AUSTIN, Texas — For many a veteran angler, the pinnacle of a fishing career comes with the explosion of chromed muscle that signals his first tarpon hook-up. That experience was once common on the Texas Gulf coast; so common, in fact, that through the 1950s, tarpon tournaments were commonplace and presidents and potentates made the journey to the third coast to catch a “silver king.”
The following are excerpts from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.
AUSTIN — The Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for both state and federal waters will open 30 minutes after sunset on Monday, July 10, 2006. This opening date is based on an evaluation of the biological, social and economic information to maximize the benefits to the industry and the public.
AUSTIN, Texas — Acting on an Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline tip, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens apprehended seven individuals on June 8 with more than 2,000 pounds of illegally caught snapper. The case, one of the largest seizures in Texas in recent years, resulted in citations for 26 game law violations and could result in fines and restitution of upwards of $20,000.
CROWELL, Texas — The general public is invited to attend and provide comments on the proposed lease to Foard and Hardeman Counties of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lands known as the Crowell Brine Lake property. The 12,000-acre parcel of land is located northwest of the Town of Crowell in Foard County and is currently managed by the Corps as part of the Red River Chloride Control Project.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Former Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission member, chairman, chairman emeritus and lifelong conservationist Perry Richardson Bass died June 1 at his home here at the age of 91, leaving a legacy that will long benefit all those who love fishing, hunting, state parks and the outdoor life.
AUSTIN, Texas — Three state agencies are seeking public input in connection with workshops on June 15 in San Antonio and July 12 in Dallas to help finalize the Texas Instream Flow Program Technical Overview, a document to guide research concerning how much water should be flowing in Texas rivers to support a sound ecological environment.
AUSTIN, Texas — Typical Crimestoppers programs assist law enforcement officers only by offering rewards to the public for information leading to the arrest and conviction of targeted law breakers. But with broadened authority from the Texas Legislature last year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s privately funded Operation Game Thief (OGT) program is now going a step further.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission ratified a rule modifying recreational harvest regulations for spotted seatrout in a designated area of southwestern Louisiana at its June 1, 2006 meeting. Effective June 20, 2006, the creel limit in the designated area is reduced from 25 fish to 15 fish per person. The area affected by the rule is the same area that has a limit of no more than two fish exceeding twenty-five inches total length as part of the daily bag and possession limit.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wants to lure you and your kids away from TV, computers, gaming consoles, traffic, and the urban rat race and get you into soul-satisfying natural settings where you’ll relax and have fun.