Browsing by Author "Martinez, Rudy"
Now showing 1 - 20 of 24
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Analysis of Forage and Predator Species Relationship(Texas Game and Fish Commission, 1959) Martinez, RudyObjective: To learn as much as possible of the life histories and interrelationship of food and game fish and of forage fish, particularly the pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides).Item Annotated Checklist of Fish Species Present in Area M-7 - Biological Survey of Area M-7(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1961) Martinez, RudyA checklist of fish species collected in area M-7 during this project year is contained in this report. The list includes only the species that occur in this area. New species that are observed will be added to the list in future reports.Item Bottom Survey of Oso Bay - Biological Survey of Area M-7(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1961) Martinez, RudyThe main bottom type in Oso Bay consists mostly of soft black mud. This produces a generally turbid condition, and as a result, has a pronounced effect on the total ecology. Only a few patches of vegetation are found in the bay, and these are along the west shore where a sewer plant empties into the area.Item Coastal Hydrographic and Meteorological Study(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1966) Martinez, Rudy; Texas Parks & Wildlife Coastal Fisheries Project Reports 1966Hydrographic and climatological data for Texas bays collected in the field and taken from publications are presented in this report. Rainfall was 29 % higher in 1966 than in 1965, with heaviest rainfall occurring in May. Water temperatures followed normal seasonal trends and varied very little from the preceding year. There were no fish kills caused by extreme freezes. Salinities were generally lower than in 1965 as a result of increased rainfall and influx of fresh water from river discharge. High tides were experienced in early May with readings of over three feet above mean low tide in most areas. High tides were also experienced in September as a result of the autumnal equinox. An increase in tide, associated with Hurrican Inez, occurred along the lower coast in October. Habitat modification included routine maintenance dredging in the Galveston and Corpus Christi Ship Channels and in the Upper and Lower Laguna Madre Intracoastal Waterways, oil well operations, marine development operations, and hurricane protection operations.Item Fish Tagging Program - Biological Survey of Area M-7(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1961) Martinez, RudyThe total number of fish tagged was 537. Most of the fish tagged were Cynoscion arenarius. Only three tagged fish had been recovered at the time this study period ended. Due to lack of tag returns, very little information was obtained concerning migrations, growth rates, and fishing pressure in this area. Tagging should be continued for several consecutive years before conclusive results can be anticipated.Item Hydrographic and Climatological Survey of Area M-7 - Biological Survey of Area M-7(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1961) Martinez, RudyInformation obtained on hydrographic and climatological conditions in Area M-7 reveals that there was a close correlation between rainfall and salinity. Two main peaks of rainfall occurred during the study period. One was in October with 10.66 inches, and the other one was in December with 7.89 inches. These peaks in rainfall during October and December caused salinities to drop suddenly at several stations in the area. The sudden decrease in salinity was severe enough to cause several oyster reefs in Area M-7 to suffer total mortality. Nueces Bay and the west shore of Corpus Christi Bay exhibited the lowest salinities during periods of heavy runoff. There was a close correlation between average air and average water temperature by month. Temperature averages reached their lowest point in January and their highest in July.Item Hydrographic and Meteorological Study of the Corpus Christi Bay System - 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) Martinez, RudyHigh tides caused by Hurricane Hilda during the first part of October opened Packery Channel and Corpus Christi Pass. Both passes closed after a few days. Salinity dropped from 36.3 ppt in September to 33.1 ppt in October in Corpus Christi Bay and remained below 33 ppt for the rest of the year. Rainfall was higher than last year by 7.85 inches. Salinity averages varied inversely with rainfall, from a low of 30.4 ppt in May to a high of 36.5 ppt in August. Air and water temperature averages were lowest in December and highest in August.Item Hydrographic and Meteorological Study of the Corpus Christi Bay System - 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) Martinez, RudyAir and water temperatures were similar in pattern to temperatures recorded in 1962. Rainfall and river flow were below normal in 1963. Salinities averaged 36.4 ppt in January and gradually increased to about 40.2 ppt by July.Item Hydrographic and Meteorological Study of the Corpus Christi Bay System - 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) Martinez, RudyRiver run-off from September 1961 to August 1962 amounted to 86,570 acre feet, a decrease of 543,140 acre feet from the previous year. This decrease of approximately 86.0 per cent in river flow correlates well with a decrease of 77.5 per cent in rainfall as measured at the U.S. Weather Bureau in Corpus Christi, Texas. Salinities increased to over 40 ppt. in August and were not greatly reduced until the latter part of the December. Air and water temperature averages reached their lowest point in January and their highest in July.Item Population Studies of the Blue Crab Populations in the Corpus Christi Bay Area - Studies of the Blue Crab Populations of the Texas Coast(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1965) Martinez, RudyBlue crabs were sampled in conjunction with the state fish and shrimp programs. Shrimp trawls produced the most consistent catches of all the types of sampling gear used. The crab catch per trawl sample reached peaks of abundance in March and May, followed by a gradual decline as salinity increased. The samples indicated that female crabs were more abundant than male crabs during most of the year, particularly in May. Sixty-foot seine crab catches were highest in May and July, followed by a steady decline in August, September and October. November and December samples showed a slight increase.Item Population Studies of the Sports and Commercial Fin-Fish and Forage Species of the Corpus Christi Bay System - 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) Martinez, RudyFish samples in 1963 indicate a decrease in numbers of redfish, Sciaenops ocellatus; drum, Pogonias cromis; and flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma, with a correspondering increase of trout, Cynoscion nebulosus; and sheepshead, Archsargus probatocephalus, as compared with samples taken in 1962. The most abundant adult game fish taken was trout with an average of 1.43 fish per acre sampled. Fish tag returns were highest for redfish which had 10.4 per cent reported recoveries. Trout, drum, and sheepshead had low tag returns, and flounder had no returns. Forage fish were most abundant during August with an average weight of 3.33 pounds per 15-minute drag with a 10-foot trawl. Pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, and croaker, Micropogon undulatus, produced the most pounds per unit of effort during the study period. Juvenile game fish samples indicate a reduction of 20.9 per cent for trout, 31.6 per cent for sheepshead, 55.0 per cent for flounder, 63.8 per cent for redfish, and 96.0 per cent for drum in 1963 as compared with 1962.Item Population Studies of the Sports and Commercial Fin-Fish and Forage Species of the Corpus Christi Bay System - 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) Martinez, RudyForage fish were sampled semi-monthly at 7 stations in Corpus Christi, Nueces, Redfish and Oso Bays with 10-foot and 20-foot otter trawls. Juvenile game fish were sampled monthly at 3 stations in Ingleside Cove, Shamrock Cove and East Flats with a 60-foot minnow seine. Adult game and food fish were sampled monthly with a 1200-foot trammel net. The most abundant forage fish caught in the otter trawl was the anchovy with a unit of effort catch of 18.05. Croakers were next with 11.16. Spot, pinfish and flounder followed in that order. Numbers of juvenile game fish taken per acre sampled were as follows: Redfish, 14.9 per acre; trout, 8.6 per acre; drum, 2.5 per acre; flounder, 2.2 per acre; and sheepshead, 1.9 per acre. The most abundant adult food fish taken was the croaker, followed by drum, redfish, trout, sheepshead and flounder respectively. Tagged redfish yielded 25.24 per cent returns, trout 3.92 per cent, drum 3.25 per cent and croakers 2.46 per cent. Tagged sheepshead and flounder did not yield any returns.Item Population Studies of the Sports and Commercial Fin-Fish Species of the Corpus Christi Bay System - 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) Martinez, RudyJuvenile game fish samples indicate a reduction in trout, Cynoscion nebulosus; and sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus; with a corresponding increase of redfish, Sciaenops ocellatus, and drum, Pogonias cromis, as compared with samples taken in 1963. Catches of flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma remained the same as in 1963, with an average of 1.0 fish per acre sampled. The most abundant juvenile game fish was the redfish with an average of 22.2 fish per acre sampled. Fish tag returns were highest for redfish which had 8.2 per cent reported recoveries. Trout and sheepshead had relatively low tag returns, while drum and flounder had no returns. The most abundant adult game fish taken was the trout with an average of 2.73 pounds per acre sampled, followed by sheepshead, redfish, drum and flounder respectively.Item Populations of Juvenile Shrimp in the Corpus Christi Bay Complex - Study of Texas Shrimp Populations(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1963) Martinez, RudyWhite and brown shrimp were sampled twice each month for 16 consecutive months. The results indicated a drop in abundance of both species. A corresponding drop was also noted in commercial landings. The first wave of juvenile brown shrimp appeared in the May 1 samples, 15 days later than in 1961. The major size class of the first wave was 28 mm. to 43 mm. Juvenile white shrimp first appeared in the July 1 samples with a major size class of 35 mm. to 40 mm. White shrimp showed a drop of 47 per cent in catch per unit effort.Item Rebuilding, or Supplementing of, the Artificial Fishing Reefs in the Gulf of Mexico - Development Activities in Region V(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1964) Martinez, RudyA departmental constructed artificial fishing reef in the Gulf of Mexico, located 6 miles southeast of Port Aransas (Figure 1), was partially destroyed by strong currents and, in September 1961, by Hurricane Carla. This reef had provided an improved fishing habitat which yielded ling, king mackerel, and red snappers before the car bodies, which made up the reef, were scattered. Concrete rubble, clay pipe, and concrete pressure pipe were placed on the reef location in an effort to supplement the reef and restore the favorable fishing habitat which existed before the reef was damaged.Item Shrimp Investigation - Biological Survey of the Waters of Region M-8(Texas Game and Fish Commission, 1960-08-12) Martinez, RudyObjective: To investigate the life history of shrimp in the Upper Laguna Madre.Item Study of Oyster Population and Experimental Planting in Corpus Christi Bay - Survey of Oyster Populations and Associated Organisms(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1964) Martinez, RudyFour oyster reefs in Corpus Christi Bay were seeded with live oysters transplanted from Copano Bay. Two of the seeded areas were on natural reefs which had suffered extensive oyster mortality in 1960 and 1961 and had not reestablished their populations. The other two locations were on artificial reefs constructed in 1962 of washed mud shell and were void of live oysters prior to the transplantation. Test oysters held in trays at the four transplant locations showed little mortality from June through December 1963 indicating the future practicality of additional transplantation of oysters to the Corpus Christi Bay area to aid in reestablishing oyster populations.Item Study of Oyster Populations and Experimental Plantings in Corpus Christi Bay - Survey of Oyster Populations and Associated Organisms(Texas Game and Fish Commission Marine Laboratory, 1963) Martinez, RudyLive oysters, placed in test trays and transplanted to existing reefs with extremely low oyster population, showed high mortality rates within one month of the transplant and by the end of the three months had suffered total mortality. There were not enough oysters present to obtain adequate samples of live oysters on any of the major reefs in Corpus Christi Bay, in order to make monthly comparison of the population structure of the reefs.Item Study of Populations of Juvenile Shrimp in the Corpus Christi Bay Complex - Study of Texas Shrimp Populations(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1964) Martinez, RudyBrown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) were 30.2 per cent less abundant in 10-foot trawl samples in 1963 than in 1962. White shrimp (Penaeus setiferus) were 34.4 per cent less abundant. The first juvenile brown shrimp of the year appeared in the April 1st samples. This group was followed by a second wave in July and a third one in August. Juvenile white shrimp were first taken in the mid-July samples, 15 days later than in 1962. White shrimp reached a peak of abundance in August with 27.4 shrimp per unit of effort and another peak in November in 28.3 shrimp per unit of effort.Item Study of Populations of Juvenile Shrimp in the Corpus Christi Bay Complex - Study of the Texas Shrimp Populations(Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1965) Martinez, RudyBrown and white shrimp were sampled twice each month at 9 sampling stations. This included 3 primary, 2 secondary and 4 tertiary bay stations. The first juvenile brown shrimp of the year were taken in the mid-April samples, 15 days later than in 1963. Shrimp as small as 25 mm were found in the May samples and again in June. In comparison with 1963, there was a slight decline in the brown shrimp catch per unit of effort. There was a corresponding decline in the commercial landings reported for the Corpus Christi Bay area. Juvenile white shrimp were first taken in the mid-June samples, about 30 days earlier than in 1963. This first wave of juveniles, ranging in size from 28 to 50 mm, was taken in Nueces Bay at a rate of about 20 per trawl sample. A peak of abundance was reached in October with 163.3 shrimp per unit of effort. White shrimp were more abundant in 1964 than in 1963. There was also a corresponding increase in rainfall in 1964.