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Habitat Use Patterns of Newly Settled Southern Flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma, in Aransas–Copano Bay, Texas

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Abstract

Southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma populations have been declining in Texas during the past 25 years. Despite their economic importance, little is known about their juvenile habitat requirements. We examined habitat use patterns of newly settled southern flounder in three zones at varying distances from the Aransas Pass inlet in Aransas–Copano Bay by measuring densities using a beam trawl in replicate estuarine habitat types in each zone. Highest abundance occurred near the inlet in vegetated sandy areas and was lowest in nonvegetated muddy bottom in regions furthest from the inlet. We also examined a 25-year fisheries data set from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to evaluate long-term spatiotemporal recruitment patterns in Aransas–Copano Bay. These data showed generally low recruitment during the past 25 years with highest abundance near the inlets. Our results support the importance of vegetated habitat types, especially those near tidal passes, and suggest a long-term decline in recruitment densities of southern flounder.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge Texas Sea Grant (Grant no. NA16RG078), Coastal Conservation Association and Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi for funding this project. We would also like to thank UTMSI, particularly Dr. Paul Montagna and Rick Kalke, for their assistance with sediment analysis, as well as Cameron Pratt and Jason Williams for their extensive work in the field and the lab. A special thank you to Dr. Mark Fisher, TPWD, for aiding us in obtaining monitoring data and John Wood, HRI, for helping with the spatial analysis. We greatly appreciate the time and effort, comments, suggestions, and advice from the editors and anonymous reviewers that substantially improved this manuscript. Finally, many thanks to the Fisheries Ecology Lab, especially Megan Reese, John Froeschke, Bridgette Froeschke, and Jason James along with many other undergraduates, graduates, and volunteers for their invaluable assistance in the field and laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NOAA Fisheries, SEFC/Estuarine Habitats and Coastal Fisheries Center, 646 Cajundome Boulevard, Lafayette, LA, 70506, USA

    Suraida E. Nañez-James

  2. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX, 78412, USA

    Gregory W. Stunz

  3. University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX, 78373, USA

    Scott A. Holt

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  1. Suraida E. Nañez-James
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Correspondence to Gregory W. Stunz.

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Nañez-James, S.E., Stunz, G.W. & Holt, S.A. Habitat Use Patterns of Newly Settled Southern Flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma, in Aransas–Copano Bay, Texas. Estuaries and Coasts 32, 350–359 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-008-9107-y

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