AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) unveiled a new website April 13 to educate and inform Texans about alligator gar – the largest freshwater fish in Texas and one of the largest freshwater fishes in North America. The site, which can be found at tpwd.texas.gov/texasgar, features informational articles about alligator gar and the findings of studies conducted by TPWD biologists.
AUSTIN — Not so long ago the black-capped vireo nearly went extinct. Goats ate their way through this songbird’s habitat and brown-headed cowbirds commandeered their nests. In the late 1980s there were only about 350 birds known to exist, but thanks to robust conservation efforts, the small songbird is being removed from the list of endangered and threatened species.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has delayed until its public meeting in Lubbock on May 24 any final rulemaking on the use of air guns and air bows as legal means for taking certain game animals, game birds, alligators and furbearers. At the meeting the Commission expects to hear further public input and to receive additional data from TPW staff.
AUSTIN – With spring underway and summer break on the horizon, many Texas families are looking for ways to get outside and connect with nature. In an effort to bring new fishing experiences to families in urban centers, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will begin stocking thousands of catfish at 18 Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes and ponds across the state starting April 17-20.
AUSTIN – Cities around the world will compete April 27-30 to see which urban area has the most nature and the most engaged residents. This City Nature Challenge will include more than 60 cities from 17 countries, including seven Texas metro areas: Amarillo, Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, Lower Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio.
AUSTIN – A multi-agency law enforcement surge operation led by Texas game wardens has made a sizable dent in illegal commercial oyster harvest and possession along the coastal bend this season, netting more than 300 criminal cases. A majority of the violations were for oystering in off-limits management areas designed to protect the resource, and for possession of undersized oysters.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is closing TX-32 in Copano Bay to commercial and recreational oyster harvest beginning Saturday, April 14, 2018.
The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted a suite of changes to this year’s fishing regulations that includes standardizing harvest regulations for largemouth bass to the statewide limits at 12 lakes and increasing the daily bag limit for commercial and recreational take of king mackerel from two to three.
AUSTIN — The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, detected for the first time in Texas in early 2017 in the Panhandle, has now spread into Central Texas.