Juvenile and Adult Food and Game Fish of the Laguna Madre

In 1971, important food and game fish were sampled in the Laguna Madre, Texas. Juveniles were sampled with a 60-foot bag seine while adults were sampled with a 1200-foot trammel net. Techniques employed were similar to those used in previous years and results from several years' study were compared. Species included the spotted sea trout (Cynocion nebulosus), redfish (Sciaenops ocellata), southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma), black drum (Pogonias cromis) and sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus). In the Upper Laguna Madre, juvenile redfish were less abundant in 1971 than in 1970. Juvenile sea trout numbers were unchanged. In the Lower Laguna Madre redfish numbers were unchanged from those found in 1969 (1970 figures unavailable), while sea trout numbers were about one-half of those found in 1969. Adult fish samples in the Lower Laguna show that redfish yields in pounds continue to surpass those for sea trout as they have since fall, 1968. The relative shortage of yearling redfish in fall, 1971 indicated a poor hatch in the preceeding year.