AUSTIN- Based on current and projected landings estimates, the private recreational angler red snapper season in federal waters off the Texas coast will close at 12:01 a.m., Aug. 2, earlier than the initially projected 97-day season.
AUSTIN – Less than a year after a major flood scoured much of the Llano River and left anglers worried about the future of the waterway’s renowned bass fishery, biologists with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are finding evidence of a recovery.
AUSTIN – Hunters looking for a new opportunity or simply a change of scenery this fall are urged to check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s drawn hunt permits program. Applications are being accepted now for a shot at more than 9,000 permits in 51 hunt categories.
Fish and wildlife populations are under increasing pressure from habitat loss, invasive species, emerging diseases, and extreme weather events in Texas and throughout the country. As many as one-third of our nation’s species are on the brink of becoming threatened or endangered. A bill just introduced in Congress seeks to reverse this trend.
AUSTIN— Galveston Island State Park is keeping its beachside gates open through the summer before beginning a major beach redevelopment project in September. The park will continue to accept new day use and beachside overnight reservations until Sept. 3.
AUSTIN— The 23rd annual Great Texas Birding Classic (GTBC) has wrapped up another year and the winners of the largest and longest bird-watching competition in the United States have chosen 10 conservation projects to award grant funds. Grants range in amount to $1,000 to $10,000.
AUSTIN — The Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for both state and federal waters will open 30 minutes after sunset Monday, July 15, 2019. The opening date is based on an evaluation of the biological, social and economic information to maximize the benefits to the industry and the public.
The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.
AUSTIN – As boaters head out to Texas waterways for the Fourth of July holiday, Texas Game Wardens and thousands of law enforcement officers will be on heightened alert looking for those violating boating under the influence laws. These ramped up efforts to crack down on impaired boaters will continue July 5-7 during the annual Operation Dry Water weekend, a nationally coordinated heightened awareness and enforcement campaign focused on deterring boaters from boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
AUSTIN— Starting July 8, the Battleship Texas State Historic Site is reducing its visitation hours to allow staff full accessibility to the ship and its historic artifacts ahead of an upcoming trip to a drydock facility for major repairs to restore the ship’s leaking hull. The ship will be closed to the public Monday-Thursday and open weekends 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.