TPWC passes sweeping fishing restrictions
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission made final decisions about proposed regulations at its March 25-26 meeting Austin.
The annual gathering of the TPW Commission finalized rules that have been in the works since at least October 2008.
For Rio Grande Valley anglers, noteworthy changes include a newly introduced one-fish daily limit for alligator gar - known locally as katan - and a reduction in the daily limit for all subspecies of flounder from 10 fish to five for recreational anglers, and from 40 fish to 30 for commercial anglers.
Additionally, flounder fishing in November is closed to any method except hook-and-line fishing, with a daily limit for that month set at only two flounder. Rumors that gigging - a popular method of harvesting flounder by using a barbed spear - would be outlawed are not accurate, except that gigging will no longer be legal in November.
Reed said the daily five-fish limit should have favorable results on flounder populations.
"Our current models show a spawning biomass increase to 80.1 percent, and a decline in harvest numbers to 36 percent," Reed said. "A November closure would have given us a spawning stock biomass increase of 102.5 percent over six years."
Reed said public comment gathered by the state through several hearings reflected overwhelming support for cutting back on daily flounder limits.
"There was overwhelming opposition to the November closure," Reed said. "But only because most people wanted October, November and December closures instead of only November."
Under the heading "Federal Consistency," Texas Coastal Fisheries staff have begun to fall into step with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to reflect current NMFS regulations on bag and size limits. The TPW Commission has not yet reduced state daily limits on red snapper from four to two, and TPWD Coastal Fisheries Information Specialist Aaron Reed said he was not certain whether limits on snapper would be brought up before summer.
However, sharks, triggerfish, gag grouper and amberjack are all affected by changes to the state's rules. Here are those changes:
Greater amberjack - minimum size limit increased from 32 inches to 34 inches total length.
Gray triggerfish - minimum size limits of 14 inches and 20-fish daily limit (no size or daily limit restrictions were previously in place).
Gag grouper - two-fish daily limit.
Sharks - The minimum length limit for those species allowed will change from 24 inches total length to 64 inches total length, except for Atlantic sharpnose, blacktip, and bonnethead sharks which will retain the current 24-inch-minimum length limit. For the allowable shark species the bag limit will remain one fish per person per day and a two fish possession limit. In addition a prohibited list (zero bag limit) will be established for the following shark species:
Atlantic angel, basking, bigeye sand tiger, bigeye sixgill, bigeye thresher, bignose, Caribbean reef, Caribbean sharpnose, dusky, Galapagos, longfin mako, narrowtooth, night, sandbar, sand tiger, sevengill, silky, sixgill, smalltail, whale, white,
The TPW Commission meets five times a year, at least once quarterly, and is expected to vote on recommended rate hikes for many of TPWD fees, like hunting and fishing licenses, boat titles, and so on at their next meeting, May 27-28. Stay tuned.
Outdoors Writer Ben Christensen can be reached at bc@riograndeoutdoors.com.
