Correlation of Rainfall with the Texas Catch of White Shrimp, Penaeus Setiferus (Linnaeus)

Abstract

The young of the white shrimp, Penaeus seti]erus (Linnaeus), grow up in estuarine waters the salinity of which is governed by rainfall. The Texas shrimp fishery was well started by 1927. From that time until •936, catches were relatively low. The fishery underwent a period of growth and high-level catches have been obtained from 1937 to the present. During that period the annual catch in pounds of any one year shows a correlation coefficient of 0.883 with the State's average rainfall of the same year and 2 previous years. Essentially, there were 2 blocks of dry years with a period of wet years between, during which the catches were low and high, respectively. Decline of the white shrimp catch has been sharp with the recent drouth, but it is expected to rise when the drouth breaks. Whether the correlation is directly with salinity per se or some unknown factor governed by salinity is not known.

Impacts of Water Quality on the Harvest of School Prawn (Metapenaeus macleayi) in a Peri-Urban River System

“…2). This observation is consistent with some published literature relating to hydrological regimes and their influence on the growth of prawns and other aquatic living beings (Hildebrand & Gunter 1953, Subrahmanyam 1964, Glaister 1978b, Gillson 2011. Heavy rainfall events often carry large amounts of plant detritus, sediment, and organic food scraps that benefit immensely the survival and growth of juvenile M. macleayi.…”

“…Heavy rainfall events often carry large amounts of plant detritus, sediment, and organic food scraps that benefit immensely the survival and growth of juvenile M. macleayi. Hildebrand and Gunter (1953) observed how the fluctuations in Penaeus setiferus is related to the salinity levels influenced by rainfall, whereas Subrahmanyam (1964) showed how the larval recruitment of Penaeus monodon is stimulated by rainfall in the Godavari estuary, although the reason for the observed pattern was not stipulated.…”

Predicting the abundance of white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) from environmental parameters and previous life stages

“…The second modeling approach relates abundance to environmental factors such as temperature (air and/or water), precipitation, river runoff, frequency of favorable wind trajectories, water levels, and/or area of available habitat. An example of this approach is the documented correlation of rainfall and annual catches of white shrimp in Texas (Hildebrand and Gunter, 1953;Gunter and Edwards, 1969). Interestingly enough, those same authors were unsuccessful in relating Texas brown shrimp harvests to environmental factors.…”

Model for White Shrimp Landings for the Central Coast of South Carolina

“…Several researchers have linked rainfall and river discharge to shrimp landings. Hildebrand and Gunter (1953) and Gunter and Hildebrand (1954) showed a relationship between annual harvest of white shrimp in Texas and rainfall of the same year and the two previous years. Barrett andGillespie (1973, 1975) and Barrett andRalph (1976, 1977) noted that rainfall and discharge of the Mississippi River, along with water temperature, were important influences on commercial catches of brown shrimp in Louisiana in May.…”