AUSTIN — With Memorial Day and summertime quickly approaching, Texans will be getting out on the water. Now more than ever, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) urges boaters and paddlers who enjoy water recreation this summer to do their part to fight back against aquatic invasive species that threaten Texas lakes.
GALVESTON— Egg-citing news awaited staff at Galveston Island State Park when they went to work this morning. A routine survey by the Sea Aggie Sea Turtle Patrol turned up a Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle nest containing 107 eggs in the dunes on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park. This was the first nest found at the park since 2012, and only one of three nests found at the park since the Turtle Patrol began keeping records.
AUSTIN – John Bunker Sands Wetland Center and Rosewood Ranches, in Seagoville, will be awarded the state’s highest honor for private land conservation at the Lone Star Steward Awards Banquet on May 25.
AUSTIN — La temporada de Pesca Comercial de Camarón en el Golfo de México, tanto para Texas como para aguas federales, cerrará 30 minutos después de la puesta del sol el domingo, 15 de mayo de 2022 hasta una fecha aún por determinar en el mes de julio. Mientras que la fecha oficial de apertura para la temporada en el Golfo es el 15 de julio, la División de Pesquerías Costeras del Departamento de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas (TPWD) estará tomando muestras de las poblaciones de camarón este verano para determinar la fecha óptima para la apertura.
AUSTIN- The Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for both Texas and federal waters will close 30 minutes after sunset on Sunday, May 15, 2022 until a still-to-be determined date in July. While the statutory opening date for the gulf season is July 15, the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will be sampling shrimp populations this summer to determine the optimum opening date.
NEEDVILLE— Get outside this weekend at the Brazos Bend Expo from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., Saturday, May 14 at Brazos Bend State Park. The Expo will have activities and programs all day for families to enjoy, as well as food trucks and a special visit from Smokey Bear.
ATHENS – The 2022 Toyota ShareLunker collection season claimed its spot as one of the best in program history. Anglers contributed 24 ShareLunkers from nine different lakes across the state, surpassing 2021’s impressive total of 23 Legacy fish. This season nearly matched 1995’s program record of 27 during a January through March collection timespan.
AUSTIN- The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal water opens Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Red snapper fishing is open year around in state waters. Bag and size limits will remain unchanged. The regulations are 2 fish per person daily with a 16-inch minimum size limit in federal waters, and 4 fish per person daily with a 15-inch minimum in state waters. Red snapper caught in federal waters count as part of the state bag limit of 4 fish. No more than 2 red snapper in federal waters and 4 red snapper in state waters may be in your possession while fishing.
ATHENS – The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) is pleased to announce the Texas division of Wildlife Forever’s Fish Art Contest winners for 2022.
ATHENS – Offspring from the Toyota ShareLunker Program are set to be delivered to waterbodies across the state. Between May and July, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will stock Texas lakes with pure Florida strain largemouth bass exclusively from broodfish produced from Legacy Class (13+plus pound) entries into the ShareLunker program. Dubbed “Lone Star Bass” to denote their special significance to Texas, the unique fish are made possible by the valued partnership with anglers who loan their fish to the program.