180 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 

 SPAWNING AND EARLY DISTRIBUTION OF YOUNG 



The spotted trout spawns largely, if not entirely, within the bays and lagoons 

 along the coast of Texas, in contrast to the redfish and black drum, which spawn (prob- 

 ably exclusively) within the Gulf of Mexico. The spawning season of the trout begins 

 in early spring (not before March) and continues as late in the summer as October. 

 The spotted trout do not appear to scatter their eggs within a relatively short period 

 of time, as is the case with the redfish or drum, for individual fish are found in all 

 stages of sexual development throughout the spring and summer and probably 

 spawn for some weeks. The height of the spawning season occurs in April and May, 

 however. 



Fig. 27.— Young spotted trout. Actual length, 12 centimeters 



Fig. 28.— Adult spotted trout 



The first collection of trout spawned in 1926 was taken on May 13, 1926, along 

 the grassy shore line of Corpus Christi Bay near the channel entrance to Oso Bay. 

 Several young, 10 to 22 millimeters long (under 1 inch), were secured in a few feet 

 of water in the same approximate locahty where large numbers of ripe and apparently 

 spawning adult trout were being captured. Four days later another small fish, 

 18 millimeters long, was seined on the shore of Harbor Island about 13^ miles from 

 Aransas Pass. (See Table 19.) Since Harbor Island was suppHed with large numbers 

 of marine organisms brought in from the Gulf of Mexico by the tidal currents, it 

 was thought possible that this fish had been hatched in the Gulf and had entered th^ 

 intercoastal waters through the pass. 



