NATURAL HISTORY OF REDFISH, ETC., OF TEXAS 211 



SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS 



While ("ertain ilefiiiitc recommendations as to conservation and development 

 of the Texas coastal fisheries have been offered for each species of fish considered in 

 this paper, it seems desirable to present a summarized discussion of them. 



At the present time the State of Texas relics upon two major methods of fishery 

 conservation — (1) the imposition of a minimum and maximum legal size limit on 

 certain species of fish and (2) the closing of extensive areas of marine waters to net 

 fishing. The former method, which prohibits the sale or possession of the less valuable 

 redfish under 14 and over 32 inches in length, and the spotted trout under 12 inches, 

 undoubtedly has proved of value both to the fish and to the industry, for it allows 

 the redfish and trout to reach a profitable market size and (in the case of the redfish) 

 protects nearly all of the adult or matured fish. 



The black drum never has had the advantage of either a minimum or a maximum 

 size market limit, principally because it has been so abundant in the past and because 

 of its low market value. The day is rapidly approaching, however, when the black- 

 drum stock will be subjected to more intensive fishing than in the past. While 

 several bays that support fish populations consisting largely of drum have been 

 closed to net fishing (Oso and Nueces Bays and Laguna Madre), this protection is 

 offset largely, at the present time, by a fishery operated by a few individuals to 

 capture the large, migrating drum on their way to the spawning grounds. This 

 fishery has been described on page 176. The larger black drum, like the larger red- 

 fish, have very little market value but constitute an important element in the annual 

 replenishment of the species. Moreover, many of these larger fish are wasted by the 

 fishery. At the present time sport fishermen and commercial hook-and-line fisher- 

 men cast quantities of them upon the beaches to die, and in late winter the local 

 gill-net fishery in Corpus Christi Bay utilizes only the female roes and a small amount 

 of the coarse flesh of the larger fish, which frequently is infested with parasitic worms. 



It seems logical, from an economic and biological standpoint, to place a maximum 

 legal size limit on the black drum. This limit should be about 20 inches total length, 

 since few drum larger than this are handled by the more conservative fish dealers, 

 who recognize their general unpopularity and undesirability. As in the case of the 

 redfish, this limit should insure, primarily, a permanent supply of spawning fish. 

 There should be no serious objection to this proposed limit, for it is well known that 

 drum above 20 inches in length are extremely prolific as compared with the younger 

 mature sizes, and that such fish are of slight value to the industry. The further 

 imposition of a minimum legal size limit at 8 inches total length is suggested in order 

 to save the young fish until a time when an adequate market value can be realized. 



Along with the imposition of these legal size limits for black drum, it is recom- 

 mended that Oso and Nueces Bays and Laguna Madre be opened so that the fishing 

 industry may utilize more of the black drum before they attain an undesirably 

 large size. Oso and Nueces Bays yielded fairly large quantities of drum in the 

 past, and the writer beUeves that if the recommended legal size limits are adopted, 

 commercial seining in these bays can be resumed. The presence in these waters of 

 large areas in which fishing operations can not be conducted (owing to mud bottom, 

 oyster reefs, and debris) will give all the fish a certain amount of protection. While 

 it will cause the fishermen a little trouble to liberate all drum under 8 inches and over 



