Fish Passes and Wetlands

The Recreational Fishing Alliance
Texas State Chapter

Fish Passes and Wetlands
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THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough

Photo of the man made obstruction at the mouth of Vinson Slough

The Problem

Cedar Bayou has been closed for nearly ten years due to natural silting, compounded by inadequate past dredging, lack of maintenance, and a deliberate and unnatural loss of hydrology.

The natural channel between Vinson Slough, an interconnected area of thousands of acres of formerly pristine estuarial wetlands, and the Gulf of Mexico, has been effectively closed for much of the past 20 years. It, along with Cedar Bayou, was bulldozed closed in 1979 to protect the area from the Ixtoc 1 Oil Spill. Vinson Slough was never reopened by the hand of man. It temporarily reopened itself naturally, but spoils from subsequent dredging of Cedar Bayou in 1986 and 1995, were deliberately and illegally placed in the mouth, completely blocking the historical water exchange between this estuary, the Bays and the Gulf. The spoil placement also blocked the natural openings between Vinson Slough and Cedar Bayou, further magnifying the problem.

This once productive natural fish hatchery and nursery area is now stagnating and becoming shallower. Sedimentation caused by lack of water exchange is killing the grass beds. Any sediment, pollution and heavy metal content present in what little water can enter from the bays can only settle to the bottom, having nowhere else to go. If we do not act now, this area will soon be past the point of recovery, and will become a vast decadent wasteland.

These changes have had a severe negative impact on the fish and wildlife in hundreds of square miles of our bays and estuaries.

The recreational and commercial fishing interests, the waterfowl hunting industry, birders and wildlife observers, and the predominantly wildlife related tourism industry in the Texas Coastal Bend have all begun to suffer. We are losing the valuable wetlands and tidal marshes fed by Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough, and the endangered Whooping Crane is in decline as a direct result.

We believe that the reopening of these areas will result in an immediate and dramatic improvement to the environment of the fish and wildlife, and will help restore the natural healthy ecology of the area.

The Effect On The Ecology

Due to deliberate human interference, Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough have become closed resulting in devastating damage to the ecology of the area, including at least two bird species protected by the Endangered Species Act. We are the Stewards of The Environment. We MUST reopen Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough NOW ! Failure to do so would constitute CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE !

In order to clearly understand the ecological effects of Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough, the role of each must be examined separately. The overall effects on each of the area's most important wildlife species will be individually addressed further down this page. The importance of the environmental and economic impact to the Coastal Bend cannot be overstated.

CEDAR BAYOU

Cedar Bayou is a natural fish pass separating Matagorda Island from San Jose Island. It is located at the southern end of Mesquite Bay between San Antonio Bay and Carlos Bay of the greater Aransas Bay complex. Currently, the bayou is completely closed off and silted in badly. There is now a “sand bridge” joining San Jose and Matagorda Island at the mouth of the bayou. This prevents the natural water exchange between the Gulf of Mexico and numerous bay systems, and has a number of “bay killing” effects associated with it.

Cedar Bayou has a manifold effect on the overall ecology of a large geographic area. It provides the bay to Gulf water exchange so necessary to mitigate the effects of drastic salinity variations caused by floods and extended periods of drought. It is the only such avenue of water exchange on a 60 mile stretch of our coastline. The positive benefits of this water exchange directly influence our bay systems from the First Chain of Islands in San Antonio Bay to the North, Mud Island in Aransas Bay to the South, and to Copano Bay to the West.

As a fish pass, Cedar Bayou allows the natural migration of several species of adult fish, crabs, shrimp, and various other organisms between bay and Gulf for the purposes of spawning and natural seasonal migration. It also serves as an emergency escape route to the warmer and deeper waters of the Gulf of Mexico when a killer freeze strikes the area. Many species of fish, crabs, and other aquatic life in their egg and larval stages of development, rely on this pass as the only avenue of transport so critical to the reproductive step of their life cycle.

VINSON SLOUGH

Vinson Slough provides many of the same benefits as Cedar Bayou, such as a water exchange and fish pass. The additional value of the slough and the area it feeds is as a huge natural hatchery and nursery area for myriad fish and other marine creatures. This slough provides the only direct link between more than 20 thousand acres of once pristine, interconnected estuarial wetlands inside San Jose island, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Vinson Slough's interconnection with the Gulf is essential in maintaining the health and viability of this huge fish and wildlife nursery. The value of this tidal salt marsh estuary, when functioning as Mother Nature intended, is beyond our comprehension. Vinson wetlands and submerged sea grasses are home to a wide variety of wildlife, and several endangered and threatened species of birds and migratory waterfowl. The majority of the commercial and recreational fish species caught in our bays and in the Gulf of Mexico are spawned in, or dependent on, a healthy inshore estuarine ecosystem. One can only speculate on how many man made fish hatcheries it would take to make up for the loss of the natural estuarine complex known as Vinson Slough.

The Effect On Various Wildlife Species

Whooping Crane

Let us first consider the effect on the endangered Whooping Crane. The largest flock of these magnificent birds, which have captured the affection of Canadians and Americans alike, winters on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is adjacent to Cedar Bayou, and the health of these birds is directly dependent on the health of the Blue Crab population in the area. The Blue Crab comprises about 80% to 90% of the Whooping Crane's winter diet, and is essential for their survival and reproduction. This crab requires the ability to migrate between the bays and the Gulf to complete it's reproductive cycle. Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough are the only avenues of bay/Gulf migration for a 60 mile stretch of our coastline. If Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough remain closed, the extinction of the Whooping Crane is a distinct possibility.

The health of the Blue Crab population is also dependent on water quality and salinity levels. Water exchange between the Gulf and the bays has become even more important in recent years due to decreased freshwater inflow. With an ever increasing upstream population vying for freshwater from our rivers and streams, we must do everything possible to prevent massive salinity fluctuations in our bays and estuaries. Reopening Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough will allow the Gulf water, with its stable salinity, to intermix with the bay water, and help keep the salinity in our bays at a healthy level as nature intended.

According to Mr. Tom Stehn, U.S.F.W.S. Whooping Crane Director, in a paper "Whooping Crane Recovery Activities, March - August, 2001" published by North American Crane Working Group, the recent years of drought have had a negative effect on the Blue Crabs, and thus on the Whoopers.

For more information about the Whooping Crane, and for short video and audio presentations, (listen to the call of these birds and find out why they are called WHOOPING Cranes) CLICK HERE. (Requires Real Player (TM) available FREE at www.real.com ) .

Piping Plover

The spoil obstructions built in the mouth of Vinson Slough and in the natural openings between Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough have caused the destruction of many acres of habitat critical to the survival of the threatened Piping Plover.

This area has historically been the home to a significant percentage of the approximately 1,900 individual birds which winter on the Texas Coast.

Blue Crab

In addition to being essential to the diet of the Whooping Crane, the Blue Crab is a major forage species of the Redfish (Red Drum) and the Black Drum. It is also a very valuable resource to the commercial crabbing industry and therefore to the local economy.

Shrimp

The Brown, Pink, and White Shrimp are the most important of the shrimp species in local waters. All three species share a similar lifestyle. They are of extreme importance to the entire fishery as well as to the local economy. The shrimp is a mainstay of the diet of nearly all of the fish sought by the recreational and commercial fishermen in the area. The Texas shrimp fishery is one of the largest and most valuable seafood industries in our nation. The shrimp depend on passes such as Cedar Bayou for the adult migration to the Gulf, and the post larval influx into the bays and estuaries necessary to support their reproductive cycle. They also require estuaries such as Vinson Slough as nursery areas where the food and protection necessary for growth and survival are available. Habitats in estuaries are important for growth and survival of juvenile shrimp. One acre of salt marsh produces approximately 500 pounds of shrimp per year.* That represents a tremendous quantity of forage necessary to sustain the local gamefish population.

* From " Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Fishery, Ecology And Life History "
United States Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Galveston Laboratory.

Speckled Trout

The Speckled Trout (Spotted Seatrout) is one of the most popular sport fish along the Texas coast. This fish depends on shrimp as it's major forage until it grows to near trophy size, when it begins to feed mainly on other finfish species. The Speckled Trout needs a healthy estuarine ecology such as Vinson Slough, to support it's forage species as well as to provide food and shelter for it's newly hatched young. These fish depend on fish passes such as Cedar Bayou for migration to the warmer waters of the Gulf during potential killer freezes and during periods of extreme salinity fluctuation. Many of the larger trout regularly migrate to and from the Gulf of Mexico to take advantage of the tremendous forage base there. These fish grow rapidly and migrate back into the bays for spawning and for protection from larger predators. Many biologists believe that these "tide runner" trout make up a large percentage of the trophy trout taken by local anglers in our bay systems.

Do you want to catch more TROPHY size Speckled Trout ? If so, help us reopen Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough !

Redfish

The Redfish (Red Drum) is another of the most highly sought sport fish along the Texas coast. They spawn in the Gulf near the mouths of passes. They depend on passes such as Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough to carry their eggs (which hatch within 24 hours) back into the bays and estuaries by the tidal current. After hatching, the larval drum depend on protected estuaries such as Vinson Slough for development to the fingerling and young adult stage of their life cycle. After they reach maturity and spawning age, they again require fish passes, this time to return to the Gulf where they spend the rest of their lives feeding and spawning.

Flounder

The Southern Flounder , highly prized as table fare, depend on the fish passes to migrate from the bays to the Gulf each fall for spawning. They use the passes again each spring to return to the bays. Their eggs are buoyant, and hatch in the Gulf. During the late winter and early spring, the fry migrate through the passes into the bays and estuaries where they seek food and protection from predators. The flounder is important to both the recreational and commercial fishing sectors.

Migratory Waterfowl

Bottom grasses are an essential part of the ecology in our bay systems. The abundance of bottom grasses sets the middle and lower Texas coast apart from the Upper Texas coast and Louisiana bay systems. The grasses provide ambush points for fish and natural cover for forage fish that sustain the larger predator fish. These grasses also sustain millions of wintering Ducks including Pintail, Redhead, Widgeon, Teal, Scaup, Shoveler, and other migratory birds. Of late, there has been a cry throughout the lower coast for consideration in protecting bottom grasses from disruption by boaters and potential pollution. It has gained consideration to the point that certain bottom grass locations are bordered off restricting outboard motor traffic.

This cry for bottom grass protection is taking place while the greatest bottom grass losses occur in the back marsh lake complex served by Vinson Slough. As the lakes are starved for water exchange, the bottom grass degradation continues to occur at an alarming pace. As this estuary declines, so do the populations of finfish and crabs that are necessary to re-supply the food chain.

Summary

As you can see from the above, the entire ecology of the area is dependent on an open and healthy Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough as avenues of water exchange, fish, shrimp, and crab migration, as routes of passage necessary for the reproduction of many species, and as a nursery area for these life forms and their forage. The quality of the fishing in the area is but a shadow of its former self, and has become dependent on artificial hatchery raised fish to support much of what remains of this once world renown fishery.

There is little to be gained by increasing the number of hatchery reared fingerling gamefish released, without increasing the amount of healthy habitat necessary for their growth and survival. There is also little to be gained by enacting more restrictive regulations for the protection of large trout, if they lack the forage and habitat to sustain them.

Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough are closed, and are strangling to death.
Please help us reopen them.

2002 Photo of Cedar Bayou / Vinson Slough

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1968 Photos of Cedar Bayou / Vinson Slough

Both were open into the Gulf of Mexico

Click below for:

Aerial Photo Map

Aransas County Map Close Up

Scaleable Aerial Photograph (Taken March 18, 1995)

General Location Map

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