HRI Lecture Series - "Investigating East Bank Ridge Through Local Fishery Perceptions and Fish Population Metrics"

"Investigating East Bank Ridge Through Local Fishery Perceptions and Fish Population Metrics"

MARISSA LAMB, M.S.
HARTE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR GULF OF MEXICO STUDIES
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-CORPUS CHRISTI

Natural reef formations are sparse and limited along the South Texas coast making them relatively understudied, despite their ecological importance to Texas’s commercial, sport, and shrimp fisheries. East Bank Ridge is a natural reef formation located 18 nautical miles off the South Texas coast, covering an area of over 80 km², with the southern portion extending into Mexico. There is no previous record of the structural composition or fish community present at the site. The ridge is a well-known fishing site, frequented by the local community in the past few decades. However, according to local anglers, catch rates have decreased substantially and management intervention may be needed. In this study, active acoustic surveys were conducted to identify areas of reef habitat, determine seafloor characteristics, and fish presence/ abundance metrics at East Bank Ridge and a comparison site, Sebree Banks, the closest natural reef bank, approximately 20 nautical miles north. Comparisons of fish abundance showed Sebree Banks had significantly greater fish abundance and vertical relief was the most influential seafloor characteristic on fish presence and biomass at East Bank Ridge. Visual surveys were used to identify nine fish species at EBR, and six more at Sebree Banks. Additionally, a questionnaire was distributed to local, long-term anglers and shrimpers to provide a baseline of historic fish presence and identify perceived sources of degradation to East Bank Ridge. According to respondents, the fishery at EBR has declined in abundance, especially the Red Snapper fishery, and the main threat identified was illegal fishing practices from across the US-Mexico border. This study provides the first assessment of East Bank Ridge and identifies that the fishery is degraded when compared to a northern reef bank, the Sebree Banks, indicating protection or increased monitoring of the site should be considered to enhance the fishery.

Marissa Lamb attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned her Bachelor of Science in December of 2015. She started her undergraduate degree on a pre-veterinary track and majored in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior with a focus in Marine Science coursework.  Upon graduation, Marissa began a job at Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Central Texas. She progressed within this organization, rehabilitating and caring for native and non-native animals in sanctuary and rehabilitative care. In Summer of 2021, Marissa began working in the Marine Science lab of Dr. Richard Kline at UTRGV and transitioned into the master’s program.  Marissa earned her Master of Science in Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in May 2024. She is continuing her education and starting the Coastal Marine, System Sciences PhD program at Texas A&M Corpus Christi in Fall 2024. Her dissertation will focus on measuring abundance and productivity of colonial waterbird species along the South Texas Coast in the Biodiversity and Conservation Lab of Dr. Dale Gawlik at the Harte Research Institute.