recapture study in Sydnor Bayou provided a popula- 

 tion estimate for comparison. Marking was accom- 

 plished by spraying shrimp >40 mm TL with 

 granular fluorescent pigment (Benton and Lightner 

 1972). Data analysis was as described for the 1983 

 Sydnor Bayou study. The average density of shrimp 

 in Sydnor Bayou during the 1983 study was 37% of 

 the May 1970 density and was the lowest per hec- 

 tare estimate of any pond previously sampled (Tkble 

 3). 



We believe that juvenile brown shrimp population 

 density, determined by the mark-recapture method, 

 may prove to be a good predictor of offshore pro- 

 duction as we compile a longer term data base 

 Although the drop sampler (area-density method) 

 may measure shrimp density more accurately, the 

 Peterson mark-recapture method gives a more 

 precise (having less variance) population estimate 



Acknowledgments 



We thank the many people who helped us in the 

 field and processing shrimp; also, Roger Zimmer- 

 man, for supplying drop sampler data. We are 

 especially grateful to Don Hanson for allowing us 

 the use of his property along Sydnor Bayou during 

 the study. 



Literature Cited 



Bailey, N. J. 



1951. On estimating the size of mobile populations from recap- 

 ture data. Biometrika 38:293-306. 

 Baxter, K. N. 



1963. Abundance of postlarval shrimp - one index of future 

 shrimping success. Proa Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst. 15:79-87. 

 Benton, R. C, and D. Lightner. 



1972. Spray marking juvenile shrimp with granular fluo- 

 rescent pigment. Contrib. Mar. Sci. 16:65-69. 



Berry, R. J., and K. N. Baxter. 



1969. Predicting brown shrimp abundance in the north- 

 western Gulf of Mexico. FAO Fish. Rep. 57, 3:775-798. 

 Chin, E. 



1960. The bait shrimp fishery of Galveston Bay, Ifexas. TVans. 

 Am. Fish. Soc 89:135-141. 

 Clark, S. H., and C. W. Caillouet, Jr. 



1973. White shrimp {Penaeus setiferus) population trends in 

 a tidal marsh pond. Mar. Fish. Rev. 35(3-4):27-29. 

 Costello, T. J., and D. M. Allen. 



1962. Survival of stained, tagged, and unmarked shrimp in 

 the presence of predators. Proa Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst. 

 14:16-19. 

 Emiliani, D. a., and F. Marullo. 



1973. Portable barge for estuarine research. Mar. Fish. Rev. 

 35(l-2):27-29. 

 Farmer, A. S. D., and M. H. Al-Attar. 



1979. Results of shrimp marking programmes in Kuwait. 

 Kuwait Bull. Mar. Sci. 1:1-32. 

 Holt, B. 



1982. Short term mortality of tagged shrimp during field tag- 

 ging experiments. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tfech. Memo. 

 NMFS-SEFC-97, 9 p. 

 Howe, N. R., and P. R. Hoyt. 



1982. Mortality of juvenile brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus 

 associated with streamer tags. Trans. Am. Fish Soa 111: 

 317-325. 

 Klima, E. F. 



1965. Evaluation of biological stains, inks, and fluorescent 

 pigments as marks for shrimp. U.S. Fish WOdl. Serv., Spea 

 Sci. Rep. 511, 8 p. 

 Klima, E. F, K. N. Baxter, and F. J. Patella, Jr. 



1982. A review of the offshore shrimp fishery and the 1981 

 Ifexas Closure Mar. Fish. Rev. 44(9-10):16-30. 

 RiCKER, W. E. 



1975. Computation and interpretation of biological statistics 

 of fish populations. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 191, 382 p. 

 SlEGEL, S. 



1956. Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. 

 McGraw-Hill, N.Y., p. 52-60. 

 Zimmerman, R. J., T. J. Minello, and G. Zamora. 



1984. Selection of vegetated habitat by brown shrimp, Penaeus 

 aztecus, in a Galveston Bay salt Marsh. Fish. Bull., U.S. 

 82:325-336. 



Loretta F Sullivan 



Table 3.— Summary of juvenile brown shrimp population studies in Texas coastal ponds. 



'Bailey (1951) large sample variance. 



681 



