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TAMU receives CCA Texas support for Mansfield Channel Study
Recreational fisheries represent a $1.3 billion/year industry to Texas. The life cycles for the majority of fishery species (e.g., red drum, southern flounder) are directly tied to migrations between spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico and estuarine nursery habitats. The Port Mansfield Channel ("East Cut"), located in lower Laguna Madre, has historically provided water exchange between the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna. However, there has been much recent concern over the rapid closure of this inlet due to sedimentation, as access to "nursery" habitats is critical for sustainable fish populations. A reduction in flow and/or closure of Port Mansfield Channel could potentially lead to lower recruitment and ultimately a decrease in fisheries productivity. To address this problem, more information is needed on fisheries abundance, migration, and nursery habitat use in this area of the lower Laguna Madre. Additionally, there is anecdotal evidence that adult spotted seatrout known as "tide-runners" migrate from near shore Gulf waters through Port Mansfield Channel and populate the Laguna. Closure of this inlet could potentially impact this world-class spotted seatrout fishery along the lower Texas Coast.
The sportfish research team located at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (see www.fisheries.tamucc.edu ) in the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (www.harteresearchinstitute.org) has recently initiated a CCA-Texas funded study to assess the impact of East Cut on sport fishes in the Lower Laguna Madre. Students involved in the project include HRI Ph.D. student John Froeschke, who will be the project's student leader. The project will be a major component of his dissertation research. We will use field collections to assess distribution and abundance of newly recruiting sport fishes using the Port Mansfield Channel and adjacent nursery habitats. We will also use otolith- and genetic-based techniques to characterize the geographic stock structure of the adult spotted seatrout along the lower Texas coast to examine if the closure of Port Mansfield Channel will affect migration patterns of spotted seatrout.
Specifically, the purpose of this study is to: (1) assess distribution and abundance of newly recruiting sport fishes using the Port Mansfield Channel and adjacent nursery habitats; and (2) characterize the geographic stock structure of adult spotted seatrout along the lower Texas coast to examine if the closure of Port Mansfield Channel will affect potential migration patterns of spotted seatrout from the surf to the lower coast bays. Ultimately, this impacts of the closure of Port Mansfield Channel to recreational fisheries by examining juvenile sport fish habitat use and adult migration patterns in the Port Mansfield Channel vicinity. We look forward to reporting on the results of this study in the near future.
The sportfish research team located at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (see www.fisheries.tamucc.edu ) in the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (www.harteresearchinstitute.org) has recently initiated a CCA-Texas funded study to assess the impact of East Cut on sport fishes in the Lower Laguna Madre. Students involved in the project include HRI Ph.D. student John Froeschke, who will be the project's student leader. The project will be a major component of his dissertation research. We will use field collections to assess distribution and abundance of newly recruiting sport fishes using the Port Mansfield Channel and adjacent nursery habitats. We will also use otolith- and genetic-based techniques to characterize the geographic stock structure of the adult spotted seatrout along the lower Texas coast to examine if the closure of Port Mansfield Channel will affect migration patterns of spotted seatrout.
Specifically, the purpose of this study is to: (1) assess distribution and abundance of newly recruiting sport fishes using the Port Mansfield Channel and adjacent nursery habitats; and (2) characterize the geographic stock structure of adult spotted seatrout along the lower Texas coast to examine if the closure of Port Mansfield Channel will affect potential migration patterns of spotted seatrout from the surf to the lower coast bays. Ultimately, this impacts of the closure of Port Mansfield Channel to recreational fisheries by examining juvenile sport fish habitat use and adult migration patterns in the Port Mansfield Channel vicinity. We look forward to reporting on the results of this study in the near future.