Characterization of Juvenile Tarpon and Snook Habitats Along the Texas Coast Using Standardized Surveys and Citizen Science Reports

Atlantic Tarpon and the snook species complex (primarily Fat Snook and Common Snook) are highly revered sportfish in Texas’ marine waters and species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) in the Texas Conservation Action Plan (TCAP). In the mid-1900s, these species experienced population crashes in Texas. Numerous reasons for these declines have been suggested, but they are commonly attributed to several factors, including overfishing and reduced recruitment. Assessing juvenile recruitment to these populations is difficult as knowledge of nursery habitat ecology is limited.

The purpose of this project is to provide new information on the ecology of juvenile tarpon and snook occurring in nursery habitats along the Texas coast using standardized bimonthly field sampling, mark-recapture tagging, and validation of citizen science reports. This ecological characterization will provide novel information on
these species seasonal residency, habitat use, and the physical, biological, and environmental characteristics of these habitats.