Carancahua Bay
Encyclopedia
Carancahua Bay is a northern extension of Matagorda Bay
located in Jackson and Matagorda counties in Texas
, United States. It is oriented from the southeast to the northwest but meanders as it reaches the north to the confluence
with Carancahua Creek. It is generally slender, only about 1 miles (1.6 km) in width north of its circular opening. The name for the bay comes from the term that formerly referred to the Karankawa Indians, who once resided on its shores.
The bay serves as a nursery for shrimp and as an ecosystem for diverse species of birds and fish. Shrimp farm
s have been established inland to circumvent restrictions on the bay. The area close to shore is prone to flooding, and can sometimes accumulate large populations of mosquito
s. As a consequence, no major settlements have been founded on the bay. However, the small communities of Port Alto and Carancahua have been established on the western and eastern shores, respectively.
Royal Governor, Martín de Alarcón
, toured the bay with a Tejas
guide and several others in the early 18th century. Two Karankawa Indians were spotted near the bay going about their daily lives, but were frightened by the sight of Alarcón, and quickly swam across despite the guide's reassurance that they meant no harm. The next day, the Indians came ashore in a sixteen-passenger canoe (which could hold 4 men, 4 women and 8 children), and notified the Tejas guide that they wished for Alarcón and his men to leave. As a peace offering, Alarcón presented the Indians with tobacco and clothing on behalf of the Spanish crown, which they accepted. In exchange, the Indians offered Alarcón dried fish, and warned him of the nearby French fort of St. Louis, believing that he wanted to establish a colony on the bay. Alarcón declared the bay for Spain, but did not establish a permanent settlement.
Only a handful of settlements have been established on the bay. The town of Carancahua first formed as a small collection of cabins that were used in the 1880s as a stop for mail between Texana and Matagorda
. However, the bay's propensity for flooding and malaria
prevented growth. In fact, the bay was notorious for its swarms of mosquito
s that would fly from the Colorado River
delta, and documented by a late 19th century rancher:
Approximately 50 people lived at Carancahua in 1915, but the population dwindled to 25 in the next decade. The town remains a community, but the current population is unknown. Across the bay, a settlement of about ten permanent residents, initially known as Persimmon Point, was renamed Port Alto in 1939. The town grew, attracting retirees and vacationers who contributed to a peak summer population of 205 in 1961. Hurricane Carla
destroyed the town in September 1961, but it was rebuilt five years later. In 1970, a beachfront was constructed along the shoreline as the listed population reached 170 people. The 2000 census reported that 45 people lived in the town. Schicke Point, located near the mouth of Carancahua Bay at Carancahua Pass, is a small fishing village with approximately 70 residents. Cape Carancahua is an affluent gated residential community
, located on the bay's northern shore.
by the State of Texas and locally by the 300-member Carancahua Bay Protection Association. It is a nursery bay for shrimp, and is a habitat for shellfish included oysters. Finfish such as the Redfish
and Black drum
are commonly caught from the bay by recreational fishermen. Birds common to the bay include the Wood Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill
, Snowy egret
, Great-tailed Grackle
, Louisiana Heron, Willet
, Black-necked Stilt
, Caracara
and the Black Vulture
.
During a 2004 assessment of Texas waterways, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
found higher than normal levels of bacteria at the mouth of Carancahua Creek and alkaline pH
levels, symptomatic of algal bloom
. The issues discovered by the Commission were common in the water bodies examined for the study, and they noted that such issues would be addressed.
due to its legal status as a nursery, however shrimp farm
s have been established and approved along its shores. The harvest of shellfish, particularly oysters, is heavily regulated, but allowed at certain times and places. Whereas the main Matagorda Bay is an approved area for shellfish production, Carancahua Bay is divided between restricted and conditionally approved areas. The Texas Department of State Health Services
described the areas conditionally approved as being from the mouth of the bay to a "beige house" on the eastern shore and cutoff across to a "grey barn" on the western shore, save for a small sliver of water that includes most of the shoreline of Port Alto, which is restricted. All areas north of the diagonal line are restricted as well.
Several oil and natural gas
wells are scattered throughout the shoreline and a few are included in the waters of Carancahua Bay. The most notable include the wells of the Appling Field segment, a mile offshore from Port Alto, which is believed to contain 33 billion cubic feet (0.93 billion cubic meters) of natural gas. The field was first discovered in the 1950s, but later abandoned. Brigham Exploration is working with Royale Energy to develop ten reserves in the area, spotted during a seismic survey.
Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay is a large estuary bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, southeast of San Antonio, southwest of Houston, and southeast of Austin. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Matagorda Peninsula and...
located in Jackson and Matagorda counties in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States. It is oriented from the southeast to the northwest but meanders as it reaches the north to the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with Carancahua Creek. It is generally slender, only about 1 miles (1.6 km) in width north of its circular opening. The name for the bay comes from the term that formerly referred to the Karankawa Indians, who once resided on its shores.
The bay serves as a nursery for shrimp and as an ecosystem for diverse species of birds and fish. Shrimp farm
Shrimp farm
A shrimp farm is an aquaculture business for the cultivation of marine shrimp or prawns for human consumption. Commercial shrimp farming began in the 1970s, and production grew steeply, particularly to match the market demands of the United States, Japan and Western Europe...
s have been established inland to circumvent restrictions on the bay. The area close to shore is prone to flooding, and can sometimes accumulate large populations of mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
s. As a consequence, no major settlements have been founded on the bay. However, the small communities of Port Alto and Carancahua have been established on the western and eastern shores, respectively.
History
Texas' SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Royal Governor, Martín de Alarcón
Martín de Alarcón
Martín de Alarcón was the governor of Spanish Texas from 1705 until 1708, and again from 1716 until 1719. He founded San Antonio, the first civilian settlement in Texas.-First term:...
, toured the bay with a Tejas
Hasinai
The Hasinai Confederacy was a large confederation of Caddo-speaking Native Americans located between the Sabine and Trinity rivers in eastern Texas...
guide and several others in the early 18th century. Two Karankawa Indians were spotted near the bay going about their daily lives, but were frightened by the sight of Alarcón, and quickly swam across despite the guide's reassurance that they meant no harm. The next day, the Indians came ashore in a sixteen-passenger canoe (which could hold 4 men, 4 women and 8 children), and notified the Tejas guide that they wished for Alarcón and his men to leave. As a peace offering, Alarcón presented the Indians with tobacco and clothing on behalf of the Spanish crown, which they accepted. In exchange, the Indians offered Alarcón dried fish, and warned him of the nearby French fort of St. Louis, believing that he wanted to establish a colony on the bay. Alarcón declared the bay for Spain, but did not establish a permanent settlement.
Only a handful of settlements have been established on the bay. The town of Carancahua first formed as a small collection of cabins that were used in the 1880s as a stop for mail between Texana and Matagorda
Matagorda, Texas
Matagorda is an unincorporated community in Matagorda County, Texas, United States. It had a population of approximately 710 in 2000. Matagorda is at the end of State Highway 60 and beginning of Farm to Market Road 2031, which runs over the Intracoastal Waterway and south to the Gulf of Mexico...
. However, the bay's propensity for flooding and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
prevented growth. In fact, the bay was notorious for its swarms of mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
s that would fly from the Colorado River
Colorado River (Texas)
The Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California....
delta, and documented by a late 19th century rancher:
A fairly strong easterly wind had been blowing for three days; on the evening of the third day, the mosquitos arrived, flying high, about fifty feet, and looking like a cloud of mist over Carancahua Bay. At the ranch, they set everything on fire that had blood in it, and all work was suspended by unanimous consent...little or nothing was done for nearly five days; by this time the main body had passed, though plenty remained to make everything uncomfortable for about two weeks. This migration was from east to west and the line was about three miles wide.
Approximately 50 people lived at Carancahua in 1915, but the population dwindled to 25 in the next decade. The town remains a community, but the current population is unknown. Across the bay, a settlement of about ten permanent residents, initially known as Persimmon Point, was renamed Port Alto in 1939. The town grew, attracting retirees and vacationers who contributed to a peak summer population of 205 in 1961. Hurricane Carla
Hurricane Carla
Hurricane Carla was one of two Category 5 tropical cyclones during the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season. It struck the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, becoming one of the most powerful storms to ever strike the United States. Hurricane Carla was the second most intense storm to ever...
destroyed the town in September 1961, but it was rebuilt five years later. In 1970, a beachfront was constructed along the shoreline as the listed population reached 170 people. The 2000 census reported that 45 people lived in the town. Schicke Point, located near the mouth of Carancahua Bay at Carancahua Pass, is a small fishing village with approximately 70 residents. Cape Carancahua is an affluent gated residential community
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
, located on the bay's northern shore.
Features
The bay has two extensions near its mouth with Matagorda Bay at Carancahua Pass, including Redfish Lake to the southwest and Salt Lake, just above the former. On the bay's eastern shore, the mouth is headed by Schicke Point, which curves north to the Schicke Point Community, where several private piers are located. About one mile (1.6 km) inland from the community's shoreline are the Piper Lakes. North from the Schicke Point community, the El Campo Club community is found, with several residences on a straight line along the coast with docks stretched into the water. Further north, the bay takes a sharp turn to the west past a swampy area then heads north and becomes more slender as it passes from Calhoun into Jackson County. The shoreline continues north and passes several oil wells to the town of Carancahua, where a few piers are scattered along the shore. Just north of the town, a small inlet is formed, at the base of which, the Fivemile Draw is found, surrounded by swamps. To the north, several docks line the shore and continue until the bay winds to the west to a large swamp. Past the swamp, the width of the bay shrinks and continues southward along the shore of the Cape Carancahua community, surrounded by water on three sides. Past the cape, the bay turns to the north and is crossed by Texas State Highway 35. It then heads west and north again, while gradually becoming narrower until it reaches the marsh at the mouth of Carancahua Creek. The East and West Carancahua Creeks, which merge before their confluence, feed the bay. West Carancahua Creek runs 28 miles (45.1 km) south from its source near White Hall to meet with East Carancahua Creek, which runs southwest for 32 miles (51.5 km) from its source in southern Wharton County. Both streams are intermittent in their upper reaches. The western shore mimics the shape of the east. As it moves south of the Carancahua Creek mouth, Weedhaven is formed, south of which, the shore counters Cape Carancahua and heads northeast past several oil wells to a sharp point. The shoreline continues directly south until it reaches a large swamp. Past the swamp is the town of Port Alto, where several docks and piers are located. Salt Lake and Redfish Lake are found south of Port Alto, adjacent to Carancahua Pass.Ecosystem
Carancahua Bay is protectedProtected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
by the State of Texas and locally by the 300-member Carancahua Bay Protection Association. It is a nursery bay for shrimp, and is a habitat for shellfish included oysters. Finfish such as the Redfish
Red Drum
The Red Drum , also known as Channel Bass, Redfish, Spottail Bass or simply Reds, is a game fish that is found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Northern Mexico. It is the only species in the genus Sciaenops...
and Black drum
Black drum
The Black Drum is a saltwater fish similar to its cousin, the Red Drum. It is the only species in the genus Pogonias. Though most specimens are generally found in the 5-30 lb range, the black drum is well known as the largest of all the drum family with some specimens reaching excesses of...
are commonly caught from the bay by recreational fishermen. Birds common to the bay include the Wood Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbill
The Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae...
, Snowy egret
Snowy Egret
The Snowy Egret is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas....
, Great-tailed Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
The Great-tailed Grackle is a medium-sized, gregarious passerine bird native to North and South America. A member of the Icteridae family, it is of the ten extant species of grackle and is closely related to the Red-bellied Grackle and the Velvet-fronted Grackle...
, Louisiana Heron, Willet
Willet
The Willet, Tringa semipalmata , is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family. It is a good-sized and stout scolopacid, the largest of the shanks...
, Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked Stilt
The Black-necked Stilt is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along the Gulf of Mexico as far east as Florida, then south through Central America and the Caribbean...
, Caracara
Caracara
Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in the subfamily Polyborinae, but are sometimes considered part of their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae...
and the Black Vulture
Black vulture
Black vulture may refer to:* American Black Vulture* Eurasian Black Vulture...
.
During a 2004 assessment of Texas waterways, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is the environmental agency for the U.S. state of Texas. The commission is headquartered at 12100 Park 35 Circle in Austin....
found higher than normal levels of bacteria at the mouth of Carancahua Creek and alkaline pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
levels, symptomatic of algal bloom
Algal bloom
An algal bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system. Algal blooms may occur in freshwater as well as marine environments. Typically, only one or a small number of phytoplankton species are involved, and some blooms may be recognized by discoloration...
. The issues discovered by the Commission were common in the water bodies examined for the study, and they noted that such issues would be addressed.
Industry
The bay is off limits to shrimpingShrimp fishery
A shrimp fishery is a fishery directed toward harvesting either shrimp or prawns. .-Commercial shrimping:...
due to its legal status as a nursery, however shrimp farm
Shrimp farm
A shrimp farm is an aquaculture business for the cultivation of marine shrimp or prawns for human consumption. Commercial shrimp farming began in the 1970s, and production grew steeply, particularly to match the market demands of the United States, Japan and Western Europe...
s have been established and approved along its shores. The harvest of shellfish, particularly oysters, is heavily regulated, but allowed at certain times and places. Whereas the main Matagorda Bay is an approved area for shellfish production, Carancahua Bay is divided between restricted and conditionally approved areas. The Texas Department of State Health Services
Texas Department of State Health Services
Texas Department of State Health Services is a state agency of Texas. The department was created by House Bill 2292 of the 78th Texas Legislature in 2003 through the merging of four state agencies: the Texas Department of Health, Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Texas...
described the areas conditionally approved as being from the mouth of the bay to a "beige house" on the eastern shore and cutoff across to a "grey barn" on the western shore, save for a small sliver of water that includes most of the shoreline of Port Alto, which is restricted. All areas north of the diagonal line are restricted as well.
Several oil and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
wells are scattered throughout the shoreline and a few are included in the waters of Carancahua Bay. The most notable include the wells of the Appling Field segment, a mile offshore from Port Alto, which is believed to contain 33 billion cubic feet (0.93 billion cubic meters) of natural gas. The field was first discovered in the 1950s, but later abandoned. Brigham Exploration is working with Royale Energy to develop ten reserves in the area, spotted during a seismic survey.