Browsing by Author "Compton, Henry"
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Item Biological Survey of the Commercial Shrimp and Associated Organisms of Area 20 in the Gulf of Mexico(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1963) Compton, Henry; Bradley, EddieInformation in this report is based on data from 90 trawl samples producing a total of 4,602 brown shrimp, 882 white shrimp, 21 pink shrimp, 234 seabobs, 3,144 specimens of non-commercial shrimp of seven species, and 1,734 squid of two species. Browns migrating through the 2-15 fathom sampling area were most abundant in August. Whites showed scattered abundance peaks in April, July, September, and through the winter. The few pinks caught were most abundant in March-April. Seabobs were taken only in February and March. All four commercial shrimp suffered a definite abundance drop from the previous year. Two fo the common non-commercial species showed a corresponding decrease. Gulf environmental factors probably contributed to this drop in abundance. Sampling data again brought out the fact that in this area in depths under 15 fathoms the migrating brown population failed to reach individual sizes commensurate with most economic harvest during the period of abundance. The large whites in these waters were of commercial size.Item Biological Survey of the Commercial Shrimp and Associated Organisms of Area 20 in the Gulf of Mexico - Study of Texas Shrimp Populations(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1964) Compton, Henry; Bradley, EddieInformation in this report is based on data from 85 trawl samples producing a total of 7,551 brown shrimp, 1,732 white shrimp, 123 pink shrimp, 9 seabobs, 3027 specimens of non-commercial shrimp of eight species, and 607 squid of two species. June, part of the closed season, was the month of heaviest movement of under-sized browns through the sampled area. During periods of abundance this species was below legal size. White shrimp were most abundant during the winter months; but economically too small for practical harvest in January, and probably during the latter part of December. Most of the few pinks caught were taken in February. With the exception of seabobs, the commercial species showed a large rise in abundance over the catch of 1962. Commercial landing statistics by unit effort showed a production abundance rise in 1963 in agreement with the findings of this report. Most of the non-commercial species of shrimp common to the area sampled increased in abundance in 1963. Hydrographic conditions, specifically salinity and temperature, remained practically constant with those found in 1962.Item Migration Study on Brown Shrimp in Bay Area M-6 and Gulf Area 20(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1962) Compton, Henry; Bradley, EddieShrimp stained June 5 through June 8 in Aransas Bay moved as predicted out of the bay and into the inshore Gulf. First returns from the Gulf were on July 5, a month after staining; however, at the rate of movement displayed through the bay and channels toward the Gulf, the first stained shrimp probably moved into the Gulf within three or four days of being released. The greatest distance moved was 59 miles in about 28 days. The fastest rate of movement was about 5 miles per day. A rough mileage rate, estimated from the first week's movement in the bays, was about two miles per day. Assuming brown shrimp of a mode of 80 mm, in June start moving to the Gulf at a certain speed, it can be predicted about when a certain group will enter the inshore waters which are closed for a certain period during the summer for conservation purposes. Knowledge of the rate and direction of movement will allow a more accurate regulation of this closed season.Item Population Studies of Adult Blue Crabs in the Inshore Gulf of Mexico and of Larval Crabs in Port Aransas, Port Mansfield, and Port Isabel Ship Channels - Studies of the Blue Crab Populations of the Texas Coast(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1965) Compton, HenryIn the inshore Gulf off Port Aransas, female blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, were caught in June, July, and September. Totals involved were 17 crabs. One male was taken in March. Four females were caught south in December. Nine females were taken north off Galveston in January. The Gulf blue crab, Callinectes danae, was present all year inshore off Port Aransas, and off Port Mansfield/Isabel. Larval stages entering Port Aransas channel were most abundant in February and again in June.Item Population Studies of the Blue Crabs of Gulf Area 20 - Studies of the Blue Crab Populations of the Texas Coast(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1964) Compton, Henry; Bradley, EddieThe commercial blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, was not abundant in the inshore Gulf. The population consisted almost entirely of female crabs. The abundance peak occurred in June and July. In June, July, and August, 20 to 30 per cent of the females carried eggs. The little blue crab, Callinectes danae, was abundant in June and July, with a high percentage of ripe females during this period. In 1963, almost five times as many Gulf blue crabs were taken as in 1962. Of other crabs associated in the catches, the speckled crab, Arenaeus cribrarius, was most abundant.Item Population Studies of the Blue Crabs of Gulf Area 20 - Studies of the Blue Crab Populations of the Texas Coast(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1963) Bradley, Eddie; Compton, HenryFor the year, 914 specimens were taken including 155 blue crabs, 630 Gulf blue crabs and 129 associated crabs. The blue crab was not abundant in the Gulf samples and, when found, was in shallow water. It had spawning peaks in March and August. The Gulf blue crab was more numerous and it was found in deeper water. Associated crabs in the area were not abundant. Of these crabs, Portunus gibbesii and Pagurus floridanus were the most numerous.Item Study of Post-larval Penaeid Shrimp Entering Aransas Bay - Study of Texas Shrimp Populations(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1963) Compton, Henry; Bradley, EddiePreliminary steps were taken to set up types of sampling that would capture post-larval shrimp entering bay nursery grounds through the ship channel at Port Aransas, Texas. Due to the rather meager number of post-larval shrimp keys available, identification was accomplished only to genus. Sampling of the channel bottom on February 20 produced penaeids of 12 mm. length. Sampling on March 27, both in the main channel and in flats along an adjacent channel, produced 288 post-larval penaeids, the greatest number taken during the sampling period. Samples through November produced few shrimp, excluding 50 caught on October 2. Mysids, hypoplanktonic crustacea living generally on or near the bottom, were numerous in the samples and displayed somewhat the same abundance pattern found for post-larval shrimp. February water temperature averaged 15 degrees Celcius, rising to 18 degress Celcius in March, with a general warming trend through the sampling period to 28 degrees Celcius in October. On the shallow sand flat sampled, salinity rose from 22 ppt in March to just above 30 ppt in April and remained fairly constant thereafter. At the channel bottom salinity stayed above 30 ppt.Item Study of the Bay Populations of Juvenile Shrimp, Penaeus aztecus and Penaeus setiferus(Texas Game and Fish Commission, 1960-12-31) Leary, Terrance; Compton, HenryBimonthly sampling of juvenile shrimp in the Texas Bays suggests that there were three waves of both the brown, P. aztecus, and white, P. setiferus, species. The first and most numerous group of brown shrimp first appeared in our May samples while the first and most numerous group of white shrimp appeared in mid-June. The period of most rapid growth was during the summer when the average growth for brown shrimp in Galveston Bay was 1.5 mm per day. The average for white shrimp during the same period was 1.1 mm per day. Spring and fall growth rates were lower. White shrimp grew to a greater size, leaving the bays at 120 mm. Brown shrimp left before reaching 100 mm. In some shallow, tertiary bays and bayous shrimp do not reach the proper size for harvest. Gulf sampling in daylight hours revealed that small brown shrimp so outnumber the few, larger white shrimp that harvest would be wasteful during the three summer months.Item Study of the bay populations of juvenile shrimp, Penaeus aztecus, Penaeus setiferus. Period covered: January 1, 1961 - December 31, 1961(Texas Game and Fish Commission, Marine Laboratory, 1962) Compton, Henry; Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Fisheries Project Reports 1960-1961This report is based on a totalof 542 samples, 29063 brown shrimp and 14,569 white shrimp. Semi-monthly sampling of juvenile shrimp in Texas bays in 1961 confirmed that there are at least three waves of juvenile brown shrimp, Penaeus aztecus, and white shrimp, Penaeus setiferus, entering bay nursery habitats. The greatest abundance of juvenile browns occurred in May and June, whereas juvenile whites were present in fair numbers from July through December. Growth rates during July and August were highest for both species, with that for browns computed up to 1.5 mm per day and that for whites up to 1.8 mm per day. A sharp drop in abundance of both species in the bay this year was reflected later in almost direct proportion to the Gulf commercial catch. Bay environmental conditions possibly affecting abundance of at least the brown shrimp include higher river runoff, lower bay salinities, and lower bay water temperatures at a time when most of the larval browns were entering nursery areas. It is more probable, however, that some adverse condition in the Gulf was the main cause of the poor shrimp production of 1961. It was again found that in many shallow, tertiary bays and bayous shrimp do not reach the proper size for harvesting.Item Study of the Post-larval Penaeid Shrimp Entering Aransas Bay - Study of Texas Shrimp Populations(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1964) Compton, Henry; Bradley, EddieThe first post-larval penaeids were taken in the Aransas Ship Channel bottom sample on February 19 at a depth of 8 mm, but not until after March 17 in mid-water channel and sand flat samples. They were most abundant in March and April. Sizes ranged from 6 to 14 millimeters. When shrimp Penaeus sp., were first taken in 1963, channel bottowm temperatures were 11.7 degrees C as compared to 15.8 degrees C at the same place and time in 1962. In 1963, 2.33 shrimp per unit effort were caught at that time; in 1962, 25.9 shrimp per unit effort were taken. After the middle of March, when post-larvae became abundant, temperatures were about 19 degrees C in both years. Associated organisms taken in large numbers were mysids, sergestids, crab larvae, and arrow worms. Mysids showed a spring abundance peak similar to penaeid post-larvae.Item Study of the Post-larval Penaeid Shrimp Entering Texas Bays from the Gulf of Mexico - Study of the Texas Shrimp Populations(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1965) Compton, HenryPost-larval penaeids, presumably brown shrimp, Penaeus aztecus, were first caught: in the Port Aransas Channel on February 1, and were present in varying abundance in samples both in this channel and in the Port Mansfield and Port Isabel Channels through the end of April. They were most abundant in the Port Aransas Channel samples of March 6 and 31, and in the Port Mansfield and Port Isabel Channel samples of April 11 and 12. Post-larval penaeids, probably white shrimp, P. setiferus, and possibly pink shrimp, P. duorarum, were first taken in the Port Aransas Channel sample, of June 4 and were caught regularly here and in the southern channels through the latter part of Sepcember with sporadic appearances throughout the rest of the year. Associated planktonic organisms taken in abundance were Mysids, Acetes sp.and Lucifer.Item Survey of Fish Found in Gulf Area 20 From 0-15 Fathoms - Analysis of Populations of Sports and Commercial Fin-Fish and of Factors Which Affect These Populations in the Coastal Bays of Texas(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1963) Compton, Henry; Bradley, EddieThis report is based on information obtained from 90 trawl samples which produced a total of over 71,000 fish, weighing over 7,400 pounds. The fish samples in 1962 showed an increase in poundage of 90 per cent and an increase in abundance of 264 per cent over 1961. The best month for both weight and numbers was July, when there was an average of almost 200 pounds of fish per trawl. Many fish had depth preferences, with nine fathoms being favored by most.Item Survey of Larval and Post-Larval Fin-Fish in Aransas and Corpus Christi Channels and in the Inshore Gulf of Mexico - Analysis of Populations of Sports and Commercial Fin-Fish and of Factors Which Affect These Populations in the Coastal Bays of Texas(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1963) Bradley, Eddie; Compton, HenryAdult fish spawn in the Gulf, with the young moving into the bays to mature. Most young fish remain close to the bottom. The period of cold or falling temperature was the spawning time for the fish studied.Item Survey of the Commercial Shrimp and Associated Organisms of Gulf Area 20 - Biological Survey of Commercial Shrimp Area 20 in the Gulf of Mexico(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1962) Compton, HenryInformation in this report is based on data from 90 trawl samples producing a total of 13,201 brown shrimp, 9,181 white shrimp, 297 pink shrimp, 1,883 sea bobs, 3,424 specimens of non-commercial shrimp comprising eight species, 3.275 specimens of other invertebrates comprising 27 species, and over 19,500 fish comprising 86 species. Over 590 pounds of heads-on commercial shrimp were taken; the total weight of scrap fish was over 3,900 pounds. Brown shrimp were most abundant in the summer; whites were most abundant from October through January. The catch of pink shrimp was negligible. Sea bobs were in sufficient quantity in January and Octover to support a small fishery. The bumper was the single most abundant fish by numbers; however, sand trout and croaker formed the bulk of the scrap fish poundage. In the inshore Gulf in depths shallower than 15 fathoms brown shrimp did not attain a size practical for harvest during the period of their abundance. White shrimp were of legal size during most of the year in these waters.Item Survey of the Commercial Shrimp and Associated Organisms of Gulf Area 20 - Biological Survey of Commercial Shrimp Area 20 in the Gulf of Mexico(Texas Game and Fish Commission, 1961-01-27) Compton, HenryObjectives: To determine the shrimp present in the area, their seasonal distribution, abundance and size. To establish a five month checklist of organisms associated with the shrimp population of the area.Item Survey of the Fishes found in Gulf Area 20 from 2-17 Fathoms and of Post-larval Fishes in Aransas Channel - Analysis of Populations of Sports and Commercial Fin-Fish and of Factors Which Affect These Populations in the Coastal Bays of Texas(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1964) Compton, Henry; Bradley, EddieInformation in the adult fish report is based on data from 85 trawl samples producing an estimated total of 30,857 fishes of 94 species for an estimated total weight of 5,805 pounds. The two most abundant fishes were the croaker, Micropogon undulatus, and the Gulf sand trout, Cynoscion nothus. Zonation of species in the Gulf was found even within the narrow limits of job sampling. Many of the larger fish were taken in numbers and poundage commensurate with a possible commercial utilization. Post-larval fin-fish taken in Port Aransas Ship Channel had two peaks of abundance. One peak occurred in March and April and was due mainly to menhaden, Brevoortia sp., and pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, 9 to 25 mm long. The next peak, in October and November, was composed of croaker 3 to 20 mm long. Post-larval menhaden and anchovies, Anchoa sp., were present in early spring, star drum, Stellifer lanceolatus, and croaker later in the year. Flatfish, mostly Paralichthys sp., were taken only on the bottom. Star drum were caught almost exclusively on the bottom. Croaker and pinfish showed some preference for moving at the bottom; anchovies, menhaden, and banded croaker, Larimus fasciatus, were taken mainly from levels above the bottom. By unit effort, the bottom beam trawl caught more fish than did the mid-water plankton net. No specific correlation between catch and temperature or catch and salinity was found.Item Survey of the Fishes Found in the Inshore Gulf of Mexico and of Post-Larval Fishes in Aransas, Port Mansfield, and Port Isabel Ship Channels - Analysis of Populations of Sports and Commercial Fin-Fish and of Factors Which Affect These Populations in the Coastal Bays of Texas(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1965) Compton, HenryMost abundant scrap fish caught in the standard shrimp trawl in the Gulf were the croaker, Micropogon undulatus; the two sand trout, Cynoscion nothus and arenarius; and the hardhead catfish, Galeichthys felis. The first three, along with the larger of other species less abundant, would be suitable for some form of scrap fish utilization. In both the Gulf off Port Aransas and that off the Port Mansfield/Port Isabel area, October was the month of greatest abundance of scrap fish. The most abundant species in the post-larval channel samples were menhaden, Brevoortia patronus; croaker, Micropogon undulatus; and redfish, Sciaenops ocellatus. Greatest numbers of post-larval fish were entering the passes in March and in December. Gulf salinity and temperature remained very constant and similar to that of previous years; channel salinity varied little, but temperature ranged from a low in February of 11.4 degrees C. to a high in August of 30.6 degrees C. to a later low in December of 11.5 degress C. on the 30th.