Survey of Finfish Harvest in Texas Bays

Green AW; Heffernan TL; Breuer JP

Survey of Finfish Harvest in Texas Bays

Date

1978

Authors

Green AW; Heffernan TL; Breuer JP

Abstract

During September 1976 to August 1977 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department monitored the weekend recreational boat fishing in 7 major bay systems. This survey showed that weekend boat fishermen expended 2,453,000 man-hours to land 1,836,700 pounds of finfish. Total finfish landings (in pounds) by bay system were: Galveston, 583,500 lb; Lower Laguna Madre, 278,800 lb; Upper Laguna Madre, 252,500 lb; San Antonio, 212,000 lb; Aransas, 175,900 lb; Corpus Christi, 167,600 lb; and Matagorda, 166,400 lb. A comparison of weekend boat sport fishing estimates from 1974-75 and 1975-76 with estimates obtained during the 1976-77 survey showed that there has been a 19- to 29% decline in landings. The commercial harvest of finfish from Texas bays was mainly accomplished by the use of five different gear types - trammel nets, gill-nets, trotlines, rod and reels, and gigs

Description

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Keywords

98F Agriculture & Food: Fisheries & Aquaculture;Aransas Bay;Bays;Catch statistics;Coasts;Commercial fishing;Comparison;Corpus Christi Bay;Cynoscion arenarius;Cynoscion nebulosus;Estimates;Finfish;Finfishes;Fisheries;Fishing;Galveston;Galveston bay;Harvesting;Laguna Madre Bay;Land;Marine;Marine fishes;Mass;Matagorda Bay;Micropogon undulatus;Nets;Parks;San Antonio Bay;Southeast Region;Sport fishing;Texas;United States;Volume;Weight;Wildlife;