Living Resources Priority Problems

Intensive harvest of seafood, combined with habitat losses and contamination of the ecosystem, has resulted in widespread concern over possible species reductions in the Galveston Bay system.

Although oyster reefs appear to have expanded in recent years and commercial fish and shellfish populations are generally stable, the oyster population is nowhere near the levels found in Galveston bay prior to shell dredging. This was a major habitat alteration from which the bay has yet to recover.

Recent data indicate that most monitored economically important fishery species exhibit no trend or an upward trend in population density. However, there is concern about white shrimp and large blue crab, which have shown periods of decline and are subject to significant fishing pressure. Factors possibly affecting the blue crab population may include pollutant contamination, habitat alteration, freshwater inflows, eutrophication and fishing pressure.

The total number of colonial waterbirds has remained relatively stable since the early 1980s. However, the composition of the colonial waterbird community is thought to be changing. Texas Colonial Waterbird Surveys indicate that while some species are have increasing population trends, other species are showing significant declines. More recent 2001 data reaffirms most of the findings from the 1973-2000 period: decreasing population trends for the great blue heron, great egret, tricolor heron, white-faced ibis, roseate spoonbill, black skimmer, least tern, and laughing gull. Factors that affect populations of colonial waterbirds include habitat loss from subsidence, dredging, and ship wakes; alteration of freshwater inflows; chemical contamination; human disturbance of nesting areas; predation by coyotes; and fire ant predation on chicks

See more information on priority problems related to Galveston Bay living resources in Chapter Eight of The State of the Bay. See Solutions.