The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center bands migratory songbirds at Mad Island Marsh Preserve just off Matagorda Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. 

Mauricio Blanco owns and operates 6 shrimp and oyster harvesting boats, including the C. Lorraine. He used to fish in Lavaca Bay but because of industrial waste water runoff and red tide, he and his fleet must venture further from their homes to find healthier populations.