Temporal Shift in Sheepshead Movement Patterns in Texas in 20th Century

Sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus support fisheries throughout their range.  In Texas, the species was not a primary target for most of the 20^th century, and received little management attention until the 1980s.  Prohibition of sale of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus and spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus in 1981 redirected commercial fishing effort toward sheepshead and increased the need for life history information.  Limited movement of tagged sheepshead was reported in 1986 for fish recaptured during 1960-1975 and in 2003 for fish released during 1975-1999.  Most of almost 300 recaptured fish were caught within about 1 yr in or adjacent to the bay system where released.  However, 88.1% of fish tagged before 1975 and 63.6% of fish tagged after 1975 were recaptured in bay systems where tagged.  Possible reasons for the temporal difference in movement patterns will be explored.  For example, a plethora of gear and effort restrictions; and size, bag, and possession limits after 1981 may have reduced fishing mortality and afforded more fish greater opportunity to move farther than before 1981.  The temporal change in movement may also have been an artifact of differential tag reporting.  Commercial fishers routinely reported tagged fish before 1981, but only reported two tags during 1981-2005.