Annual Cycle of Sportfishing Activity at a Warmwater Discharge into Galveston Bay, Texas

Abstract

Abstract A survey of sportfishing activity at the P. H. Robinson Generating Station discharge into Galveston Bay, Texas was taken from 21 October 1968 through 8 November 1969. During 108 daily checks, 1,063 fishermen were interviewed and 2,635 fish counted. Fishing activity was related to season and temperature of the heated effluent. Maximum fishing pressure and largest catches occurred during the period December 1968 through April 1969 and November 1969 when discharge water temperatures and flow rates were minimum. Lowest angling activity and catch rates were recorded from June through September 1969 when water temperatures approached 40 C in the upper part of the fishing area. Atlantic croaker, Micropogon undulatus; sea catfish (hardhead), Arius felis; sand seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius; black drum, Pogonias cromis; red drum, Sciaenops ocellata; and spot, Leiostomus xanthurus, in order of decreasing abundance, accounted for 96.7% of the fish counted during the study. Seine, trawl, and trammel net data ...