Saltwater Fisheries Articles
Coastal ecosystems are not fully understood even by those who spend their lives working to manage them as scientifically and objectively as possible. Generally, the public may know even less and that is a dilemma for everyone. The short reports referenced here were originally prepared for newspapers, magazines or newsletters and generally contain specific information related to marine fisheries and/or habitat restoration and management.
Special Interest
Articles that are particularly topical and timely encourage and assist users of the marine environment to be more involved. Of special interest currently are the rationale for recommending regional management rules in the Lower Laguna Madre.
- Spotted Seatrout in the Lower Laguna Madre - A Regional Approach to Restoring a World Class Fishery - Part I - Dr. Larry Mckinney
- Spotted Seatrout in the Lower Laguna Madre - A Regional Approach to Restoring a World Class Fishery - Part II - Dr. Larry Mckinney
Conserving Marine Species/Fishing
Understanding the life cycle, vulnerabilities, and importance of species along the coast is good for everyone – biologists, managers, anglers, politicians and citizens of Texas. The following short reports are about a few of the species you may see on a trip to the coast.
- Striped Bass in the Texas Gulf - Dr. Mark Fisher
- Amazing Texas Fish - Dr. Barbara Gregg
- Tripletail, A Weirdly Wonderful Fish - Bill Balboa
- Flounder Fishing - Leslie Williams
- Sabine Lake Fishing Forecast – 2005 - Terry Stelly
- Increasing Turtle Nests along the Texas Coast - Mike Ray
- Conservation Genetics of Tarpon - Dr. Rocky Ward
- The Tarpon Observation Network
- Texas Gulf of Mexico Menhaden Fishery - Jerry Mambretti
- Demystifying Snooks - Randy Blankinship
- Red Drum – An Angler's Delight - Kyle Spiller
- Oysters in Texas Coastal Waters - Lance Robinson
- Four Things You Don't Want to Think about While Fishing - Dr. Barbara Gregg
- All in the Family - Norman Boyd
- Lightning Whelk - State Shell of Texas - Jerry Mambretti
- Bait Use 101 - Art Morris
- Go with the Flow - Norman Boyd
- Christmas Bay - Leslie Williams
Principles of Ecosystem-based Management
How can TPWD or anyone "manage" something like the coastal environment of Texas since so much of the important components are not under anyone's control (think weather!)? Of course, we can't – but we can try to know as much as possible about everything that is important to the coastal environment and work within what we know. Some types of this crucial information are in the articles below.
- Managing Coastal Fisheries - 30 Yrs. and Counting - Paul Hammershcmidt
- Restoring Delehide Cove - William Schubert
- Exotic Fishing in Urban Bayous of Galveston Bay - Jan Culbertson
- Laguna Madre - Kyle Spiller and Randy Blankinship
- How Flooding Affects an Estuary - Dennis Pridgen
- Wetlands: A Practical View of Systems - Dr. Jerry Cook
- An Estuary's Need for Freshwater Inflow - Jim Tolan
- Freshwater Inflow Needs Studies - The Texas Bays and Estuaries Program - Cindy Loeffler
- Harmful Algal Blooms - Andy Tirpak
- Protection of Texas Fragile Coastal Ecosystems - Ed Hegen
- The Texas Artificial Reef Program - Paul Hammerschmidt
- Freshwater Inflow 101 - Norman Boyd
- Fewer Crabs -- Fewer Fish - Glen Sutton
- Hurricane Impacts on Sabine Fisheries and Habitats - Terry Stelly
- Invasive Species - Brenda Bowling
Collecting Data/Giving Information
The difference between scientifically based opinions and pure guesswork boils down to a lot of work. Data is the key and it doesn't come easily from the coastal environment. Even after it is collected from fishing surveys (creels)or resource sampling (e.g., gill nets) it still has to be consolidated and analyzed. Only then can it be transformed into information and be used to help make good resource decisions. The following articles briefly touch on some ways we work to come up with information.
- Life of a Coastal Biologist - Art Morris
- Sustainable Fish Populations - Dr. Mark Fisher
- Coastal Creel Surveys - Lee Green
- Taura Syndrome Virus is Back - Dr. Ya Sheng Juan
- GIS and the Coastal Environment - Dr. Kim Ludeke
- Longline Sampling for Red Drum off Port Aransas - Tom Wagner
- Coastal Creel Surveys - Lee Green
- Coastal Fisheries – Ready, Willing, and Able - Hal Osburn
- Billfish Research in Western Gulf Waters - Randy Blankinship
- Technology in Fisheries Management - Josh Harper
- Visiting the Arroyo Colorado - Mark Lingo
Giving Back to Coastal Ecosystems
The following topics give some idea of how people volunteer their time and expertise to give back to the Coastal environment.
- Texas Clipper - A New Artificial Reef in the Gulf of Mexico - Dale Shively
- Program to Rid the Bay of Lost Crab Traps - Art Morris
- Volunteering for the Future - Connie Stolte
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