drop in air tennperature to below 35° F. the previous night. On March 12, 1962, 

 nearly 500 dead postlarvae were found in the sample following a similar drop 

 in temperature. Between January 1961 and June 1962, water temperatures 

 ranged fronn -2.0° to 34.0° C. Although salinities ranged from 7. 6%o to 31.4%c 

 during the same period, there was no apparent correlation between salinities and 

 the number of postlarvae present. 



The bait shrimp industry of the Galveston Bay system is of consider- 

 able economic importance. This phase of the shrimp fishery has grown rapidly 

 since the first survey was begun November 1956. Production has increased 

 from 225, 000 pounds reported by Chin for June 1957 to April 1958 to an esti- 

 mated 943. 400 pounds in I960 and 731, 200 pounds in 1961. 



The number of active bait dealers decreased from 130 in May 1961 to 

 92 in May 1962. Many bait camps and bait boats were destroyed in September 

 1961 by Hurricane Carla. Approximately 20 percent have not been replaced. 



In 1961, for the first time in 6 years, bait shrimp were available 

 continuously through the winter. During the winter of 1962, however, very 

 little bait shrimp was taken from the area. This is believed to be due pri- 

 nnarily to unusually low temperatures during the first quarter of 1962. Most 

 of the bait retailed in the Galveston area during this period was trucked in frona 

 Matagorda Bay and Sabine Lake. 



The annual bait shrimp catch for 1961 consisted of approximately 60 

 percent white and 40 percent bro^vn shrimp. 



The occurrence of pink shrimp and Trachypeneus sp. was limited. 



Sampling postlarvae 

 with a small beam 

 trawl. 



32 



