THE COAST FISlIEKIEti UF TEXAS. 397 



GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE PISHERIES. 

 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COAST. 



The length of the Texas eoast line, following its sinuosities, is about 

 2,000 miles, but in a tlirect line it is a trifle less than 400 miles. Tlie 

 mainland is for the most ijart bordered by a chain of low sandy islands 

 and peninsulas, each having the same general trend as the coast, the 

 most important of which are: Bolivar Peninsula. Galveston Island, 

 Matagorda Peninsula, Matagorda Islands, St. Joseph Island, Mustang 

 Island, and Padre Island. On nearly all of these there are a few 

 scattering houses, the homes of meu employed in fishing, cattle-raising 

 the Life-Saving Service, etc. There are no important settlements, how- 

 ever, on any of them except Galveston Island, on which the city of 

 Galveston is located. 



Between the maiidand and the outlying chain of islands and x)enin- 

 sulas are situated a number of bays, viz, Galveston, Matagorda, Es- 

 piritu Santo, San Antonio, Mesquit, Aransas, Corpus Christi, and 

 Laguna Madre; also Sabine Lake, in the extreme eastern part of the 

 State J this, however, is an extension of the Sabine Kiver, rather than 

 a bay. The combined area of these bays with their estuaries is 2,471 

 S(iuare mile-s. In nearly every instance the outlets of the bays are sit- 

 uated at the extreme southwest end. 



From Matagorda Bay through Espiritu Santo, San Antonio, Mesquit, 

 and Aransas Bays to Corpus Christi Bay, a distance of 130 miles, there 

 is an inside route xKnniitting the passage of vessels drawing 3 feet of 

 water and connecting advantageously the industries of these six bays. 

 The remaining bays, Galveston Bay, Laguiui Madre, and Sabine Lake 

 are isolated and without inland water routes. 



\ SABINE LAKE. 



The easternmost fishing locality in Texas is Sabine Lake, which 

 forms a part of the boundary line between this State and Louisiana. 

 This lake is merely an expansion of the Sabine River just before its 

 entrance into the Gulf of Mexico. Its southernmost end is about 4 

 miles from the Gulf, with which it is connected by a channel known as 

 Sabine Pass. The length of the lake is 19 miles, its greatest width 

 about 9 miles, and the area is 94 square miles. 



Sabine Eiver is about 400 miles long and forms about 200 miles of 

 the boundary line betAveen Louisiana and Texas. Three miles below 

 the mouth of the Sabine Biver the Neches empties into Sabine Lake. 

 The length of this river is about 270 miles. Both of these rivers drain 

 a large area of territory. Hence the water of Sabine Lake is com])ara- 

 tively sweet, especially during the spring freshets. 



