NATURAL HISTORY OF REDFISH, ETC., OF TEXAS 



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suitable depth and sluggish tidal current, the bayou, as well as contributory branches, 

 furnishes an ideal refuge for thousands of larval and young fish. With the incoming 

 tidal current from the Gulf, many marine organisms often are brought into the bayou, 

 voluntarily or otherwise, where they may remain indefinitely or may depart on the 

 next outgoing tide. Many tropical fishes, such as Pterophryne, the sargassum-weed 

 dweller, often frequent Harbor Island Bayou during the height of the tide but gen- 

 erally return to the Gulf during low water. 



After a week of seeking the young redfish within many bays with no success 

 another visit to Harbor Island and the adjacent shore lines was made on October 18, 

 when a greater number of larval and young fish were secured than a week previous. 

 Systemic collecting along the grassy shore lines inside of Aransas Pass indicated that 

 areas nearest to and in direct line with the pass yielded the greatest number as well 

 as the smallest size of young. Table 5 illustrates the relative size and abundance of 

 yoimg at various distances from the passes. 



Table 5. — Relative size and abundance of young redfish about Corpus Christi and Aransas Passes 

 during October to November, 1926 {from Table 4) 



Corpus Christi Pass, 20 miles south of Aransas Pass, was visited on October 29 

 to determine whether the newly hatched redfish were coming through the pass into 

 Laguna Madre from the Gulf. The collections obtained were even more extensive 

 than those made at Aransas Pass, for isolated patches of grass bottom in the shallow 

 water immediately inside Corpus Christi Pass offered a temporary refuge for the young 

 fish undoubtedly being brought into the pass from the Gulf of Mexico. Along the 

 sides of the shallow channels radiating from the pass into the waters of Laguna 

 Madre were large quantities of young redfish taken in particular when the tidal 

 current was rushing in from the Gulf. 



During the collection of the young fish about the passes (October to November) 

 large numbers of adidt redfish were observed milling about at the mouths of the 

 passes. Several fish from these schools captured in the latter part of October showed 

 ovaries with nearly spent roes. In mid-November a considerable number of spent 

 adults was taken along the Gulf beaches in the vicinity of the passes by sport fisher- 

 men, all fish showing signs of emaciation due, no doubt, to the spawning activity 

 in the previous weeks. 



By the middle of November the numbers of larval and very young redfish com- 

 menced to decrease, and with the absence of any young under 10 millimeters (0.4 

 inch) after the 15th of the month it was believed that the spawning season was 

 virtually at an end. 



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