Calcasieu (Big Lake) This Weekend

[MathGeek]

Well, the crew and I have managed to relocate from CO and are hitting LC this weekend to wrap up the third year of a research project weighing and measuring specks, reds, drum, and gafftops. In earlier years, we've started by hitting Calc Pt to start and then branching out to Hebert's and the jetties if we needed balance (more drum and gafftops usually).

We're hoping to measure weight and length on 100-150 specs, 50-75 redfish, 20-30 black drum, and 20-30 gafftops for this year's survey. Good representation in different length classes will allow more detailed analysis in specs and reds. Are conditions currently such that starting at Calc Pt is a good plan as in past years?

The figure attached is a summary of the last two years showing the relative condition factors of these species has significantly declined over the last few years. The purpose of this year's study is to determine of the trend of skinny fish is continuing.