Hensley, Rebecca A., Kyle Spiller, Page Campbell and Billy Fuls2010-02-152010-02-152000http://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/22884126 pgs.The objective of coastal monitoring projects is to determine the status of marine resources for management and harvest purposes. Trends in relative abundance and size of finfishes and shellfishes have been monitored since 1975 using a standardized fishery independent sampling program in Texas bay systems. Data were collected with bag seines and gill nets along bay shorelines, and with trawls in coastal bays and Texas Territorial Seas. Oyster dredges were used to sample bay oyster reefs. Data comparisons were made between 1996 and 1997for coastwide catch rates for all gears. Coastwide spring and fall gill net catch rates for red drum increased with a record high catch rate during the spring of 1997. Spotted seatrout and black drum gill net catch rates increased slightly for both the spring and fall. Coastwide seasonal bay seine catch rates increased for Atlantic croaker and blue crab and decreased for red drum, spotted seatrout, black drum, brown shrimp and white shrimp. Coastwide annual bay trawl catch rates increased for blue crab and decreased for Atlantic croaker, brown shrimp, pink shrimp and white shrimp. Coastwide annual Gulf of Mexico trawl catch rates increased for Atlantic croaker and white shrimp and decreased for brown shrimp and blue crab. Coastwide annual catch rates for Eastern oyster spat, small oysters and market oysters increased to record highs in 1997. Data collected during 1997 and during previous years were used to make resource and harvest management decisions.fish populationsfishery resourcesfisheriesfishmanagementfinfishshellfishbag seinestrawlscatch ratesdatagill netoyster dredgered drumSpotted seatroutblack drumAtlantic croakerblue crabred drumbrown shrimpwhite shrimpEastern oyster spatBook