Identifying Southern Flounder spawning grounds off Texas using satellite telemetry

Southern Flounder is a species of greatest conservation need (SGCN; status S2S3, “Vulnerable to Imperiled in Texas”) in the 2023 State Wildlife Action Plan and one of the most targeted fish in Texas’ marine waters.

Fishery-independent data from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) indicate a long-term population decline since the 1980s which has prompted numerous regulatory actions to reduce harvest and effort in the fishery.

There is uncertainty how various factors are contributing towards the decline, but some include overfishing and climatic effects on spawning dynamics.

Effective management strategies for Southern Flounder will require identification of and accounting for potential adaptive differences in habitat use and migration strategies among local populations. This is especially true for Southern Flounder in Texas, as recent research has revealed evidence of partial migration and climatic effects on spawning migration phenology and recruitment success.

The purpose of this project is to identify and characterize Southern Flounder spawning grounds and associated habitat parameters using satellite telemetry. This project directly addresses a State Wildlife Grant research priority — Southern Flounder movement/location of spawning grounds.

Successful completion of this project will provide novel habitat information and locations of Southern Flounder spawning grounds which can be used to predict future changes in spawning habitat availability and reproductive success. Ultimately these data will aid resource managers seeking to improve the population status of Southern Flounder in Texas.