Study of the Fishes of Upper Galveston Bay - Ecological Survey of Area M-2

Date

1962

Authors

Pullen, Edward J.

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Game and Fish Commission, Marine Laboratory

Abstract

Forage fish and juvenile game fish samples were taken regularly with standard trawls and seines, while trammel nets, gill nets, beach seines, and rod and reel were used extensively to sample adult game fish. Hydrographic and climatitological data were collected in conjunction with each sample to correlate these factors with the seasonal abundance, occurrence, and distribution of the collected vertebrates. Three hundred and thirty samples were made, resulting in the collection of over thirty thousand fish. Ten new species and one species, last collected two years ago, were recorded in this year's checklist, while nineteen species collected or observed last year were missing. Anchovies, croakers, and sand trout, respectively, were the most abundant forage species in the collections. Game fish seemed to be more abundant in the bays in 1961 than in 1960. A total of 580 redfish, sand trout, speckled trout, drum, sheepshead, and flounder were tagged for growth and migration studies. Spawning and/or nursery habitats of these species were located and plotted. Population mass and species composition varied with the seasons. The summer populations were usually large and predominantly marine, while the smalled winter populations were generally a mixture of fresh water and marine species.

Description

28 pages

Keywords

marine fish, biological collections, trawl nets, seine nets, entangling nets, hydrography, population dynamics, abundance, tagging, migrations, check lists

Citation