Resources such as shrimp, fish, oysters and oil are found in or near the bay, and contribute to the local economies.

The name derives from a group of indigenous people called the Aransas Indians, whose 4,000-year-old campsites have been found near the bay.

[2] Alonso Álvarez de Pineda of Spain is believed to be the first European to sail the bay, circa 1519.

At this time, Alonso De León was ordered to found a settlement in the area, but no permanent colony on the bay was ever established.

The city of Aransas, which was founded on San Jose Island around the same time as Lamar, was also destroyed in the fighting.

[2] During the war, the bay was a strategically significant waterway for the transfer of freight, due to its protection from Gulf seas by barrier islands.

At first, Rockport was intended as a deep-water port, but after a series of mishaps,[2] Aransas Pass was selected when deepening was approved in 1879.

[8] On average, the Aransas Bay system is 3 meters deep, and covers approximately 539 square kilometers.

[10] Fresh water flows also arrive from the impact of the Guadalupe River on San Antonio Bay.

[9] Texas State Highway 35 runs parallel to the shore of Aransas Bay on its route from Corpus Christi to Houston.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the following fish have been caught in the bay: catfish, black drum, red drum, eel, southern flounder, crevalle jack, yellowtail amberjack, ladyfish, silver perch, pigfish, pinfish, sea trout, blacktip shark, bull shark, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, common snook and toadfish.

[15] The sea grass carpets found at numerous locations, provide a habitat and an ideal place for fish to spawn.

Year-round residents include least grebe, brown pelican, neotropic cormorant, white-faced ibis, roseate spoonbill, black-bellied whistling-duck, mottled duck, white-tailed hawk, crested caracara, pauraque, golden-fronted woodpecker, great kiskadee, green jay, long-billed thrasher, olive sparrow, seaside sparrow, and bronzed cowbird.

Following the Civil War, the meatpacking industry became a major source of income for ports on the bay, especially Rockport and Fulton, where numerous slaughterhouses were constructed.

[2] Along with fishing, oyster farming and most notably shrimping became major industries on the bay in the early 20th century.