AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) 2023–24 proposed freshwater fishing regulation changes focus on simplifying and clarifying fishing-related rules on waters within public parks, particularly Community Fishing Lakes (CFLs). Additional changes could remove unnecessary exceptions and clarify water-body boundaries.
AUSTIN- The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is seeking public input on proposed regulation changes to prohibit the harvest of oysters permanently and temporarily within certain reef areas. These proposals include the permanent prohibition of oyster harvest in Carlos Bay, Mesquite Bay and Ayres Bay (Mesquite Bay complex) and the temporary prohibition of oyster harvest between one and two years for new reefs recently constructed in TX-24 in San Antonio Bay, TX-6 in Galveston Bay and TX-4 in Galveston Bay.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) Commission approved proposed rule changes to bag and size limits for spotted seatrout on the middle and lower Texas coast during the January 2022 meeting. The new rules take effect on March 16 in Matagorda Bay, San Antonio Bay, Aransas Bay, Corpus Christi Bay, and the Upper and Lower Laguna Madre Bay systems.
TEXAS—The Texas Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) is working to restore the Texas coast along the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and has released its Draft Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #2. This plan includes restoration projects to partially compensate for the injury to natural resources caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The total estimated cost for the 13 proposed projects in the draft plan is approximately $39 million.
DENISON – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Wildlife Division staff will be presenting proposed changes to white-tailed deer hunting regulations in Collin, Dallas, Grayson, and Rockwall counties on March 9, at 7 p.m. at the Grayson College Center for Workplace Learning.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is now taking public comment on the following proposed changes to the 2022-2023 Statewide Hunting and Migratory Game Bird proclamations:
AUSTIN – Defining reservoir boundaries and modified harvest regulations on designated waterbodies highlight this year’s list of proposed freshwater fishing regulation changes. The proposed changes also include modified regulations on the Red River Tributaries for prevention of transfer of invasive carp, largemouth bass harvest regulations correction, clarification of striped bass species information, and Sam Rayburn Reservoir county designation.
AUSTIN- The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is seeking public input on a proposed regulation change to prohibit the harvest of oysters in Carlos Bay, Mesquite Bay and Ayres Bay (Mesquite Bay complex). By closing the Mesquite Bay complex to oyster harvest, ecologically sensitive and unique oyster habitat would be protected.
AUSTIN- The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is seeking public input on the proposed rules changing bag and size limits for spotted seatrout on the middle and lower Texas coast. The proposed rules would reduce the spotted seatrout bag limit to 3 fish and restrict the allowable size to 17-23 inches for two years. The goal of this rule is to leave more spawning fish in the water for two spawning seasons in order to help the populations recover quickly from the 2021 winter storm. These regulation changes would only affect Matagorda Bay, San Antonio Bay, Aransas Bay, Corpus Christi Bay, and the Upper and Lower Laguna Madre systems.
AUSTIN- The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is seeking public input on the draft proposed rules impacting thermal refuge closure areas at a public meeting being held on Zoom Thursday, October 14 at 6 p.m. These rules allow the TPWD Executive Director to close thermal refuge areas during freeze events to protect marine resources as well as effect the criteria used to close and re-open these areas to angling.