“…In addition to hypersalinity, the south Texas coast is periodically subjected to harsh winter freeze events. Owing to the shallowness of the ULM and surrounding estuaries, such freeze events can result in extensive fish kills (Gunter and Hildebrand, 1951;Moore, 1976;Buskey et al, 1997), which may also locally impact population structure and dynamics of the system. Unique differences in ULM black drum may be developed adaptations to deal with the extreme environmental conditions and the resultant high mortality of this bay system (Bumguardner et al, 1996).…”