Texas closure of the Gulf of Mexico fishery

Matthews, Geoffrey A. (Geoffrey Alan)

Analyses of shrimp populations in shallow coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico from Alabama to Texas during the Texas Closure (May 26-July 14, 1982) were made based on a collection of 299 trawl samples. Shrimp were more abundant off Texas than in the other areas, and were more abundant between 10 and 20 fathoms than at other depths. Catch per unit effort data from our samples indicated shrimp were 25% more abundant during the 1981 Texas Closure than during the 1982 closure. However, the substantial variability among catches caused this difference to not be statistically significant. Populations of brown Shrimp were examined through length frequency analyses. Mean lengths in each 5-fm depth zone showed the typical increases with increasing water depths. previous year class shrimp composed the vast majority of the shallow water (to 30 fm) populations, and new year class Shrimp accounted for a relatively small portion of these populations. New year class shrimp were not as abundant off Texas in 1982 as in 1981. A suggested revision of the sampling strategy is included to aid in completing management goals in the future.

Technical Memorandum