Abundance and distribution of fishes in the Galveston Bay system, 1963-1964
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The fish fauna inhabiting the Galveston Bay estuarine system was studied from January 1963 through December 1964. Ninety-six species and 364,815 individuals were collected by trawl. Dominant in the system was Micropogonias undulatus (51.2% by number, 36.5% by wet weight). Other numerically important fishes were: Anchoa mitchilli , 22.3%; Stellifer lanceolatus , 8.0%; Leiostomus xanthurus , 4.1%; Cynoscion arenarius , 3.3%; and Arius felis , 2.4. In terms of biomass, other important species were: L. xanthurus , 9.1%; Mugil cephalus , 7.6%; S. lanceolatus , 6.5%; A. felis , 5.7%; and C. arenarius , 5.0%. Fishes were most abundant in the upper estuary, while the number of species recorded was highest in the shallow Gulf of Mexico just offshore from the estuary