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Status of the common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) in Texas.

Article Excerpt
Abstract. -- Catch data are summarized for common snook, (Centropomus undecimalis) from 1975 through 2004 from the lower Laguna Madre, the only area along the Texas coast where common snook are routinely captured. Catch rates of common snook were low (<1 common snook per gill net set) and varied among years, as did size structure. Based on the catch rate and size structure data, the adult common snook population is characterized by low abundance and erratic recruitment (i.e., missing or extremely weak year-classes are common). Additional comments on the status of common snook in Texas are provided.

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The common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, is a tropical fish whose range extends into sub-tropical waters. In the western Atlantic Ocean, common snook occur from [approximately equal to]34[degrees]N to [approximately equal to]25[degrees]S latitude (North Carolina to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), with common snook frequently captured in waters off Galveston and the southern tip of Texas (Robins & Ray 1986; Rivas 1986). Although common snook reproduction is limited to salt water, juvenile habitat is usually characterized by low salinity waters whereas adult habitat includes rivers, estuaries, coastal lagoons, and outer shores of barrier islands (Marshall 1958; McMichael et al. 1989; Shafland & Koehl 1979). Common snook distribution is restricted primarily by cold weather and freeze events (Storey & Gudger 1936). These fish have been observed as far north as New York (Shaefer 1972), but their sensitivity to cold weather prevents establishment of a permanent population further north than the 14[degrees]C isotherm. The lower Laguna Madre and its associated estuaries appear to be the northern-most range of the Texas-Mexico population.

The common snook is valued recreationally in Texas and commercially in Mexico. During the early part of the 20th century,...

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