Texas am universitycorpus christi tamucc and the texas parks and wildlife departments habitat assessment team HAT are seeking to apply multiple mapping technologies and data processing techniques to…

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $158,716 Formula Grant under the State Wildlife Grants (CFDA 15.634) program to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC). The purpose of the grant is to apply satellite imagery assessments and sonar surveys to accurately map and quantify submerged aquatic habitats, including serpulid reefs, seagrass, and soft-bottom sediments, in the Baffin Bay complex in Texas. This comprehensive spatial baseline data will support effective community planning, disaster response, and prioritization of restoration and conservation efforts. TAMU-CC is a sub-grantee on the project, conducting research to compare the efficacy of different habitat mapping approaches and inform future strategies for Texas' shallow bays. The grant has a performance period from November 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027.

Texas am universitycorpus christi tamucc and the texas parks and wildlife departments habitat assessment team HAT are seeking to apply multiple mapping technologies and data processing techniques to efficiently and accurately locate map and quantify submerged aquatic habitats including serpulid reefs seagrass and softbottom sediments in the baffin BAY complex figure 1 the project will utilize a combination of satellite imagery assessments and sonar surveys to generate maps of important submerged habitat types bathymetric products including digital elevation models dems and mosaicked side scan images of target areas additionally we plan on conducting insitu assessments of the serpulid reefs and seagrass beds mapped in this study to establish current condition indices priority information needs for the coastal fisheries division will be addressed by providing comprehensive spatial baseline data to facilitate effective community planning and potential disaster response this will enable state and local governments to assess cumulative and secondary impacts in coastal areas and to mitigate vulnerability to industrial accidents fluctuating freshwater inflows sea level rise and other natural and anthropogenic threats this data will allow the state and local organizations to prioritize areas for restoration and conservation to maximize the success of those future efforts moreover this project represents an opportunity to compare and contrast the efficacy of different mapping approaches and inform future mapping strategies for texass shallow bays