AUSTIN – This Saturday, Sept. 26 is National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHF), and Texas hunters and anglers are encouraged to invite others to join them in their outdoor adventures. Whether it is a child or grandchild, friend, co-worker, neighbor or someone completely new to hunting and fishing, recreating in the outdoors is a great way to bond over a new activity.
AUSTIN – An exciting project is in the planning and design phase with public comments now being accepted for a new 8,000 square foot Inland Fisheries District Office building at Lake Corpus Christi State Park. The project is a collaborative effort between the State Park and Inland Fisheries Divisions of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The planning and design phase is expected to be completed in the spring of 2021 followed by the start of construction by the end of 2021.
AUSTIN –Texas is renowned for world class bass fishing and offers some of the best destinations in the country to reel in the catch of a lifetime. However, Texas also provides anglers with excellent opportunities to reel in a sometimes-overlooked species: crappie. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division set out to determine some of the best hot spots for crappie fishing in the state.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is proposing changes to regulations regarding harmful or potentially harmful fish, shellfish and aquatic plants. The proposed changes significantly reorganize the existing rules to enhance accessibility, meet the changing needs of the regulated community, and address current and potential future threats posed by these exotic species.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will begin the Alligator Gar Harvest Authorization drawing application process on September 1. This year’s opening date is a change from the August 15 date that was in place when the drawing system was implemented last year.
AUSTIN- The oyster mariculture industry is open for business. This new industry on the Texas coast allows people to lease public waters to grow and harvest oysters commercially. You can now apply for permits and start the process of opening an oyster farm online through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) website.
AUSTIN – With the start of a new hunting season fast approaching, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is reminding hunters and anglers that current year Texas hunting and fishing licenses (except the Year-from-Purchase All-Water Package) will expire at the end of August. New licenses for the 2020-21 season go on sale Aug. 15.
The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife law enforcement reports.
AUSTIN- The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3. Anglers may continue to harvest up to 4 red snapper per day with a 15-inch minimum length limit from Texas state waters.
ATHENS – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Toyota ShareLunker Program is having another outstanding year in its goal to create, bigger, better bass in Texas. After obtaining two successful spawns from one of the four 13 pound or larger Legacy Class bass loaned to the selective-breeding program in 2020, the department’s hatchery staff produced more than 28,000 fingerlings to benefit Texas public waters.