DRIVERS OF WHERE DO COASTAL SUCCESSES Baffin Bay Volunteers have donated their time to GULF HEALTH WE GO FROM collecting data on the changing water quality of Baffin Bay. Their work is enormously helpful to scientists HERE? and managers. Sink Your Shucks, a program associated with the Harte Research Institute, has restored approximately TEXAS COAST 20 acres of oyster reef in the Mission-Aransas Estuary. Sink Your Shucks has placed 1.5 million pounds of oyster shells on the bottom to serve ECOSYSTEM HEALTH as new oyster reefs.
Red Snapper, a commercially important fish species, has shown improvements in its populations. These fish appear to be benefiting from the reduction of shrimp REPORT CARD trawl bycatch. FRESHWATER INPUTS A VISION FOR THE DRIVE CHANGE GULF OF MEXICO The salinity of coastal waters can have a We hope that report cards like this one dramatic effect on the species present in the can be created for all Gulf Coast U.S. and area. Historically, the Texas Gulf Coast has a Mexican states and Cuba. These report cards strong salinity gradient, with low salinity waters could easily be linked together to create an in the northern bays (fed by freshwater influxes Ecosystem Health Report Card for the entire from the land) and high salinity waters in the Gulf of Mexico. We also envision that the southern bays (see map). Habitats for birds, report card can be expanded to include social, oysters, fisheries, and seagrass are impacted by cultural, and economic factors to create a more freshwater inflow into the Gulf. holistic assessment of ecosystem health. Salinity Value Species that are more tolerant of low salinity, ≤ 10 such as oysters, tend to be concentrated in the >10–15 RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT northern bays, whereas species that are tolerant >15–20 One of the greatest challenges in the This report card was developed through participation of experts of high salinity, such as seagrasses, tend to be >20–25 stakeholder values process is identifying data on Texas Coast oysters, seagrass, water quality, birds, and fisheries. The project builds on stakeholder values established concentrated in the southern bays. >25–30 and information that is useful for a regular during the EcoHealth Metrics Project, a partnership between >30–35 ecosystem health assessment. Much of these Habitat loss along the Texas Gulf Coast is Harte Research Institute, Harwell Gentile and Associates, and >35–40 data are not available for the Texas Coast or the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. heavily driven by human impacts. The damming do not encompass all of the pertinent locations >40–45 of coastal freshwater systems can have a and times. To improve future assessments, we significant impact on the salinity of coastal recommend that monitoring be expanded to 0 30 60 waters. Altering the salinity regimes of coastal Miles fill the data gaps for each of the report card Kilometers waters can have far-reaching consequences for 0 50 100 elements (birds, fisheries, seagrasses, water fish, birds, oysters and seagrasses. quality and oysters). The Texas Gulf Coast exhibits a strong salinity gradient, Other significant factors influencing coastal with low salinity waters in the Upper Coast and high salinity Want to learn more? health include the impacts of coastal waters in the southern bays and Laguna Madre. Image courtesy of Kalman Bugica and Mike Wetz. Visit the Harte Research Institute at: urban development, sea-level rise, and www.harteresearchinstitute.org 2019 climate extremes. ..
TEXAS COAST: Houston MODERATELY HEALTHY KEY FINDINGS The Texas Coast of the Gulf of Mexico scored a B- overall, Our panel of experts evaluated the health of the Texas Coast using five categories of habitats SE RS AG UPPER COAST indicating moderately good health. Along the entire coastline, and resources: oysters, seagrass, water quality, birds, and fisheries. These categories were E RA ST S Y S O E fisheries were the highest scoring indicator, demonstrating identified as key values to the Texas Coast during an EcoHealth Metrics workshop for resource S Oyster populations along the Upper Coast fell sharply consistently healthy populations of the indicator species despite users, managers, and scientists. Indicators within each of the five categories were evaluated after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, when a sudden release of increasing demand from humans. The Texas Gulf Coast also using data analysis methods and targets identified during subsequent panel meetings in freshwater caused a large mortality event. Seagrasses are
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I Y 2018. These analysis methods are detailed in the companion document titled, “Texas Coast S R T had generally good water quality results, with good dissolved E H + extremely rare in this area, due to the region’s relatively I E C T L A oxygen and chlorophyll concentrations. Upper Laguna Madre Expanded Report Card.” R A low salinity. As one of the more urbanized regions, it is also IE W U demonstrated less healthy conditions due to nutrient pollution, S Q unsurprising that Galveston Bay experienced localized while mid-coast estuaries showed a drop in overall health due to high chlorophyll and an increasing salinity trend. Several increasing salinity. BIRDS of the indicator bird species decreased in the region, while Moderate bird scores in fisheries were stable. Birds also scored moderately coast-wide, despite continuing the mid- and southern Matagorda Bay habitat losses. Oysters and seagrasses were the lowest scoring Texas Coast indicated SE RS AG MID COAST TE RA indicators. For oysters, this result could be attributed to low stability in their population S S San Antonio Bay Y S O E Oysters and seagrasses in the Mid Coast scored abundance in the mid-coast bays. Oysters were not expected or sizes despite habitat S observed in southern waters, due to Laguna Madre’s high salinity. losses to sea-level rise and Aransas Bay moderately, with stable populations over time. Despite having fewer urban alterations than the Upper Coast, the
For seagrasses, this low score is due to recent reduced coverage in urbanization. F
I Y S R T region has experienced broad-scale salinity increases, Upper Laguna Madre. H E I T E B L R A A as well as increases in chlorophyll and decreases in IE W U Corpus Christi S Q dissolved oxygen. The data on bird populations were limited, so the scores for the Mid Coast and Upper Abundance BIRDS Laguna Madre were consolidated. Fisheries indicated Seagrasses in the Upper overall strong populations. SE Coverage Laguna Madre region Baffin Bay RS AG E RA suffered losses to overall ST S SE Y S RS AG UPPER LAGUNA MADRE O E E RA S coverage due to a series of ST S Y S O E high salinity events in 2012 S Due to its natural high salinity, the overall Laguna Madre Brown Shrimp and 2013. region has not historically been a good habitat for oysters Salinity
F (which were not expected in the region). Laguna Madre
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Laguna Madre I Y T H E S R has, however, historically been a stronghold for seagrasses - I T E B T H I L E T E C- L A Black Drum R A Dissolved R A A (which are more tolerant of high salinities). Despite this, I W E U Oxygen IE W U S Q S Q prolonged periods of high salinity in 2012 and 2013 heavily Spotted impacted seagrasses, especially manatee grass, in Upper Chlorophyll Seatrout Despite overall high scores B BIRDS IRDS Laguna Madre. The area was also marked by decreasing Mottled for Texas Coast fisheries, dissolved oxygen and increasing chlorophyll over time. Greater Forster’s Duck Red Drum southern flounder and Egret
Term Lesser blue crab populations SandpiperPiping SE Plover RS AG LOWER LAGUNA MADRE Lesser Scaup are struggling in Laguna E RA ST S Y S Madre. This is due both O E Lower Laguna Madre is notable in its limited urbanization Brownsville S to high demand from and seemed less susceptible than Upper Laguna Madre e as oast ealth Scale human populations, and to high salinity extremes. The region is characterized by
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I Y to environmental stresses S R T healthy seagrass populations, healthy dissolved oxygen and F D C B A H E I T E A L from living near the edge R A A chlorophyll levels, and stable or increasing bird populations. Ecosystem Ecosystem Ecosystem Ecosystem Ecosystem Unknown IE W U of their natural range. S Q Fisheries scored very highly, although we observed a drop condition is condition is condition is condition is condition is in blue crab and southern flounder populations in both very oor oor moderate good very good a ealth trends BIRDS Upper and Lower Laguna Madre. *Overall indicator scores are based on the region averages. Significantly im roving Slightly im roving o change Lorem ipsum Slightly declining Significantly declining