BRITT BUMGUARDNER, ROBERT L. COLURA, ERIC YOUNG, DAVID WESTBROOK, AND ROBERTA BUCKLEY, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Coastal Fisheries Division, Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Station,
HC 02 Box 385, Palacios, Texas 77465, USA

Texas black drum Pogonias cromis reproductive biology and age and growth were investigated. Aging was accomplished using measurements from the center of sectioned otoliths to otolith annuli and margins. Reproductive maturity was determined based on GSI values, presence and percentage of vitellogenic ova, and egg counts and measurements. Black drum from the upper Laguna Madre matured at a younger age and grew slower than black drum from the rest of the Texas coast. Fish from the upper Laguna Madre reached maturity at age 2, as compared to age 5 for fish from other Texas bays. Mean measured size at age for upper Laguna Madre fish was significantly smaller than size of fish from other bays, with a maximum differential of 109 mm at 4.3 years of age. Von Bertalanffy growth models for fish from the upper Laguna Madre and remaining bays were significantly different (P 0.05). Maturity at a younger age and the resulting commitment of energy available to fish in other bays for growth could be expected to induce the observed difference in growth. Reasons for early maturation are not as easily defined, however a difference in mortality rates between the two areas, either natural or due to fishing pressure, might cause juvenescence of black drum in the upper Laguna Madre.