Southern flounder is a species of greatest conservation need sgcn status S2S3 vulnerable to imperiled in texas in the 2023 state wildlife action plan and one of the most targeted fish in texas…

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) received a $153,852 Formula Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the State Wildlife Grants Program (CFDA 15.634) awarded January 1, 2026, with completion scheduled for June 30, 2027. This grant funds research to identify and characterize southern flounder spawning grounds and associated habitat parameters using satellite telemetry. Southern flounder is classified as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) with vulnerable-to-imperiled status under Texas's 2023 State Wildlife Action Plan, and fisheries-independent data indicate a significant long-term population decline since the 1980s. The project directly addresses a state wildlife research priority by documenting southern flounder movement patterns and spawning locations, which will enable resource managers to predict future changes in spawning habitat availability and improve population management strategies.

TPWD partnered with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi as a sub-awardee to execute the satellite telemetry research component. The deliverables from this project will provide novel habitat information and precise locations of southern flounder spawning grounds, supporting adaptive management strategies that account for potential population-level differences in habitat use and migration strategies, particularly as they relate to partial migration behavior and climatic effects on spawning dynamics and recruitment success in Texas marine waters.

Southern flounder is a species of greatest conservation need sgcn status S2S3 vulnerable to imperiled in texas in the 2023 state wildlife action plan and one of the most targeted fish in texas marine waters fishery independent data from the texas parks and wildlife department tpwd indicate a long term population decline since the 1980S which has prompted numerous regulatory actions to reduce harvest and effort in the fishery there is uncertainty how various factors are contributing towards the decline but some include overfishing and climatic effects on spawning dynamics effective management strategies for southern flounder will require identification of and accounting for potential adaptive differences in habitat use and migration strategies among local populations this is especially true for southern flounder in texas as recent research has revealed evidence of partial migration and climatic effects on spawning migration phenology and recruitment success the purpose of this project is to identify and characterize southern flounder spawning grounds and associated habitat parameters using satellite telemetry this project directly addresses a state wildlife grant research priority southern flounder movement location of spawning grounds successful completion of this project will provide novel habitat information and locations of southern flounder spawning grounds which can be used to predict future changes in spawning habitat availability and reproductive success ultimately these data will aid resource managers seeking to improve the population status of southern flounder in texas