Estimate of the number of red drum anglers in Texas.

A method to estimate the number of anglers who fish for red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) in Texas bays is needed to allocate harvest among user groups. Angling effort directed at red drum was estimated from life history information, Greafe's avidity criteria, relative probabilities that anglers in each avidity class will catch red drum, and the proportion of anglers seeking the species. For 1979, the estimate was 509,040 anglers who fished for red drum, which represents over 50% of Texas saltwater anglers that year.