In 1935, Rockport Marine Lab was established aboard the houseboat “Vivian” in Rockport Harbor to assist the Texas Game, Fish and Oyster Commission with fisheries management. In 1947, a permanent laboratory was built on the harbor as a state-of-the-art facility that included a public aquarium. After the Commission merged into the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., the laboratory began supporting its Coastal Fisheries Division in the long-term management of fisheries populations to ensure sustainable stocks of finfish, shellfish, and other marine life important to commerce and recreation. Over the years, the laboratory’s research helped make Texas a national leader in marine fisheries management.