AD-A±62 656 SPECIES PROFILES LIFE HISTORIES ANM ENVIROUMENTAL 1.ii REQUIREMENTS OF COASTAL.. (U) MISSISSIPPI COOPERATIVE

FISH RHO WILDLIFE RESEARCH UNIT MISSI.. R E REAGAN

UNCLASSIFIED JUN 05 FUS/OBS-82/11. 36 F/G 6/3 N

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Biological Report 82 (11.3e) TR EL-82-4* June.1985

AD-A162 650

Species Profiles: Lie Histories and -

Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishesand Invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico)

RED DRUM

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...................................

Biological Report 82(11.36)TR EL-82-4June 1985 ...

Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements

of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico)

RED DRUM

by

Roland E. ReaganDepartment of Wildlife and Fisheries

Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State, MS 39762

Project OfficerJohn Parsons

National Coastal Ecosystems TeamU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ! Acesl For

1010 Gause BoulevardSlidell, LA 70458 -TTS -A&I

Performed forCoastal Ecology Group -

Waterways Experiment Station r . .U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 7 • es

Vicksburg, MS 39180 'or

and t

National Coastal Ecosystems TeamDivision of Biological Services

Research and Development -I.-U.S. Department of the Interior

Washington, DC 20240

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PREFACE

This species profile is one of a series on coastal aquatic organisms,]principally fish, of sport, commercial, or ecological importance. The profilesare designed to provide coastal managers, engineers, and biologists with a briefcomprehensive sketch of the biological characteristics and environmental require-ments of the species and to describe how populations of the species may beexpected to react to environmental changes caused by coastal development. Eachprofile has sections on taxonomy, life history, ecological role, environmentalrequirements, and economic importance, if applicable. A three-ring binder isused for this series so that new profiles can be added as they are prepared. Thisproject is jointly planned and financed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers andthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A habitat suitability index model of the red drum is under preparation(Buckley, in press).

coupreesiesec or questiosorgaicl hciseotcshold en iretequre to one

of the following addresses.

Infonation Transfer SpecialistNational Coastal Ecosystems TeamU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ."

NASA-Slidel x Computer Compl ex1010 Gause BoulevardS1 idel 1, LA 70458

.- ' . -

or

U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment StationAttention: WESER-CPost Office Box 631Vicksburg, MS 39180

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Attenion: ESER-

CONVERSION TABLE

Metric to U.S. Customary

Multiply 9, To Obtain

millimeters (mm) 0.03937 inchescentimeters (cm) 0.3937 inches rmeters (m) 3.281 feetkilometers (kin) 0.6214 miles

square meters (m2) 2 10.76 square feetsquare kilometers (knm) 0.3861 square mileshectares (ha) 2.471 acres

liters (1) 0.2642 gallonscubic meters (m3 ) 35.31 cubic feetcubic meters 0.0008110 acre-feet

milligrams (mg) 0.00003527 ounces , .grams (g) 0.03527 ounces - ',kilograms (kg) 2.205 poundsmetric tons (t) 2205.0 pounds -metric tons 1.102 short tons "kilocalories (kcal) 3.968 British thermal units %. -

Celsius degrees 1.8(*C) + 32 Fahrenheit degrees

U.S. Customary to Metric -

inches 25.40 millimetersinches 2.54 centimetersfeet (ft) 0.3048 metersfathoms 1.829 metersmiles (mi) 1.609 kilometersnautical miles (nmi) 1.852 kilometers

square feet (ft2) 0.0929 square metersacres 2 0.4047 hectaressquare miles (mi 2.590 square kilometers

gallons (gal) 3.785 literscubic feet (ft) 0.02831 cubic metersacre-feet 1233.0 cubic meters

ounces (oz) 28.35 gramspounds (Ib) 0.4536 kilogramsshort tons (ton) 0.9072 metric tonsBritish thermal units (Btu) 0.2520 kilocalories

Fahrenheit degrees 0.5556(*F - 32) Celsius degrees '- .,

iv

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CONTENTS

CONVERSION TABLE .Page ........ ...... i

TABLES .. ..... ......... ........ ........... vi

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. .. ..... ........ ......... ..... vii

NOMENCLATURE/TAXONOMY/RANGE .. .. ........ ......... .... 1*-MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS. .. ........ ......... ... 1

REASON FOR INCLUSION IN SERIES. .. ........ ......... ... 3LIFE HISTORY. .. ......... ........ ........ .... 3

Spawning. .. ... ..... ..... ..... ..... ...... 3Eggs .. .. .... ..... ..... ..... ...... .... 3Vol k-Sac Larvae .. ... ..... ..... ..... ..... ... 3Postlarvae .. .. .... ..... ..... ..... ......... 4Juveniles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Adults .. .. ........ ........ ......... .... 4

GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS .. ..... ......... ........ ... 5THE FISHERY .. .. ........ ........ ........ ..... 6ECOLOGICAL ROLE. .. ..... ......... ........ ...... 8ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS .. ..... ........ .......... 10

Temperature and Salinity. .. ..... ........ ........ 10Dissolved Oxygen....... ........ ......... ... 11 .*.

Substrate. .. ........ ......... ........ ... 11

LITERATURE CITED. .. ........ ........ ........... 13

I:I

.4_1

r V

..

TABLES

Number Page

1 Lengths and growth of red drum tagged and recapturedin Florida . ........ . . . . . . . .......... 5

2 Length-weight relationships of red drum from Louisianaand Texas ...... ... ........................ ... .-.'

3 Commercial landings and value of red drum from fiveSouthern States ...... .. .. ....................... 7 1-

4 Gulf of Mexico commercial catch of red drum in 1974 bytype of gear and State ...... ..................... 8 . .-..

5 Estimated average annual sport catch of red drumin Gulf of Mexico States for 1974 and 1975 ......... . 8 . .

6 Mean weight of red drum taken by sport fishermen in1979 from States along the Gulf of Mexico .......... 8

7 Louisiana sport catch of red drum and average catch per .license sold in selected years ... ................... 8

8 Seasonal food habits of 349 adult red drum in Louisiana . . 9

9 Locations and water temperatures at which red drumhave been collected by various investigators ........... .... 10

10 Locations and salinities at which red drum have beencollected by various investigators ... .............. ... 10

vi

I-" ,- 2

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank Walter Tatum, Alabama Department of Conservation, and DicksonHoese of the University of Southwestern Louisiana for reviewing themanuscript.

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Figure 1. Red drum.

RED DRUM

NOMENCLATURE/TAXONOMY/RANGE MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS

Scientific name ............ Sciaenops The red drum has 11 spines on theocellatus (Linnaeus) dorsal fin (the 11th is separate from

Preferred common name ....... Red drum the first 10), and 23-25 soft(Figure 1) rays. The anal fin has two spines and " -...

Other common names ......... Redfish, 8-9 soft rays. The number of scaleschannel bass (Hoese and Moore 1977) in the lateral line, which extends to

Class ................... Osteichthyes the posterior margin of the caudalOrder .................... Perciformes fin, ranges from 45 to 50. Gill 'Family .................... Sciaenidae rakers, rather short and slender,

number 5-6 above and 7-8 below on theGengraphic range: The red drum first gill arch (Hoese and Moore

is distributed from the 1977).Gulf of Maine to Tuxpan,Mexico. It is rare northof New Jersey and most General body color in young red 0

abundant in the coastal drum is silvery; older fish become

waters of eastern Florida coppery brown or reddish. The species

and the Gulf States. is characterized by one (sometimes .

Greatest concentrations are more) large black spot near the base

in Louisiana and Texas of the caudal fin above the lateral -

(Figure 2). line (Hoese and Moore 1977).

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. . ~~~~. *.~~ .. .. .. . .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .'.-. a--'.. ..- "

" - . - .-.. .. 7W, w -.W

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I).

REASON FOR INCLUSION IN THE SERIES released milt as the female releasedher eggs. The drumming and nudging •

The red drum is one of the most peaked between 2130 and 2140 hr.species in the Gulf of Mexico. Sport

fishing is best during the spring and '...fall migration runs. Authorities in Eggs

the Gulf States are concerned with thedecline in the abundance of red drum. Red drum eggs are spherical andFor example, Texas has closed its contain 1 (rarely up to 6) colorlesscoastal waters to commercial fishing oil droplets (Johnson et al. 1977).for red drum and other Gulf States are The chorion of the egg is clear andconsidering similar management. unsculptured; egg diameter ranges from

0.80 to 0.98 mm and the perivitellinespace is usually less than 2% of egg .

LIFE HISTORY diameter; oil droplet diameters rangefrn 0.22 to 0.36 nm.

SpawningLaboratory studies by Holt et al.

Red drum spawn in late summer and (1981) revealed that the optimumfall. During this period they combination of te.perature andmigrate out of estuaries and lagoons salinity for hatching and larvaland move into deeper water near the survival was 250C and 30 ppt. Highermouths of bays and inlets where they temperatures and lower salinities -"

spawn (Pearson 1928; Simmons and usually decreased hatching success.Breuer 1962; Johnson 1978; Perret et Eggs floated at salinities of 25 pptal. 1980). Spawning also takes place and higher, but sank when saliritieson the gulf side of the barrier dropped below 20 ppt (Holt et al.islands in the Mississippi Sound 1981). In a study in Mobile Say(Perret et al. 1980). (Marley 1983), red drum eggs were

carried into bays by high salinityMost red drum in the Gulf of tidal currents. Such transport of

Mexico spawn from mid-August to eggs is unlikely during periods ofDecember. On the west coast of high freshwater inflow. -.Florida, spawning begins in Septemberand peaks in October (Yokel 1966).Along the Alabama coast, red drumspawning begins in mid-August, peaks Yolk-Sac Larvaefrom mid-September through October,and continues through December (Perret The yolk-sac larvae of red drumet al. 1980). In Mississippi, red are 4-6 mm long total length (TL).drum spawn from September to November. (All lengths in this report are total

lengths unless indicated otherwise).The spawning behavior of the red The dorsal and ventral fin folds are

drum in captivity was described by continuous with the well-developedGuest and Lasswell (1978). Drumming caudal fin. The pectoral and pelvicsounds produced by mature males began fins are underdeveloped, and thenear dusk. Males increased their dorsal and anal fin rays aredrumming intensity as they swam close indistinct. Large numbers of brownto females near the bottom of the chromatophores are located along thetank. Each female that was ready to base of the anal fin and smallerspawn was attended by several males groups are at the base of the dorsalthat nudged the female's abdomen. One fins (Pearson 1928). Information onspawning episode took place when three the ecology of red drum yolk-sacmales nudged a female upward and larvae is scarce.

3

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Postlarvae 1950). When 85 to 100 mm long, they. o ... d%" -.

repopulated the deeper waters of the

Postlarval red drum (7 mm long) primary bays (Miles 1950).retain a small portion of the ventralfin fold between the vent and anal Juvenile red drum in Texas in-fin. Chromatophores appear on the habit the estuaries for 6 months orhead and along the body. Red drum longer (Perret et al. 1980). In April10 mm long are heavily pigmented; when of years when salinity was 40 to 50they reach 25 mm long, color patterns ppt, schools of juveniles (100 toappear. The ground color of the post- 150 mm long) concentrated in boatlarvae is silvery, and a row of five basins, quiet waters near spoil banks,to seven brown blotches lies along the and in shallow isolated marshlandslateral line. Scales and teeth are (Simmons and Breuer 1962). In yearspresent (Pearson 1928). when salinities were lower, juveniles

were scattered among grassy areas inPostlarvae live among seagrasses estuaries (Pearson 1928). Schools of

and wetlands (Pearson 1928; Miles juvenile red drum began to disperse in1950; Bass and Avault 1975; Holt et May; no concentrations were observedal. 1983). In Louisiana, postlarvae by June. The breakup of the schoolswere collected over hard sand and soft coincided with a movement of somemud bottoms (Bass and Avault 1975). young fish into the Gulf of MexicoPostlarvae may live in open waters (Simmons and Breuer 1962). Juvenileonly during low tide and move back and adult red drum also moved into theinto cordgrass marsh at high tide. In Gulf of Mexico or deeper waters in orFlorida, postlarvae were most abundant near passes in winter (Yokel 1966) .- -along the edges of meadows ofseagrass--particularly shoalgrass ,'-(Holt et al. 1983). Patchy seagrass Adultsmeadows provide more edges for feedingand cover than do continuous meadows. Most red drum mature at lengths

of 305 to 750 mm when they are 4 to 5The survival of postlarvae about years old (Pearson 1928). Gunter

two weeks old was lowest at 200C and (1950) caught one ripe fish 425 mmhighest at 25°C. Growth rates of long. In the upper Laguna Madre,postlarvae increased with increases in Texas, Miles (1950) reported ripesalinity (up to 30 ppt) and tempera- males 500 mm long and ripe femalesture (up to 25'C). about 550 mm long. Red drum in " "

Alabama were mature when 305 to 381 mmlong, and in Mississippi, fish 320 mm

Juveniles to 395 mm long were mature (Perret etal. 1980).

Juvenile red drum (15 to 300mm long) tend to migrate from primary In mariculture in Florida,bays, which open to the sea, into individual female red drum have pro-secondary bays which open into primary duced from 20,000 to 2 million eggsbays. In October 1927, small juve- per spawn (Roberts et al. 1978). Inniles (11 to 24 mm long) were abundant Texas, red drum that spawned in tanksinside Aransas Pass, Texas, but the produced an average of 1.2 million .numbers decreased by mid-November eggs per spawn (Lasswell et al. 1977).(Pearson 1928). Small juveniles weremore abundant in primary bays in Adult red drum in the Gulf ofOctober and in secondary bays in Mexico tend to travel in schools closeNovember (Miles 1950). In January, to shore until summer when some movered drum (50 mm long) inhabited both into estuaries (Pearson 1928); how- i..primary and secondary bays (Miles ever, some of the larger fish remain

4

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in the open Gulf of Mexico year round In Texas, Pearson (1928) reported(Simmons and Breuer 1962). that the estimated average lengths of

fish of ages I to III were as follows:Age 1, 300; 11, 530; and 111, 630 mm

GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS (TL). Simmons and Breuer (1962)reported calculated growth of red drum

Red drum grow fast in early life. from Texas for ages I to III asIn Texas, red drum in culture reached follows: I, 325; I, 540; and III,5.1 mm TL in their first 12 days of 760 mm. Growth was slow in spring, Mklife (Johnson et al. 1977). In the rapid through early and mid-summer,lower Ocklockonee River, Florida, and slow at the end of summer. Injuvenile red drum were 71 mm standard Florida, the growth rates of red drumlength (SL) in March (Joseph and from 1961 to 1965 ranged from 0.04 toYerger 1956), 109 mm in April, 147 mm 0.66 mm per day (Table 1).in May, and 216 mm in June (Parrish1968). In the Everglades National - .Park, Florida, they grew 20 mm (TL) The following mean standardper month during the fall and winter lengths in mm of red drum of differentand were about 83 mm long by March age groups from Mississippi waters(Roessler 1967). were reported by Etzold and Christmas

(1979): Age I, 340; II, 540; III,Ages and growth rates of adult 640; IV, 750; and V, 840.

red drum have been estimated byscales, otoliths, length frequency,and tagging. Standard lengths (mm) From a collection of 62 red drumof red drum in a marsh impoundment in (96 to 1012 mm long) caught inSouth Carolina, as estimated by Chandeleur Sound in Louisiana and thereading otoliths, were as follows: Mississippi Sound in Mississippi, theAge 1, 365; II, 486; III, 610; IV, following Von Bertalanffy growth690; V, 710; VI, 746; and VII, 710 equation was determined from age(Theiling and Loyacano 1976). determination by otoliths (Rohr 1978):

Table 1. Lengths and growth of red drum tagged and recaptured after variousintervals in Florida (Perret et al. 1980).

Length Period of Growthat tdgging Growth growth per day Source

(mm) (mm) (days) (mm)

282 121 182 0.66 Topp (1963)310 248 429 0.58 Beaumariage and Wittich (1966)333 130 289 0.45 Beaumariage (1964)340 125 488 0.26 Beaumariage (1964)350 175 497 0.35 Beaumariage (1964)364 42 405 0.10 Beaumariage (1964)373 115 186 0.62 Ingle et al. (1962)391 8 210 0.04 Topp (1963)420 105 429 0.24 Beaumariage and Wittich (1966)438 37 420 0.09 Beaumariage (1964)545 160 381 0.42 Beaumariage (1964)655 20 243 0.08 Beaumariage and Wittich (1966)

5

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L = 950 [1-2.2037(t + 0.30)] otter trawls (Table 4). The trammelwhere m total length and net was the most common gear used int = growth interval in years. 1974. Longlines were used primarily ,.;

in Texas.The length-weight relations for

red drum from Louisiana and Texas were Red drum are fished commerciallysimilar (Table 2) except for the in the Gulf of Mexico year round, butrelation reported by Bass and Avault most landings are made in September to(1975), who examined smaller, faster February. No Gulf of Mexico State hasgrowing fish. a production limit. The minimum legal

total lengths in 1982 were Florida, 12The relation between total length inches; Mississippi, 14.3 inches;

and standard length for 8,982 Louisiana, 16 inches, Alabama, nored drum from Texas ranging from limit; and Texas had no commercial67 to 185 mm (SL) was TL = 12.87 + fishing (Louisiana Department of Wild-1.77 SL (Harrington et al. 1979). A life and Fisheries 1983).similar relation for 47 red drum fromTexas (253 to 411 mm SL) was Because of decreasing catches, theTL = 25.19 + 1.13 SL (Luebke 1973). red drum commercial and sport fish-

eries in the Gulf States are under- LALgoing evaluation within the context of .

THE FISHERY resource planning and management.

The Commercial Fishery Sport Fishery

In 1971-1981 commercial landings Red drum furnish one of the lar-of red drum from the Florida gulf gest sport fisheries along the Gulf ofcoast, Alabama, Mississippi, Mexico coast. The estimated sportLouisiana, and Texas increased and catches of red drum for 1974 and 1975peaked in 1973-1978, and generally (Table 5) showed that Louisiana haddecreased thereafter (Table 3). West the largest catch (26.4 million lb),Florida showed the least change from and Texas the second largest (15.11971 to 1976. The Texas landings million Ib). Gulf State sport catchesdeclined sharply from 1975 to 1978; by season are shown in Table 6.commercial fishing for red drum in "'.-Texas was banned in 1979. Alabama In Vermilion Bay, Louisiana, the

commercial landings peaked in 1973, catches of red drum were largest in. declined until 1977, recovered some- October in 1977 (Juneau and Pollard

what in 1978 and 1979, and reached a 1981). In 1978, the catch was highestlow in 1981. Mississippi's commercial in March, April, and May and in Augustred drum catch peaked in 1978, and September. In 1979, highestdecreased in 1980, but increased in monthly catches were in August and1981. September. A comparison of the sport

catch of red drum with the number ofLouisiana's commercial landings licenses sold in 1964, 1965, 1970, and

of red drum, usually the highest of 1975 in Louisiana shows that the catchthe Gulf States, increased gradually increased 98% whereas license salesto a peak of 2 million lb in 1976 and increased by only 46% (Table 7).then decreased to a low of 0.7 millionlb in 1980. In Alabama, Wade (1977) evaluated

the catches of red drum offshore, -"-

The gear used to catch red drum inshore, from a pier, and from shore.varies by state, but includes gill The catch was higher in the inshorenets, trammel nets, haul seines, hand than in the offshore fishery but the ,* Ilines, troll lines, longlines, and best fishing was at a pier on Dauphin

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Table 4. Gulf of Mexico commercial catch of red drum (thousands of pounds) in1974 by type of gear and State (National Marine Fisheries Service Computer DataBase, Southeast Fisheries Center, Miami, FL).

Gear Type FL AL MS LA TX Total Percent

Trammel net 116 44 2 892 387 1441 30.3Longline .. .. .. 2 1349 1351 28.4Runaround gillnet 708 9 64 264 -- 1045 22.0Haul seine 225 .. .. 30 140 395 8.3Staked gillnet .. .. .. 178 37 215 4.5 r.Hand line 140 1 2 60 6 209 4.4Shrimp trawl-- 66 9 10 2 86 1.8Fish trawl -- 12 -- 12 < 1Troll line 2 .. .. .. .. 3 < 1

Table 5. Estimated average annual Table 7. Louisiana sport catch of redsport catch of red drum in Gulf of drum and average catch per licenseMexico States for 1974 and 1975 sold in selected years (Adkins et al.(National Marine Fisheries Service 1979).Computer Data Base, Southeast Fisher-ies Center, Miami, FL). Thousands Thousands Average

___________________________of of catch per

State Thousands of pounds Years pounds licenses license(lb)

1964 342 80 4Alabama 870 1965 1,425 88 16 l'Florida 5,112 1970 9,926 129 77 .Mississippi 1,443 1975 26,369 150 176Louisiana 26,369Texas 15,135 ". ,\

Table 6. Mean weight (lb) of red drum Island, Alabama. The largest shoretaken by sport fishermen in 1979 from catches were from Mobile Bay andStates along the Gulf of Mexico during Dauphin Island. The largest number ofwinter (December-February), spring red drum usually were caught by(March-May), summer (June-August), and fishermen in private boats.fall (September-November); from Perretet al. (1980). The peak sport catch of red drum

in Biloxi Bay, Mississippi, andMississippi Sound was in September and

Season December (Jackson 1972). Throughoutthe year of 1970, the red drum catch

State Winter Spring Summer Fall Mean was only 1.2% of the total sport fish " -catch.

AL 2.88 22.50 5.50 7.43 9.58FL 4.56 4.26 5.10 5.07 4.75MS 1.00 11.10 2.00 1.67 3.94 ECOLOGICAL ROLELA 2.71 2.05 1.67 2.58 2.25TX 1.33 2.33 2.00 2.40 2.02 Red drum are major predators inAll 2.50 8.45 3.25 3.83 4.51 estuaries but their role as prey has . .

not been documented. In Louisiana the

8

......................

Vo-. * -All

dominant foods by frequency of occur- 85 mm long) predominantly fed on grass _- Mrence in 568 juvenile red drum (10 to shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) during the183 mm long TL) studied by Bass and day, whereas spot (Lelostomus 1 116

Avault (1975) were as follows: <10 mm, xanthurus) was the major food atCopepoda (100%); 10-49 mm, Mysidacea nighNt,(18 to 67%); 50-69 mm, fish (31 to57%); 70-99 m, Decapoda (22-60%); Juvenile red drum (15 to 50 mm100-109 m, Mysidacea (38%); long) selected mysids, even after110-119 mm, Decapoda (66%); mysid abundance declined 41% (Bass and120-149 mm, fish (52%); 150-159 mm, Avault 1975). When mysids declinedDecapoda (63%); 160-169 mm, fish from 72% to 4% of the organisms in(29%); and 170-179 mm, Decapoda (33%). bottom samples, the fish fed on otherIn Texas, Miles (1950) reported that organisms.the major food item of 130 juvenilered drum (40 to 127 mm TL) consisted Adult red drum feed primarily on -of unidentified shrimp (39.2%); fish, shrimp, and crabs (Table 8).Palaemonetes sp. (11.5%); Penaeidae Fish, primarily menhaden (Brevoortia) -. .

(10.1%); unidentified fish (11.6%); and anchovies (Anchoa), are most * -.and unidentified crabs (7.7%). important in the winter and spring,

while crabs and shrimp are importantin the summer and fall (Boothby and

An earlier food study (Pearson Avault 1971).1928) of 236 juvenile red drum (10 to68 mm) in Texas by size groups showed In Mississippi, the percentthe following percentages of food by frequencies of occurrence of differentvolume: 6-16 mm--52% shrimp, 20% foods of red drum (190 to 780 mm SL)fish, 6% crabs; 17-30 mm--83% shrimp, were as follows: penaeid shrimp,2% fish, 10% crabs; 31-46 mm--79% 40.4; callinectid crabs, 54.8; andshrimp, 2% crabs; and 47-68 mm--48% fish. 43.3 (Overstreet and Heardfish, and 50% crabs. 1978). The percent occurrence of food

items by season was: Penaeids (53.3%)Juvenile red drum feed night and in winter; Callinectes sp. (70.6%) in

day (Bass and Avault 1975). Small spring; Callinectes sp. (65.4%) injuveniles (20 to 30 mm long) fed summer; anUdfisR7 50.0%) in fall.during the day and night but ate a Shrimp, crabs, and fish also made up .

greater variety of organisms during the major foods of 1,197 red drum fromthe day. Larger juveniles (65 to Texas (Simmons and Breuer 1962).

Table 8. Seasonal food habits of 349 adult red drum (250-932 mm long) inLouisiana (Boothby and Avault 1971).

Frequency of Major food and percent (in

occurrence (%) Volume (%) parentheses) of total volume

Season Fish Crustacea Fish Crustacea Fish Crustacea

Winter 81 50 55 39 Menhaden (16) Bluecrab (23)Spring 83 55 54 38 Anchovy (10) a Bluecrab (20)Summer 86 89 34 59 Inshore lizard Penaeid shrimp (22) ..-.-...Fall 65 81 28 65 Anchovy (4) Penaeid shrimp (32)

aSynodus foeteus.

9

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ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS at 250C and 30 ppt (Loman 1978). Fromlaboratory studies, Holt et al. (1981)

Temperature and Salinity found the best conditions for hatching . -- : .and 24-h survival of larval red

Migration, spawning, and growth drum were 250C and 30 ppt. Tempera-of red drum are affected by water ture was a substantial factortemperature and salinity. Juvenile in 2 week survival of larvae,red drum movement out of the estuaries and growth of larvae was faster k-Jappears to be triggered by the at 250 to 300C than at 200C.decrease in fall temperatures. Whenbays and inlets warm in spring, the Red drum have been collected at b-*'-fish migrate from the Gulf of Mexico salinities of 0.14 to 50.0 ppt (Tableinto the bays. Red drum tolerate a 10). They have been successfullywide temperature range (20 to 37.50 C) acclimated to freshwater (Lasswell et(Table 9), but sudden freezes cause al. 1977). In years when salinitieE "mass mortalities (Gunter 1941; Gunter were as high as 40 to 50 ppt, juve-and Hildebrand 1951). A temperature- niles were found only in small sloughssalinity graph showing relative abun- and boat slips; in years of lowerdance of small (120 mm TL) red drum on salinities, the juveniles werethe Mississippi coast had a major peak scattered over grassy flats along theat 250C and 35 ppt and a smaller peak Texas coast. Red drum eggs floated in

Table 9. Locations and water temperatures at which red drum have beencollected by various investigators.

Total lengths Temperature .State (mm) (00) Source

Louisiana 15 - 375 5.0 - 37.5 Perret (1971)Louisiana 220 - 350 15.3 - 30.5 Barrett et al. (1978)

Louisiana 352 - 712 14.3 - 30.7 Juneau (1975)Louisiana 60 - 430 15.0 - 34.9 Tarver & Savoie (1976) ___"__

Florida -- -- 16.1 - 26.7 Roessler (1970) .Florida 70 - 120 21 Tabb and Manning (1961)Texas -- -- 2-33 Simmons & Breuer (1962)

Table 10. Locations and salinities at which red drum have been collected byvarious investigators. ..7

Total lengths SalinityState (mm) (ppt) Source

Florida 70 - 120 5 Tabb and Manning 1961)Florida -- -- 18.3 - 33.6 Roessler (1970)Florida 21 - 132 0.14 - 0.4 Gunter and Hall (1962)Texas -- -- 40.0 - 50.0 Simmons and Breuer (1962)Louisiana 60- 430 0.3 - 9.9 Tarver and Savoie (1976)Louisiana 352 - 712 4.3 - 5.5 Juneau (1975)Louisiana 15 - 375 5.0 - 29.9 Perret (1971)Louisiana 220 - 350 17.2 Barrett et al. (1978) - _

10

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salinities near 25 ppt and greater, Gulf of Mexico move into seagrassbut sank in lower salinities (Holt et areas, e.g., comuon widgeonweedal. 1981). This factor may influence (Pearson 1928; Simmons and Breuer *

egg survival, since eggs that sink to 1962; Miles 1950). The primary factorthe bottom may become covered with in influencing the abundance of smallsilt and die. (6 to 27 mm) red drum in seagrass

meadows in Florida was the edgeDissolved Oxygen effect. More red drum were found at

the edges of seagrass meadows than inThere is little information on the seagrass meadows themselves.

the oxygen requirements of red drum; Seagrass provides habitat for food,however, low oxygen in lower Laguna and protection from predators. InMadre, Texas, is known to have caused Louisiana estuaries, however, post-a fish kill that included red drum larval and juvenile red drum are(Miles 1950). collected at low tide over sand and

mud bottoms (Bass and Avault 1975).

Substrate At high tide they moved into small 7Small red drum (5-7 mm) that are

carried into primary bays from the

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LITERATURE CITED

Adkins, G., J. Tarver, P. Bowman and Wildl. Serv. FWS/OBS-82/10.74. 15B. Savoie. 1979. A study of the pp. (published 1984). ".commercial finfish in coastalLouisiana. La. Dep. Wildl. Fish. Etzold, D.J., and J.Y. Christmas, eds. ,,Comm. Tech. Bull. 29. 87 pp. 1979. A Mississippi marine fin-

fish management plan. A reportBarrett, B.B., J.L. Merrell, T.P. by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea

Morrison, M.C. Gillespie, E.J. Grant Consortium. MASGP-78-146. K-".Ralph, and J.F. Burdon. 1978. A 36 pp.study of Louisiana's major estua-ries and adjacent offshore Guest, W.G., and J.L. Lasswell. 1978.waters. La. Dep. Wildl. Fish. A note on courtship behavior andComm. Tech. Bull. 27. 197 pp. sound production of red drum.

Copeia 1978:337-338.Bass, R.J., and J.W. Avault, Jr.

1975. Food habits, length-weight Gunter, G. 1941. Death of fishes duerelationship, condition factor to cold on the Texas coast, Janu- Fand growth of juvenile red drum ary 1940. Ecology 22:203-208.(Sciaenops ocellata) in Loulsi-ana. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. . -104:35-45. Gunter, G. 1950. Correlation between

temperature of water and size ofBeaumariage, D.S. 1964. Return from marine fishes in the Atlantic and

the 1963 Schlitz tagging program. gulf coasts of the United States.Fla. Board Conserv. Mar. Res. Copeta 1950:298-304.Lab. Tech. Ser. 43. 34 pp.

Gunter, G., and G.E. Hall. 1962. ABeaumariage, D.S., and A.C, Wittich. biological investigation of the

1966. Return from the 1964 Caloosahatchee Estuary inSchlitz tagging program. Fla. Florida. Gulf Res. Rep. 2:1-72.Board Conserv. Mar. Res. Lab.Tech. Ser. 47. 51 pp. Gunter, G., and H.H. Hildebrand.

1951. Destruction of the fishesBoothby, R.N., and J.W. Avault, Jr. and other organisms on the south

1971. Food habits, length-weight Texas coast by the cold wave ofrelationship, and condition January 28 - February 3, 1951.factor of the red drum Sciaenops Ecology 32:731-735.ocellata in southeastern Louisi-ana. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. Harrington, R.A., G.C. Matlock, and100:290-295. J.E. Weaver. 1979. Standard-

total length, total length-wholeBuckley, J. In press. Habitat suit- weight, and dressed-whole weight

ability index models: larval and relationships for selectedjuvenile red drum. U.S. Fish species from Texas bays. Tex.

"1- " ..-.-.

'-'.' 13 , ' - " ''''

77 - 7 7.-7..- 7 1 _"

Parks Wildl. Dep. Tech. Ser. natural history. Fla. State26. 6 pp. Univ. Stud. No. 22. Papers from

the Oceanogr. Inst. No. 2:11-156.Hoese, H.D., and R.H. Moore. 1977. "' "

Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Juneau, C.L. 1975. An inventory andTexas A&M University Press, Col- study of the Vermilion Bay-lege Station. 327 pp. Atchafalaya Bay complex. La.

Wildl. Fish. Comm. Tech. Bull.Holt, J., A.J. Johnson, C.R. Arnold, 13:153 pp.

W.A. Fable, Jr., and T.D.Williams. 1981. Description of Juneau, C.L., and J.F. Pollard. 1981.eggs and larvae of laboratory A survey of the recreationalreared red drum Sciaenops shrimp and finfish harvests ofocellata. Copeia 1981:751-757. the Vermilion Bay area and their

impact on commercial fisheryHolt, J., C.L. Kitting, and C.R. resources. La. Dep. Wildl.

Arnold. 1983. Distribution of Fish. Tech. Bull. 33. 40 pp.young red drum among differentsea grass meadows. Trans. Am. Lasswell, J.L., G. Garza, and W.H.Fish. Soc. 112:267-271. Bailey. 1977. Status of marine

fish introductions into the . .Ingle, R.M., R.E. Hutton, and R.W. freshwaters of Texas. Annu.

Topp. 1962. Results of the Proc. Conf. Southeast. Assoc.tagging of salt water fishes in Game Fish Comm. 31:399-403.Florida. Fla. Board. Conserv.Mar. Res. Lab. Tech. Ser. 38. 57 Loman, M. 1978. Other finfish.PP. Pages 143-147 in J.V. Christmas,

ed. Fisheries' Assessment andJackson, G.A. 1972. A sport fishing Monitoring-Mississippi. Comple-

survey of Biloxi Bay and the tion Report PL 88-309, 2-215-R.adjacent Mississippi Sound. M.S. Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, ....Thesis. Mississippi State Uni- Ocean Springs, Miss.versity, State College. 101 pp.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife andJohnson, A.G., W.A. Fable, Jr., T.D. Fisheries. 1983. Spotted sea-

Williams, and C.R. Arnold. 1977. trout and red drum, an overview.Description of reared eggs and 105 pp.young larvae of the red drumSciaenops ocellata. Pages 118- Luebke, R.W. 1973. Report on the127 in Marine Fish Propagation culture of some marine fishes inStudy Federal Aid Project F- ponds receiving heated discharge31-R, Completion Rep. Texas water from a power plant. M.S.Parks Wildlife Department. Thesis. Texas A&M University,

College Station. 212 pp. .. ..

Johnson, G.D. 1978. Development of Cifishes of the mid-Atlantic Bight, Marley, R.D. 1983. Spatial distri-an atlas of egg, larval, and bution patterns of planktonicjuvenile stages. Vol 4: Carang- fish eggs in lower Mobile Bay,idae through Ephlppldae. U.S. Alabama. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc.Fish Wildl. Serv. FWS/OBS-78/12: 112:257-266.242-246. .

Miles, D.W. 1950. The life historiesJoseph, E.B., and R.W. Yerger. 1956. of the spotted seatrout Cynoscion

The fishes of Alligator Harbor, nebulosus and the r.•ff 7sFlorida, with notes on their Sciaenops ocellata. Tex. Game _ I

14

7A

* -. -•, .--. ',.-.. --

-A

Fish Oyster Comm., Mar. Lab. history of fishes in ButtonwoodAnnu. Rep. (1949-1950):66-103. Canal, Everglades National Park,

Florida. Ph.D. Dissertation.National Marine Fisheries Service. University of Miami, Coral

1981. Commercial landings of red Gables. 155 pp. .drum from Florida, Alabama, Mis- ... '

sissippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Roessler, M.A. 1970. Checklist ofComputer Data Base, Southeast fishes in Buttonwood Canal, Ever-Fisheries Center, Miami, Fla. glades National Park, Ftorida,

and observations on the seasonalOverstreet, R.M., and R.W. Heard. occurrence and life histories of

1978. Food of the red drum, selected species. Bull. Mar.Sciaenops ocellata, from Missis- Sci. 20(4):861-890.sippi Sound• Gulf Res. Rep.6(2):131-135. Rohr, B.A. 1978. Use of hard parts

Parrish, P.R. 1968. Seasonal occur- to age Gulf of Mexico red drum.rence of marine and freshwater Proc. Red Drum and Seatrout Coll:fishes in relation to salinity Gulf States Fish. Comm., Oceanand temperature in the lower Springs, Miss. 15 pp.Ochlockonee River, Florida. M.S.Thesi.. Florida State Univer- Simmons, E.G., and J.P. Breuer. 1962.sity, Tallahassee. 79 pp. A study of redfish, Sciaenops

ocellata Linnaeus, and blackPearson, J.C. 1928. Natural history drum, Pogonias cromis Linnaeus.

and conservation of the redfish Publ. Inst. Mar. Sc. Univ. Tex.and other commercial sciaenids on 8:184-211.the Texas coast. Bull. U.S. Bur. '"Fish. 4:129-214. Tabb, D.C., and R.B. Manning. 1961.

A checklist of the flora andPerret, W.S. 1971. Cooperative Gulf Auna of the flora and• • ~~fauna of northern Florida Bay and'.--" -of Mexico estuarine inventory and adjacent brackish waters of thestudy, Louisiana. Phase IV, Florida mainland collected duringBiology. La. Wildl. Fish. Comm. the period July, 1957 through 229-175. September, 1960. Bull. Mar. Sc.

Perret, W.S., J.E. Weaver, R.O. Gulf and Caribb. 11(4):552-649.

Williams, P.L. Johansen, T.D. Tarver, J.M. and L.B. Savoie. 1976.McIlwain, R.C. Raulenson and W.M. An inventory and study of theTatum. 1980. Fishery profiles Lake Pontchartrain-Lake Maurepasof red drum and spotted sea estuarine complex. Phase IT-trout. Gulf States Mar. Fish. Biology. La. Wildl. Fish. ComA.Comm. No. 6. 60 pp. Tech. Bull. 19:7-24.

Roberts, D.E., Jr., B.V. Harpster, andG.E. Henderson. 1978. Con- Theillng, D.L., and H.A. Loyacano. .."

ditioning and induced spawning of 1976. Age and growth of red drumthe red drum (Sciaenops from a saltwater marsh impound-ocellata), under vared con- ment in South Carolina. Trans. O

dltlons of photoperlod and Amer. Fish. Soc. 105(l):41-44.temperature. Proc. Annu. Meet.World Maricult. Soc. 9:311-332. Topp, R. 1963. The tagging of fishes.- ..

of Florida, 1962 proqram. Fla.Roessler, M. 1967. Observations on Board Conser. Mar. Res. Lab.

seasonal occurrence and life Prof. Pap. Ser. 5. 76 pp.

15

1s* - -.-

Wade, C. W. 1977. Survey of the Yokel, B.J. 1966. A contribution toAlabama marine recreational the biology and distribution offishery. Ala. Mar. Resour. Bull. the red drum, Sciap ocellata.12. 22pp. M4.S. Thesis. 97ni v e rs Ity of .

Miami, Coral Gables. 160 pp.

16

. .. . . . . . . . - -. . . . . . . .

•."-.".-.-.--.d.

REPORT OOCUMENTATION . REPORT NO. 2. 3.- RacowntS Acesson No.PAGE Biol. Rep 82"1.361*Oa.

4. Title and S.bil -T1 " .RprtOtSpecies Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Require- June 1985

ments of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico)-- '

7. Author(s) 6. Performing Organization Rapt. No.

9. P440-ng Organization Name. and Address 10. Poac/Taak/WOrk Unit No.

MS Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit - .No.P.O. Drawer BX it. Cotract(C)orGr -to.Mississippi State University (C)Mississippi State, MS 39762-5603

I?. Soon.,, O'aoztl on Na, and A 13. Tot fReorlt Period Coseed

Nationa Coastal Ecosystems Team U.S. Army Corps of EngineersDivision of Biological Services Waterways Experiment StationFish & Wildlife Service P.O. Box 631U.S. Department of the Interior Vicksburg, MS 39180 14

-20240

*U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Report No. TR EL-82-4 '-

6. _.,. L 1200 ,word.)

iSpecies profiles are literature summaries of the taxonomy, morphology, distribution,-life history, and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic species. Th4 are "prepared to assist in environmental impact assessment. The red drum (Sciaenops k- ..ocellatus) is an estuarine dependent species. It spends its entire life in estuaries ornearshore coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Red drum spawn from mid-August toNovember; peak spawning is from mid-September through October. Larvae and juvenilesremain in estuaries and adults live along the coast and in pdsses. Commercial landingsin Louisiana (1971-81) ranged from 723,700 to 2,212,500 lb. Texas closed commercialfishing in 1979. In most Gulf States, the sport catch usually exceeds commerciallandings. There are few data on population dynamics of the species. Larval and juvenile -red drum eat primarily invertebrates; adults feed on fish, shrimp, and crabs. Red drum

tolerate a wide range of temperatures (2t to 37.5;C) and salinities (0.14 to 50 ppt).,,'--.,. ._.

17. Document Anslysis a oescriptors

Estuaries GrowthFishes Feeding

.. Idetrf..rs/Ole. .Ended Tamn-,Red drum Habitat requirements

Sciaenops ocellatus SpawningTemperature requirements .

C COSATI Fmld/Groijo

,,. Aallt,,,, S t ... ,-,19. Se...ty Class (.,s Report ,. No of Poes

Unlimi ted Unclassi fied 1620. Seturty Class (Tt,,s Palgel 2 P"c.

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