Texas Parks and Wildlife Coastal Fisheries Division (TPWD) will hold three scoping meetings to discuss potential changes to Texas saltwater fishing regulations relating to great hammerhead sharks, black grouper, Nassau grouper, and gag grouper. With the intent of reducing confusion for anglers and enforcement, the proposed changes would alter the current size and possession limits for those species to be consistent with federal regulations.
Proposed changes include increasing the great hammerhead shark minimum size limit from 64 to 99 inches; establishing a 24-inch minimum size limit and a 4 fish per day bag limit for black grouper; establishing a bag limit of catch and release only for Nassau grouper; and increasing the minimum size limit to 24 inches for gag grouper.
You can attend any of the meetings listed below to submit public comment. You may also submit public comment directly to TPWD by email (tiffany.hopper@tpwd.texas.gov) or by phone (512) 389-4650. Comments may also be submitted through the department’s web site at www.tpwd.texas.gov once the proposals have been published in the Texas Register and at the formal public meetings.
6 p.m. January 10, 2017: Dickinson: TPWD Dickinson Marine Lab, 1502 FM 517 East
6 p.m. January 10, 2017: Corpus Christi: Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, Natural Resources Building, Room 1003, 6300 Ocean Drive
6 p.m. January 11, 2017: Port Isabel: Port Isabel City Hall, 305 E. Maxan
