The Relation of Total Rainfall of the State and Catch of the Marine Shrimp (Penaeus Setiferus) in Texas Waters

The catch of white shrimp, Penaeus setiferus, along the Texas Coast from 1927 to 1952, inclusive, shows a strong statistical correlation with the total rainfall of the State. The young shrimp grow up in low salinity, estuarine areas and there are some indications that the correlation depends upon salinity per se rather than other factors, such as nutrient salts brought in from land. There is a lag effect in the shrimp catch-rainfall correlation in that the catch is correlated with rainfall of the previous year and the year before that. There are some indications that this may be due in part to a lag in the rise and fall of salinity of bay and offshore waters following wet and dry spells; it may also be due in part to the life history of the shrimp, for part of the population lives over from one year to the next. General inspection indicates that other possible factors influencing the shrimp catch such as technological improvements, the shrimp price, general price index and economic cycles, are not correlated with the white shrimp catch during this period, whether or not trends are removed. These matters were not statistically analyzed.