Hurricanes can make recreational fishing harder for those trying to catch a fish off the coast of Galveston in the days following a storm, even if a hurricane doesn't directly hit the Galveston coast, according to a recreational fishing expert.
Sean Meehan, a recreational fishing coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, said hurricanes can affect water quality by stirring up sediment, dumping freshwater into coastal waters and causing large waves that disrupt saltwater fish.
"The assumption is hurricanes do move fish, they do impact fishing, and they do impact fishermen’s ability to get back on the water," Meehan said.
Meehan said often saltwater fish will move deeper underwater during storms to avoid the large waves and large inputs of freshwater.
"The shallower the water, the more wave energy is transmitted to the bottom. Fish can literally get beat up on reefs. So if they have the opportunity, they will move deeper to get out of sort of these larger wave energies," Meehan said. "Same with the freshwater ... fish don’t really like that. So they’ll move away from areas that are impacted by hurricanes if they can and within reason."
Storms also stir up a lot of sediment, causing murky water, which makes it harder for fishermen to see in the water, according to Meehan.
Meehan noted that the Southeast has experienced a less active hurricane season this year. Most recently,Hurricane Isaias made landfallin Florida and Alabama as a Category 2 storm and as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season.
"This is the first named hurricane and it came in October. So, it’s been kind of good for fishermen as far as good weather days," Meehan said.
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