Selection of species. Four criteria were used to 

 identify 44 species that had sufficient available infor- 

 mation for inclusion in the ELf^R data base (Table 2). 

 The four criteria were: 



1) Commercial value - determined by review of catch 

 data and value statistics from NMFS and state agen- 

 cies, e.g., Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) and 

 penaeid shrimp {Penaeus sp.). 



2) Recreational value - defined as a species that 

 recreational fishermen specifically try to catch, that 

 may or may not be of commercial importance. Recre- 

 ational species were determined by consulting re- 

 gional experts and Nfy/IFS reports, e.g., spotted seatrout 

 (Cynoscion nebulosus) and red drum (Sciaenops 

 ocellatus). 



3) Indicator species of environmental stress - identified 

 from the literature, discussions with fisheries experts, 

 and from monitoring programs such as NOAA's Na- 

 tional Status and Trends Program (O'Connor 1990). 

 These species (e.g., American oyster, Crassostrea 

 virginica, and Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias 

 undulatus) are molluscs or demersal fishes that con- 

 sume benthic invertebrates or have a strong associa- 

 tion with bottom sediments. Their physiological disor- 

 ders, morphological abnormalities, and bioaccumulation 

 of contaminants, such as heavy metals, indicate epi- 

 sodes of environmental pollution and/or stress. 



4) Ecological value - based on several attributes, 

 including trophic level, relative abundance and impor- 

 tance as a key predator or prey species, e.g., bay 

 anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli. 



Central Gulf of Mexico 



14. Mississippi Sound 



15. Lake Borgne 



16. Lake Pontchartrain 



17. Breton/Chandeleur Sound 



18. Mississippi River 



19. Barataria Bay 



20. Terrebonne/Timbalier Bay 



21 . Atchafalaya/Vermilion Bay 



22. Calcasieu Lake 



Western Gulf of Mexico 



23. Sabine Lake 



24. Galveston Bay 



25. Brazos River 



26. Matagorda Bay 



27. San Antonio Bay 



28. Aransas Bay 



29. Corpus Christi Bay 



30. Laguna Madre 



31. Baffin Bay 



Eastern Gulf of Mexico 



1. Florida Bay 



2. Ten Thousand Islands 



3. Caloosahatchee River 



4. Charlotte Harbor 



5. Tampa Bay 



6. Suwannee River 



7. Apalachee Bay 



8. Apalachicola Bay 



9. St. Andrew Bay 



10. Choctawhatchee Bay 



11. Pensacola Bay 



12. Perdido Bay 



13. Mobile Bay 



y 



Figure 3. ELMR Gulf of Mexico estuaries. 



