SCOTT A. HOLT, University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel View Dr., Port Aransas, Texas 78373, USA

LAWRENCE W. MCEACHRON, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 702 Navigation Circle, Rockport, Texas 78382, USA

A red tide (composed of Gymnodinium brevi) bloom in the near-shore western Gulf of Mexico and adjacent estuaries in September 1996 resulted in the death of a significant number of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus. Over 12,000 mature red drum were estimated to have washed up on the beaches of Mustang, St. Jose, and Matagorda Islands. In addition to the removal of some portion of the spawning population, the red tide had the potential to produce significant larval mortality as well. The goal of this study was to use several measures of spawning activity and larval density to assess the impact of the red tide on red drum larval recruitment in the vicinity of the Aransas Pass, Texas. Preliminary observations suggest that sound production by spawning male red drum, and egg and larval densities in the tidal inlet and the seagrass nursery areas are similar to observations from the fall of 1994 and 1995. Red drum catches in bag seines from Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Coastal Fisheries Monitoring program will also be compared with data from prior years to assess potential impact on YOY fish. These findings provide intriguing insights into the potential stock size and spawning behavior of red drum along the central Texas coast.