Writing a Research Paper

[Tro-Trout]

I'm writing a research paper about how water quality has effected the texas coast fisheries and the decline of overall fish population for my Composition class. I was wondering if any of you know of any good books or sources with good information on this topic?
Thanks

[WestEndAngler]

That's a big step to take. I don't think water quality has caused a decline. I think you have more people fishing causing more fish to be removed for consumption. I have seen increases in Redfish and now Flounder. Information is very limited as most of the information is obtained by true reporting & interviewing of potential sources.

What about the effect of the dredge disposal sites last Summer in West Bay?

[FP10]

What about the effect of the dredge disposal sites last Summer in West Bay?

I agree with Coe on this one.

[Gilbert]

pick another topic

[duckboy007]

I've written more papers on fisheries than you can imagine, and that's too much. That's enough for an entire thesis.

[Jerkyourcroaker]

I agree with Coe. I have seen a lot of fish creel data from TPWD and I don't think the data will support your assertion. For example, if you look at speckled trout landings over time, the curve has been relatively flat through wet years and dry years.



There was a pretty big dip in the gill net surveys in 2008, 2009 and 2010 but there is no consensus about why that dip occured. You can see this post I made on Speckled Trout Gill Net Data for more information.

I have a couple of ideas for research projects:

-Effect of dredge spoils on native sea grass beds (Coe's from above)
-Effect of 2011/2012 drought on crab population - 2012 was a terrible crabbing year
-Potential effects of revising the flounder limit, adding a maximum length, etc. (Lori's idea)
-Daily movement study of the AquaPimp including GPS maps

Good luck. Happy to help you out if I can.

[Tro-Trout]

That's a big step to take. I don't think water quality has caused a decline. I think you have more people fishing causing more fish to be removed for consumption. I have seen increases in Redfish and now Flounder. Information is very limited as most of the information is obtained by true reporting & interviewing of potential sources.

What about the effect of the dredge disposal sites last Summer in West Bay?

I wasn't saying that water equality has caused the decline of the fishing industry. Im writing on all the effects that have effected the fisheries including water quality, fish regulations, polution, etc.... Dredging will be included

But thanks for all the ideas!

[Ibtsoom]

Water quality over the last 30 years has increased dramatically -- there were virtually no pollution controls imposed upon anyone prior to the Clean Water Act circa 1972-ish and not seriously until the late 80's. Testing of pollutants wasnt started until even more recently than that. Of course you can write your paper subjectively about anything you wish but I'd suggest talking to a few Texas fisheries biologists prior to doing so. The data that you find, I feel, will most likely support the opposite of what's implied by your title.

[Gilbert]

write about the fertilizer runoff slowly killing baffin bay

[Robalo]

Get the difference between the use of "effect" and "affect" for starters. (not picking on ya, but your teacher will).

Heck yes water quality affects fisheries-simple to prove-throw some bait in a cooler and see how long they live-O2 levels will drop, nitrogen levels will skyrocket and bait will be dead quick-throw a trrout in a cooler and see how long it lasts-or add a beer to that water or pee in it and watch the fish die (drunk and happy or pissed-ha ha again).

Good topic and I'd like to read it when you're done and see what ya came up with. Like Duckboy said, you could write a whole thesis on that-and many have been. Reluctantly I'll even suggest try atm Marine Science studies for info.

The salinity levels associated with the LLM (Lower Laguna Madre) and that area where boat traffic was closed (or spota be closed) due to hypersalinity levels caused by no pass south of the Corpus/Aransas Causeway (near Baffin-east of ICW-I can't remember the name of it-in droughts, it would close off and all the fish sorta would get trapped in there and die) and how such high salinity has adversely affected fish in the area. Another point is look into the pesticides at Arroyo City area in the LLM area. Copano Bay's closure north of Hwy 35 due to mercury levels (still closed to eating fish/shellfish). Closing of fish consumption for years in the Houston Ship Channel Basin. Swan Lake area near Virginia Point pollution levels due to the refineries. Sheeit, now Dickinson Bay/Bayou due to all the crap (literally) from out-of-date and overloaded sewage treatment plants.

I believe if you contact the TDEQ as well as the CCA (yep, they suck), you will get some excellent info regarding pollution of all types Affecting fisheries. Try TPWD by calling and asking the environmental division. further, you may want to examine the differences between man-made versus ecological changes (just call Al Gore-ha ha-couldn't help myself). Just look at the fish consumption advisories for Galveston Bay.

[reeltime]

Re: Writing a Research Paper

do your research on Oysters and how they affect the water and clean the water.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

[Robalo]

Some fisheries have shown population rebounds-such as Coe pointed out on redfish. My belief is that "rebound" is due to Laws (outlawed the purse seining and lowered limits) by Federal and State gummint -all thanks to Paul Prudhomme's blackened redfish craze-otherwise redfish as table fare was basically classed by most "real" chefs as poor for consumption (I agree with that-would rather eat a 16" red than anything over 20"). Plus fishermen have been taught C&R lately versus the old "How much can your cooler hold?" mentality that existed in the 60s and earlier when limits did not exist for almost any species. I remember seining in the surf and almost filling up truckbeds with fish before that became illegal-but that has nothing really to do with water quality.

Coe's point on dredging is great-years ago companies dredged and no one gave a darn and it caused influx of saltwater into freshwater marsh estuaries-plus look at the crap done on the north shoreline of West Bay a year or so ago-covered and killed sea grasses by COE permits using bad data from 15 or so years earlier and did not even think to check for sea grasses since weren't any so long agao (dumchits). Plus bay shrimping raking the seagrasses in East bay-sheeit, I've almost been netted wading along south shoreline by some dumbazz shrimper.

[duckboy007]

You said this is for composition class, right? Do something simple, like the approximate economic impact of fishing trips, or an overview of the inshore fishing culture, or just even an overview of sport fish species that live in the bay, and their habitats.

Composition class is designed to teach you to write, not to do complex fisheries research. Save some of those topics for you fisheries master degree.

[trseato]

Sounds more like a Journalistic hit piece to me rather that a "research paper" since the conclusion is published before any research has been done.

[trseato]

A good source for research information on water quality.

http://www.gbep.state.tx.us