336 U.S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



continued with the view of preparing a catalog and general account 

 of the fishes of the State. 



MARINE FISHES OF THE GULF COAST 



Continuing his studies of the marine fish fauna of the Gulf 

 coast, Isaac Ginsburg has been engaged during the year in examin- 

 ing collections of fishes from many localities and in revising the 

 taxonomy and classification of a number of families among which 

 confusion exists in the literature as a necessary preliminary to the 

 preparation of a monograph on the fishes of the whole region. 



The systematic study of the flounders occurring in American 

 waters was carried forward and continued during 1933, especially 

 those species which are related to the important commercial genus 

 of Paralichthys^ since for a complete understanding of the status 

 of the species of this genus, it is important to fix definitely the 

 morphological limits of related species. Further studies on the 

 species of Faralichthys were also carried out. x\.s a result of these 

 studies a preliminary report on some of the species v/as published 

 in the Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 



Studies were also made on the systematics of two families of the 

 smaller fishes, namely, gobies and seahorses. These fishes are com- 

 mon and form a regular feature of the littoral marine fauna. On 

 account of their common or frequent occurrence they of necessity 

 must play an important role in the complex interrelationship of 

 the littoral marine fauna. 



SHRIMP INVESTIGATIONS 



During 1933 the shrimp investigations have continued as in the 

 past under the direction of Dr. F. W. Weymouth of Stanford Uni- 

 versity and Milton J. Lindner. Curtailment of funds resulted in 

 the dismissal of Gordon Gunter and a clerical assistant in June, but 

 John C. Pearson, assistant aquatic biologist, was transferred to the 

 staff at this time. 



Through the excellent cooperation of the Louisiana Department of 

 Conservation, the Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission, and 

 the Georgia Tidewater Commission the major portions of the shrimp 

 investigation xerogram have been continued in spite of a reduced 

 budget. Headquarters have been maintained at New Orleans, La., 

 in offices furnished by the Louisiana Department of Conservation, 

 with field stations at the United States Fisheries Laboratory, Beau- 

 fort, N.C., the Georgia Tidewater Commission, Brunswick, Ga., and 

 the San Patricio Canning Co., Aransas Pass, Tex. 



Although three species of shrimp occur in the fishery through 

 most of its range, which extends from North Carolina to the Mexican 

 border, the investigations at present are being directed mainly 

 toward solving problems concerning the life history of the common 

 shrimp {Penaeus setiferus). Tliis species is by far the most im- 

 portant because it comprises over 95 percent of the commercial catch. 

 The other two species, the grooved shrimp {P. hrasiliensis and the 

 sea bob {Xiphopenaeus kroyein)^ each furnish about 21/2 percent of 

 the catch. 



