Real County Post

  • About Us
    • Hill Country Post
      • Newsletter
      • Our Lead Editor
      • Editors
      • Heroes
        • Hero Stories
        • Wall of Remembrance
    • Mission Transition
      • Related Posts
      • Website
    • Contact Us
  • News
    • Community
    • Finance
    • Food & Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Obituaries
    • Sports
  • Counties
    • Share a Local Story
      • Community Events
      • Community History
    • Bandera
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Blanco
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Edwards
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Frio
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Gillespie
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Kendall
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Kerr
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Medina
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Real
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Uvalde
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
  • Local
    • Featured Businesses
    • Local Businesses
      • Agricultural
      • Business Services
      • Construction Services
      • Healthcare Providers
      • Hunting & Fishing
      • Lodging & Recreational
      • Personal Care
      • Real Estate
      • Restaurants & Markets
      • Retail & Miscellaneous
    • Shop
      • Cart 🛒
      • Checkout ⇒
  • Advertise Here
    • Submit Your Ad
  • Listings
  • Account

Report Cards Issued For Gulf Ecosystems

The Texas Coast is home to some of the most ecologically diverse and valuable coastal ecosystems in the world. The health of these ecosystems is crucial for local, state, and federal efforts aimed at ensuring that our coastal ecosystems can continue to provide world renowned opportunities for anglers, bird watchers, swimmers, and coastal-dependent businesses. With funding from the Texas General Land Office and by working with stakeholders from local communities, as well as with natural resource managers, the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) has just released the most in-depth assessment of the health of the Texas Coast to date.

The 2023 Texas Coast Ecosystem Health Report Card and related report cards for Matagorda Bay, San Antonio Bay, the Coastal Bend, and Lower Laguna Madre utilize data on a broad suite of indicators such as water quantity and quality, bacteria, habitats, fisheries and oysters, birds, and coastal economies to determine how healthy our coastal waters are. This science-based effort provides a snapshot of the current condition of a given area and highlights missing information that is critical to decision making, providing local leaders with an opportunity to advocate for additional resources to fill data gaps.

Findings show that Texas’ coastal fisheries and the economies they support are remarkably healthy despite pronounced human population growth and natural stressors. However, some parts of the Texas coast are displaying vulnerabilities that include symptoms of deteriorating water quality (such as in Baffin Bay), loss of critical habitat (such as seagrass beds, wetlands and rookery/spoil islands), and population declines of iconic wildlife species such as flounder, oysters and colonial waterbirds. These vulnerabilities are related to factors including human population growth in coastal watersheds without adequate pollution or erosion controls, impacts from unsustainable harvesting, changing water temperatures, and erosion from natural weather events and sea level rise, among other factors.

“Findings from the Report Cards can help resource managers and communities prioritize conservation and restoration actions and achieve balanced growth with healthy ecosystems that support our vibrant coastal communities,” said Dr. Amie West, Assistant Research Scientist at HRI.

HRI is continuing to work toward a Gulf-wide coastal ecosystem report card program to promote thoughtful and effective restoration and conservation decisions of the Gulf of Mexico as a whole. To this end, HRI recently partnered with researchers in Mexico and Cuba. It is envisioned that the Texas Coast cards will serve as a springboard for these broader efforts.

image

Related

May 4, 2023Hill Country Post

See the original article: https://fishgame.com/2023/05/report-cards-issued-for-gulf-ecosystems/

1 month ago Featured, Hill Country News, Sports6
Hill Country Post
TOWA Conference Kicks Off Friday At Port ArthurA Look At Spring Glide Bait Fishing
 About Us 

A centralized state of the arts source of information for people who live, work or visit the Texas Hill Country. See About Us for more details.

 Recent News 
  • Abbott declares that Texas will install buoys to stop Rio Grande bridges. June 8, 2023
  • After an inspection reveals scant evidence of the effectiveness of child ID kits, Texas lawmakers halt money for them. June 8, 2023
  • ( Story and Video ) Adhere To The Stiff Rod Rule. June 8, 2023
  • Progress on the Turkey Banding Project June 8, 2023
 Contact Us 

Share your Hill Country stories with us. We gladly welcome community input and suggestions for articles on our website.

Phone: (210) 568-1568

Email: editor@hillcountrypost.org

Follow Us on Social Media
Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on Gab
Visitors:
2019 - 2023 © Hill Country Post | A Community-Based Initiative of the Mission Transition Foundation A 501(c)(3) Public Non-profit | Terms & Conditions | Powered by Fidelity Partners Website Designs

Make a pit stop at our Hill Country Community Shop 🛍️ Dismiss