168 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



studied. The results of this survey, which are presented in this 

 report, make it possible to understand better the present condition 

 of the Texas fisheries and to devise plans for more productive work 

 along this line. The following discussion is confined to fish and does 

 not include shrimp and oysters. 



SUMMARY 



1. The Texas fisheries are largely for shore species taken by seines 

 and gill nets in the sounds and inclosed bays. Redfish, trout, and 

 black drum are the most important species. 



2. The imperfect records indicate either a horizontal or a slightly 

 rising trend in the yield of food fish since 1890. The decline in the 

 yield of several valuable species is compensated by the increase in the 

 yield of black drum, which has been considered an inferior fish. A 

 decline in abundance of fish is indicated by the fact that the market 

 supply has not kept pace with the demand. 



3. The records are so inadequate that it is impossible to determine 

 the cause of this virtual decline in the fisheries. It is possible that, 

 in addition to natural causes, the stationary condition of the fisheries 

 is caused by excessive legal restrictions. 



4. Present knowledge of the habits of the several species is very 

 scanty. The two conflicting opinions are (1) that the fish spawn in 

 the inside bays and (2) that they spawn in the Gulf and come inside 

 only to feed. These problems have not been studied carefully, 

 although such study is necessary for the proper regulation of the 

 fisheries. 



5. The many fishery regulations in force are based upon incomplete 

 or defective knowledge, and the men in the industry consider them 

 to be unduly harsh. 



6. Recommendations for a program of conservation include the 

 establishment of a system of fishery statistics, the initiation of 

 biological investigations, and the reorganization of the game, fish, 

 and oyster department. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE TEXAS FISHERIES 

 NATURE OF THE COAST 



Most of the Texas coast is bordered by a chain of low, sandy 

 islands, which separate the various bays from the Gulf of Mexico. 

 The entire coast line, following the winding shores of the many bays, 

 coves, "lakes," lagoons, and passes, extends about 2,000 miles on 

 the inside and a trifle less than 400 miles on the Gulf side of the 

 bordering islands. The chief bays, from north to south, are Galves- 

 ton, Matagorda, Espiritu Santo, San Antonio, Mesquite, Aransas, 

 Corpus Christi, and the Laguna Madre. Of these, Galveston, Mata- 

 gorda, Corpus Christi, and Laguna Madre are the largest. 2 The 

 waters are very shallow, varying from 1 foot or less in depth to 15 

 or 20 feet in the deeper bays. The bottom varies, also. It is of 

 mud or sand, and in some places is broken by outcrops of rock and 



2 For a complete account of these waters see "Report on the coast fisheries of Texas," by Charles H. 

 Stevenson. In Report U. S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, 1889 to 1891 (1893), pp. 373-420. Wash- 

 ington. 



