Photo Courtesy of Shannon Tompkins
From Texas Parks and Wildlife “Summary: The proposed amendment would close reefs in Ayres, Mesquite, and Carlos Bays to oyster harvest.”
More from Texas Parks and Wildlife: “The Mesquite Bay complex, including Mesquite, Carlos, and Ayres bays, contains ecologically important and sensitive oyster reefs that provide ecosystem services such as nursery habitat for fish and shoreline protection. Oyster harvest pressure in this minor bay complex has increased steadily over the past decade, while monitoring data from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has shown highly variable trends and an overall lower relative abundance of oysters compared to neighboring bays. The ecological importance and sensitivity of these oyster reefs coupled with the historically high harvest pressure makes this minor bay complex a candidate for permanent closure from harvest.”
CCA Texas supports the proposal to prohibit oyster harvest in the Mesquite Bay Complex, which includes Ayres, Mesquite and Carlos Bays. As stated in the proposal preamble, maintaining status quo within this area is unsustainable and allowing harvest to continue at the current rate would be a failure of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) statutory and regulatory responsibility to protect oyster resources, and by extension, other biologically interconnected systems and fisheries resources in this area.
Make YOUR VOICE HEARD by supporting the TPWD proposal! Here’s how YOU can help!
- Submit Public Comments Online: https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/feedback/public_comment/proposals/202211_oysters.phtml
- Email: cfish@tpwd.texas.gov
You can also learn more by visiting RescueOurReefs.org
