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.
CCA Texas supports state management of recreational red snapper fishery under Exempted Fishing Permit.
After many years of work progress is finally being made on improving management of the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Coast states have each submitted plans to take over management of the recreational fishery in federal waters off their shores. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application which, if approved by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), would allow the state to manage the recreational red snapper harvest in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico in 2018 and 2019. CCA Texas has advocated strongly for state management of our red snapper fishery and this EFP is an excellent opportunity for TPWD to demonstrate that they can better manage our shared public resources. Continue Reading
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Contact: Kim Philippi
kphilippi@buildingconservation.org
(713) 626-4234
HOUSTON, Texas – (Thursday, March 15, 2018) – Coastal Conservation Association Texas (CCA Texas) and Building Conservation Trust (BCT), the national habitat program of CCA, have committed to an investment of $895,000 toward marine habitat work along the Texas coast. Through several dedicated partnerships, this will equate to more than $3.6 million in coastal habitat. Click here to view a graphic of all of the projects.
Coastal Conservation Association’s National Habitat Program, Building Conservation Trust (BCT), was created to provide vital funding for grassroots driven habitat projects. BCT strives to be the largest marine habitat restoration, enhancement and creation entity in the United States. BCT and CCA Texas have a strong partnership that has resulted in several successful marine habitat project throughout the years. That relationship is now expanding through a partnership with Bay Flats Lodge (BFL). Together, these three groups strive to enhance marine life from Matagorda Bay to Rockport. We are excited to have both BCT and BFL on this episode to speak about their operations and announce this exciting cooperative with CCA Texas, BCT and BFL. Guests on this episode include Sean Stone – Executive Director of BCT, Chris Martin – Owner of BFL, TJ Christensen – BFL Operations Manager, Randy Brown – BFL Assistant Manager, Kevin Matula – BFL fishing guide and John Blaha – CCA Texas Habitat Director.
TPWD Sets Public Meetings to Gather Input on Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permit Application
In this episode we sit down with Harold Dworaczyk, Jason Wagenfehr and Setven Boldt to talk about what it takes to be a guide at Bay Flats Lodge in Sea Drift, Texas. These fishing dudes share a ton of great info and give us a glimpse of their lives as coastal guides.
Senate Commerce Committee Passes Landmark Legislation with Bipartisan Support
So much to discuss…so little time. We naively went into this episode thinking we could cover several items but quickly realized that we’d barely have time to scratch the surface on a single topic. Scott Alford and Bryan Treadway (a.k.a “fish control my brain”) are two very knowledgeable recreational anglers and have a passion for conservation and research. It appears that podcasts with these guys will become a mini-series as we begin to talk about life history, fishing and fisheries science of the enigmatic silver king.
CCA Texas will facilitate the drop-off location at Jones Bay Boat Ramp – Fat Boys Bait and Tackle near Tiki Island on February 17th from 8am – 1pm. The Annual Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal will run from February 16-25 this year. To learn more about this state-wide crab trap removal program and other drop off locations along the Texas coast, click here. For those of you that like to frequent our neighbor’s waters on the east side of Sabine Lake, Louisiana’s removal efforts will be underway during the same time period. Check out this video below and last year’s April/May Currents Article featuring some of our own working hard during the annual event to protect and conserve our coastal resources!
Dr. Mark Fisher is the Director of the Science Group in the Texas Parks and Wildlife – Coastal Fisheries Division. Listen in as he gives us a quick overview of our coastal fisheries and shares some perspectives on both Hurricane Harvey and the recent cold snaps. Lots of excellent information is shared in this quick episode!
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