Fishes of the Texas Laguna Madre
Fishes of the Texas Laguna Madre

Author: David A. McKee

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2008-07-01

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1603440283

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Anglers treasure the Laguna Madre, a shallow lagoon resting along one hundred miles of the South Texas coast that offers some of the best fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Its lush environment of seagrass meadows, tidal flats, submerged rock, jetties, worm reefs, mangroves, oyster beds, and open bays provides shelter, food, and nursery grounds for more than 100 kinds of fish, and in its upper portion, many popular game fish are at record levels. In Fishes of the Texas Laguna Madre, longtime angler and fish biologist David A. McKee taps into a lifetime of fishing and studying the lagoon to give us an expert’s guide to this estuary and the fish that live there. This book covers the natural history of the “Mother Lagoon” and provides information on the characteristics, life histories, ranges, and habits of the fish species found in this hypersaline environment. For some, and especially the “Big 5” coastal sportfish (spotted seatrout, red drum, black drum, sheepshead, and southern flounder), McKee offers additional notes on angling techniques, personal observations, record catches, and regulations. He also raises important conservation issues for boaters and anglers to keep in mind while enjoying this unusual ecosystem. Visitor contact information (including the location of boat docks, boat ramps, and piers) rounds out the text, along with three maps of the Laguna Madre. Excellent black-and-white drawings of the fish, the majority by the late Henry “Hank” Compton, are featured throughout. Fishes of the Texas Laguna Madre is for novices and “lagunatics” alike. It will be an invaluable guide for anglers and naturalists; canoers, kayakers, and boaters; students and teachers of fishery science; and anyone who lives near or has an interest in this unique and expansive body of water.

Bulwark Against the Bay
Bulwark Against the Bay

Author: Mary Jo O'Rear

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2017-02-03

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1623494915

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After a devastating hurricane in 1919, the people of Corpus Christi faced the stark reality of their vulnerability. It was clear that something had to be done, but the mere will to take precautionary measures did not necessarily lead the way. Instead, two decades would pass before an effective solution was in place. Mary Jo O’Rear, author of Storm over the Bay, returns to tell the story of a city’s long and often frustrating path to protecting itself. Bulwark Against the Bay reveals the struggle to construct a seawall was not merely an engineering challenge; it was also bound up with the growing popularity of the Ku Klux Klan, local aversion to Roman Catholicism, the emergence of the League of United Latin American Citizens, new efforts on behalf of African American equality, the impact of the Great Depression, support for Franklin Roosevelt, and reactions to the New Deal. A case study of a community wrestling with itself even as it races with the clock, Bulwark Against the Bay adds to our understanding of urban history, boardroom and backroom politics, and the often harsh realities of geography and climate.

Fishes of the Rainbow
Fishes of the Rainbow

Author: David A. McKee

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2019-06-18

Total Pages: 548

ISBN-13: 1623496977

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In warm, shallow waters around the world, coral reefs teem with tens of thousands of marine species. Reefs rival rain forests in biodiversity, and about a third of the world’s marine fish species live part of their lives on coral reefs. In the 1960s, marine biologist Henry “Hank” Compton (1928–2005) of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Rockport Marine Lab participated in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean research cruises on which some of these fishes were collected. A talented artist, Compton painted watercolors based on photographs of collected specimens. Along with taxonomic descriptions, Compton wrote imaginative narratives to accompany the paintings, humorous and quirky stories of the fishes in their light-filled, busy, colorful coral worlds. Fishes of the Rainbow introduces art lovers and tropical fish enthusiasts to Compton’s world. Marine biologist David McKee provides context for Compton’s work as well as an informative overview of the science of coral reef ecosystems. Artist and art historian Mark Anderson explains Compton’s unique technique. This beautifully illustrated, informative, and whimsical book will appeal to aquarium buffs, art aficionados, scuba divers, and marine conservationists. Around the world, warming ocean waters and increased ocean acidification threaten coral reefs. This book offers readers a glimpse into this vibrant ecosystem and the wildlife we stand to lose.

After Ike
After Ike

Author: Bryan Carlile

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 1603443231

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The day after Hurricane Ike made U.S. landfall at Galveston, Texas, photographer Bryan Carlile was in a helicopter, working a service contract as a first responder. He took with him a native Texan?s good memories of the Gulf Coast but brought back images that tell the sobering story of this massive and historic storm. After Ike includes more than one hundred aerial photographs Carlile took of the hurricane?s grim aftermath accompanied by Carlile?s eyewitness captions. In some places, Carlile is able to show images from "before Ike" that bring home the magnitude of the changes wrought to both natural and human habitats. In a thoughtful, personal essay, Andrew Sansom, who was raised on the Texas coast, reflects on the realities of living in "Hurricane Alley."

Freshwater Fishes of Texas
Freshwater Fishes of Texas

Author: Chad Thomas

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2007-06-18

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9781585445707

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Containing habitat information, physical descriptions, photographs, and range maps for more than 150 species of freshwater fishes that can be found in Texas, this field guide is an indispensable reference and research tool for ichthyologists, professional fisheries biologists, amateur naturalists, and anglers alike. The introductory section offers an illustrated guide to the common counts and measurements used for fish identification; a brief explanation of fish phylogeny; and a scientific key to help identify the fish families in Texas. The book includes species accounts of native and introduced fishes found in the freshwaters of Texas. Each account covers the physical characteristics, habitat, and distribution of the fish, with additional comments of interest or importance to its life history and conservation status. With the largest collection to date of color photographs, including various color phases (breeding and non-breeding colors), the book also includes range maps within the species accounts. The closing pages of the book feature a glossary and reference section. In a time when the state’s water resources are beset by issues growing in both number and complexity, this book provides information for professionals and policy makers. It also contributes to the natural history education of the public. To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.

A Texan Plan for the Texas Coast
A Texan Plan for the Texas Coast

Author: James B. Blackburn

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2017-10-13

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1623495784

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In this powerful call to action, conservationist and environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn offers an unconventional yet feasible plan to protect the Texas coast. The coast is in danger of being damaged beyond repair due to the gradual starvation of freshwater inflows to its bays, the fragmentation of large tracts of land, and general public neglect. Most importantly, it is threatened by our denial that the coast faces major threats and that its long-term health provides significant economic benefits. To save coastal resources, a successful plan needs to address the realities of our current world. The challenge is to sustain an economy that creates optimism and entrepreneurship while considering finite natural resources. In other words, a successful plan to save the Texas coast needs to be about making money. Whether visiting with farmers and ranchers or oil and chemical producers, Blackburn recognizes that when talking about the natural environment in monetary terms, people listen. Many of the services we get from the coast are beginning to be studied for their dollar values, a trend that might offer Texas farms and ranches the potential for cash flow, which may in turn alter conservation practices throughout Texas and the United States. Money alone cannot be the only motivation for caring about the Texas coast, though. Blackburn encourages Texans to get to know this landscape better. Beautifully illustrated and accessibly written, A Texan Plan for the Texas Coast weaves together a challenging but promising plan to protect the coast through economic motivation, thoughtful litigation, informed appreciation, and simple affection for the beauty and life found on the Texas coast.

Barrier to the Bays
Barrier to the Bays

Author: Mary Jo O'Rear

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2022-08-24

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1623499410

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Mary Jo O’Rear rounds out her coastal bend trilogy with a deep and engaging look at the prehistory and history of the Texas barrier islands. In Barrier to the Bays, O’Rear captures the deep time of the islands (Mustang, Padre, and San José), the bays (Aransas, Corpus Christi, Copano, Redfish, and Nueces), and Aransas Pass. From the earliest human settlements to the twentieth century, O’Rear explores the complex interplay between people and economies struggling to survive in a region dominated by indifferent forces of nature. Barrier to the Bays opens with the natural formation and development of the barrier isles and the arrival of Native Americans, Spanish castaways, French explorers, and Catholic missionaries. European settlements on the mainland eventually led to rich commercial development of the area and its bounty as ranching, fishing, and transportation took hold. By the early twentieth century, the people of the Coastal Bend began wrestling with a new drive to create deep-water harbors along the coastline in the face of the ever-present hurricane threat. O’Rear shows that by World War II the region had settled into a kind of “practicality” as tourists and traders took their place among the denizens of the islands and bays. In addition to the stories of familiar historical figures, Barrier to the Bays stresses the importance of technology in the settlement and development of the region. “Nothing could have been achieved among the barriers and bays of the Coastal Bend without the right tools.” O’Rear underscores the importance of properly designed sailing vessels and the centrality of navigation technology as an integral part of the barrier isle story.

Dr. Arthur Spohn
Dr. Arthur Spohn

Author: Jane Clements Monday

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2018-09-12

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 162349690X

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In this first comprehensive biography of Dr. Arthur Edward Spohn, authors Jane Clements Monday, Frances Brannen Vick, and Charles W. Monday Jr., MD, illuminate the remarkable nineteenth-century story of a trailblazing physician who helped to modernize the practice of medicine in Texas. Arthur Spohn was unusually innovative for the time and exceptionally dedicated to improving medical care. Among his many surgical innovations was the development of a specialized tourniquet for “bloodless operations” that was later adopted as a field instrument by militaries throughout the world. To this day, he holds the world record for the removal of the largest tumor—328 pounds—from a patient who fully recovered. Recognizing the need for modern medical care in South Texas, Spohn, with the help of Alice King, raised funds to open the first hospital in Corpus Christi. Today, his name and institutional legacy live on in the region through the Christus Spohn Health System, the largest hospital system in South Texas. This biography of a medical pioneer recreates for readers the medical, regional, and family worlds in which Spohn moved, making it an important contribution not only to the history of South Texas but also to the history of modern medicine.