HISTORY AND FUTURE OF THE TGBRP
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HABITAT We believe that the lack of habitat available to enhance the juvenile red snapper population is a limiting factor to population growth. The natural bottom topography offshore of Texas is a predominately flat, featureless sand/mud bottom. One of the major goals of the TGBRP is to provide low-relief habitat specifically designed to enhance the survivability of the juvenile Red Snapper population here offshore of Texas. In addition, the National Marine Fisheries Service has been authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Act to ensure rebuilding the Red Snapper stocks in the Gulf of Mexico. Much of the regulation has been focused on the back-end of the process; the harvesting of this species, both recreationally and commercially, through seasons, size and bag limits and other measures. We feel that the TGBRP will provide a much-needed supporting role in this rebuilding process by focusing on the front-end of the process; the cultivation of the environment conducive to ensuring that juvenile fish will be able to seek protection from predators and other sources of decimation. One factor that is on the horizon that will greatly affect the fish populations here offshore of Texas is the looming prospect of the planned removal of hundreds, if not thousands, of offshore oil platforms in the next few years. To quote from the Shipp-Minton letter; "Whereas currently 60% of the commercial harvest (of Red Snapper) is taken from the area between the mouth of the Mississippi River and South Padre Island, numerous exploratory voyages in the 1880's sampled that area repeatedly and found no commercially viable populations of snapper.... In the SEDAR power point presentation by Dr. Porch (excellently done), there is a slide which traces the sudden increase in harvest from the western Gulf in the 1950's. Several possible causes are provided, but none referencing the massive habitat changes (thousands of oil platforms placed offshore) that were occuring then with the creation of the oil and gas industry". Clearly, the placement of these thousands of oil platfroms have unwittingly come to serve as Essential Fish Habitat. Removal of this habitat will cause another massive habitat change which will not only displace the communities of fish, but will cause increased fishing pressure on the remaining structures (and fish populations) unless something is done to mitigate this loss. The TGBRP and existing TPWD artificial reef efforts are the only projects on the table at this time that will adequately address the mitigation needed to offset the loss of this critical habitat. |
