In the 2012 President's Budget Request, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is terminated. As a result, all resources, databases, tools, and applications within this web site will be removed on January 15, 2012. For more information, please refer to the NBII Program Termination page.
Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates
This series describes the life histories and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic organisms along the coasts of the United States. The organisms are principally fish of sport, commercial, or ecological importance. The profiles were designed to provide coastal managers, engineers, and biologists with a brief, comprehensive sketch of the biological characteristics and environmental requirements of the species and to describe how populations of the species may be expected to react to environmental changes caused by coastal development. Individual profiles have sections on taxonomy, life history, ecological role, environmental requirements, and economic importance, if applicable.
Species profiles are literature summaries of the taxonomy, morphology, range, life history and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic species. They are designed to assist environmental impact assessments. Black drum are primarily an estuarine species. The time of black drum spawning depends on location. In Texas waters, heaviest spawning activity occurs during February and March near passes in open bays and estuaries, while in deeper Gulf waters they spawn from November to April. Larvae are transported into the estuarine environment where they grow to the juvenile stage, living in shallow, muddy waters, tolerating a wide range of environmental conditions. Black drum are commercially harvested by a variety of gears, with the majority of U.S. landings taken in Gulf waters off Texas. They are also an important recreational species with more fish caught in the sport catch than harvested commercially. Young black drum feed on invertebrates and small fish, while adults consume mollusks and some decapods. Adults are found in salinities of 9 to 26 ppt and in water temperatures of 12 to 33 degrees C. Juveniles are taken over muddy bottoms and adults are usually found over sand or soft bottoms and over oyster reefs or clam shell.
