This month marks 20 years for the Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program, taking place Feb. 18-27. Texas coastal waters will close to crabbing with wire mesh crab traps to facilitate the annual volunteer crab trap cleanup. Any traps left in bays — including traps tied to docks — will be assumed abandoned and considered “litter” under state law. This allows volunteers to legally remove any crab traps they find.…
Welcome 2022 with a First Day Hike at one of 89 Texas State Parks. Parks statewide will host a variety of self-guided and guided events so visitors can walk, bike or paddle their way into the new year. First Day Hikes at Texas’ state parks and natural areas aim to help visitors commit to their New Year’s resolutions to get healthy. Last year, 2,668 visitors ushered in 2021 by hiking, biking…
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is currently accepting applications for their 65th Texas Game Warden Cadet class. As fully commissioned peace officers, game wardens are responsible for the enforcement of Texas laws across the state. This includes water safety, natural resource protection and environmental management. Texas Game Wardens patrol the state’s natural waterways, oversee hunting and fishing regulation, and often support local landowners. More widely known are the skills…
The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 5. State waters out to nine nautical miles will remain open with a four-fish daily bag limit and a 15-inch minimum. Under an agreement between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the National Marine Fisheries Service, TPWD can establish the opening and closing of the red snapper fishery in federal waters off Texas.…
Anglers across the State of Texas are gearing up for Free Fishing Day on June 5. The first Saturday in June each year allows Texans to fish on any public waterbody in the state without a fishing license. “Free Fishing Day is a wonderful opportunity for anglers to share their knowledge, skills, equipment and love for fishing with a new participant, yet it’s also more than that,” said Craig Bonds,…
The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal water opens June 1. Bag and size limits will remain unchanged. The regulations are two fish per person daily with a 16-inch minimum size limit in federal waters. State water limits are four fish per person daily with a 15-inch minimum. Red snapper caught in federal waters count as part of the state bag limit of four fish. No more than…
Texas State Parks have begun a process of expanding capacity statewide, tracking Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest reopening order. The parks encourage masks for visitors, especially when indoors or in areas where it is difficult to socially distance. Also, restrictions affecting group sizes have been lifted. “We’re excited to welcome more visitors to our parks,” said Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks. “We want Texans to know that the safety…
Due to the unprecedented winter weather impacting the state, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is asking volunteers in the annual volunteer crab trap cleanup to wait until Feb. 22 before removing any traps with buoys from the open water. Texas coastal waters will close to crabbing with wire mesh crab traps for 10 consecutive days beginning Feb. 19. The annual closure facilitates the removal of abandoned crab traps from Texas…
Each February for 19 years, countless volunteers spend 10 days on the water along the Texas coastline. They search the bays for abandoned crab traps left to foul shrimpers’ nets, snag anglers’ lines, “ghost fish” and create unsightly views. To date, they’ve hauled off more than 38,000 of these derelict traps. From Feb. 19-28, Texas coastal waters will be closed to crabbing with wire mesh crab traps to facilitate the…
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is encouraging Texans to “start the new year in nature” with a First Day Hike at a Texas state park. Citizens can walk, bike or paddle their way into 2021 on a First Day Hike at 89 Texas state parks. First Day Hikes at Texas’ state parks aim to help visitors commit to their New Year’s resolutions to get healthy. Last year, 5,242 visitors…