Aransas pass area was conducted from October through December 1980. This study indicated that special surveys are probably not needed to monitor the southern flounder harvest on a coastwide basis. By increasing the sample size in the routine creel survey, the precision of the harvest estimates of southern flounder and all other species on a bay system basis could be improved. The estimated harvest of southern flounder in the Galveston jetty-Pelican Island area was 4277 fish (2560 kg; 5644 lbs); in the Colorado River tidal area was 2637 fish (1582 kg; 3488 lbs) and in the Port Aransas pass area was 5275 fish (3165 kg; 6978 lbs). In the Galveston jetty-Pelican Island area 94% of the southern flounder retained by sport fishermen were females and of these 75% were >= 305 mm (12 in) in length. In both the Colorado River tidal and Port Aransas pass areas 79% of the southern flounder retained were females. Of these, 62% in the Colorado River tidal area and 54% in the Port Aransas pass area were ~305 mm (12 in) in length. Live shrimp, dead shrimp and live fish were the major baits used in all three areas except in the Port Aransas pass area where artificial bait replaced live shrimp as a major bait. In the Galveston jetty-Pelican Island and Colorado River tidal areas the majority (>= 90%) of the fishermen interviewed were Texas residents. In the Port Aransas pass area 69% of the fishermen interviewed were Texas residents and 31% were residents of other states.