Gulf of Mexico 



In the Gulf of Mexico region, 7. 1 

 million acres of estuarine waters 

 were classified for shellfish harvest 

 in 1990 (Figure 9). Forty-eight 

 percent were classified as ap- 

 proved and 52 percent as harvest- 

 limited. This region ranks first in 

 the Nation in both total acres of 

 classified estuarine shellfish- 

 growing waters and total acres of 

 prohibited shellfish-growing wa- 

 ters. 



Estuarine Shellfish-Growing Wa- 

 ters. The Gulf of Mexico region 

 extends from the southern tip of 

 Florida, west to the Texas-Mexico 

 border. Estuaries in the region are 

 generally the shallowest in the Nation, 

 have the largest amount of water 

 surface area (1 1 ,764 square miles), 

 receive the greatest freshwater inflow, 

 and are the least influenced by tidal 

 circulation. The Gulf of Mexico 

 contains the most classified shellfish- 

 growing waters (7.1 million acres) in 

 the Nation, and was the largest 

 oyster-producing region. The region 

 also contains more than half of the 

 Nation's coastal wetlands (16,600 

 square miles), and is generally the 

 least susceptible to pollution retention. 



Gulf of Mexico estuarine drainage 

 areas (EDAs) are strongly affected by 

 hurricanes and rainfall, creating 

 extremes in circulation, salinity, and 

 upstream influences in the estuaries 

 (NOAA, 1990). Therefore, the region 

 contains 73 percent (1 .2 million acres) 

 of the Nation's conditionally approved 

 shellfish-growing waters. Appendix C 

 identifies the estuaries in the region 

 and summarizes the status of shell- 

 fish-growing waters in each. 



Classified Shellfish-Growing 

 Waters, 1985-1990. Approved 

 shellfishing areas in the region 

 declined from 54 percent of classified 

 waters in 1985 to 48 percent in 1990. 

 Over 3.7 million acres now are 

 classified as harvest-limited. In 

 addition, almost 147,000 acres were 

 removed from the Register data base. 

 Declines in approved acreage oc- 

 curred in Florida and Texas, while 

 Mississippi and Louisiana gained 

 approved acreage. Alabama had no 

 change in approved acreage, but 

 added 17,000 acres, all classified as 

 prohibited. Table 13 shows classifica- 

 tions by state for 1985 and 1990. 



Fourteen of the 32 estuaries had net 

 downgrades in classification while 

 eight had upgrades. Ten estuaries 

 had no net change in classification. 

 Approved acreage outside estuaries in 

 NOAA's NEI increased by 14,000 

 acres. Particularly significant were the 

 reclassifications from conditionally 



Table 1 3. Distribution of Gulf of 



Mexico Classified Estuarine 

 Waters, 1985 and 1990 



35 



