News & Events

It doesn’t get much better than the fall season in Texas. By now, the trout should have transitioned to their fall patterns, red fish can be easily spotted in the flats, and the flounder are “running”. For me, there is nothing more thrilling than feeling “the thump” of a flounder bit and joy I feel when I get to bring that tasty meal home to the family.

Texas Parks and Wildlife closely monitors southern flounder populations and even has a stock enhancement program that releases young flounder back into our bay systems. You can learn more about this program by taking a visit to Sea Center Texas and requesting a hatchery tour. For now, this video will have to do!

Decision Will Require Controlled Removal of Dioxin Waste from the Lower San Jacinto River

Houston, Texas – (October 12, 2017) – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made the decision to remove the toxic dioxin waste from the San Jacinto Waste Pits Superfund Site in Channelview, Texas. The cleanup plan, officially approved on October 11, will protect human health and the coastal environment by removing highly contaminated sediment from the site in a safe manner, using cofferdams and other engineering controls. The plan estimates that nearly 212,000 cubic yards of dioxin waste will be excavated from the site at a cost of $115 million.

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Memorial Day Flood of 2015, Tax Day Flood of 2016 and late-May Floods of 2016. Two consecutive years of historic flooding were major setbacks for public oyster reefs and the oyster fishery in Texas. In fact, in June of 2016 Galveston County declared a state of disaster for the oyster industry. That was all before Hurricane Harvey, the largest flooding event in United States history. Sadly, much of Harvey’s rainfall was also within the Galveston Bay watershed.

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The following is an article originally submitted in the July Edition of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine and updated for this blog.

On a crisp morning this past April, Jason McCartney, an avid kayak angler from Houston, was in pursuit of some speckled trout and redfish in the productive estuary near The Village of Tiki Island, adjacent to Interstate 45. The tide was extremely low, so while waiting for the water to move in, Jason decided to sit back, be present in the moment, and enjoy a peace of mind that can only be found while relaxing on the water.
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Texas public oyster reefs need your help. Since 2008 the public oyster reefs in Texas have been continuously overfished by the commercial oyster industry. We now have a unique opportunity to make significant changes and assist Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in managing the commercial harvest of our public reefs to protect and conserve this important resource. TPWD has made several proposals regarding the future management of the oyster fishery, and it needs CCA’s support. Read More

Recreational Fishermen Laud Wicker, Nelson and Colleagues

Washington, D.C. – July 10, 2017 – Today, the recreational fishing and boating community praised the Senate introduction of the Modern Fish Act by Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), John Kennedy (R-La.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). The “Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017” (Modern Fish Act) would improve public access to America’s federal waters, promote conservation of our natural marine resources and spur economic growth. A companion bill, H.R. 2023, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on April 6, by Congressmen Garret Graves (R-La.), Gene Green (D-Texas), Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.).
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rebecca Louviere, CSP Communications Director
225-382-3756

Originally posted on www.sportfishingpolicy.com

Washington, D.C. – June 28, 2017 – Today, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the 2017 Regional Fishery Management Council (RFMC) appointments and has shown that recreational fishing and boating are important to the Trump Administration. The appointments of Steve Heins of New York to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Chester Brewer of Florida to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; and Phil Dyskow of Florida, Dr. Bob Shipp of Alabama, and Dr. Greg Stunz of Texas to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council are a solid affirmation that the Administration is taking federal fisheries management and conservation in the right direction.

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