Survey of the Spotted Sea Trout Nursery Areas of the Lower Laguna Madre

Concentrated sampling of the known spawning and nursery areas of spotted sea trout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in the Lower Laguna Madre was conducted during the summer of 1970, Trawls and seines were used to determine number per unit area. This sampling produced 184 juvenile trout compared to only 21 in a similar sampling in 1969 and 15 in 1967, The increase was due to increased spawning success which in turn was probably due to reduced pesticide levels in the Arroyo Colorado.