In 1996, 1,871 bay shrimpboat license holders and 1,806 bait shrimp license holders dragged their trawls through Texas bays and estuaries. Texas marine fisheries officials and members of the shrimping industry were in agreement that this was too many shrimpers chasing too few shrimp and that unless the numbers were reduced significantly, the state's bay shrimping industry was headed for economic disaster. At the same time, a number of Texas anglers and guides, armed with evidence that bay shrimpers were exacting a heavy toll on fragile inshore marine ecosystems, made the case for removing all but bait shrimpers from these inshore waters.
For decades the bay shrimp boat had been one of the most colorful and recognizable symbols of the Texas seascape. But in the eyes of some users, the bay shrimp boat had come to symbolize a wasteful intrusion upon Texas bays and estuaries. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department studies have shown that bay shrimpers kill four pounds of marine organisms for every pound of shrimp harvested, with much of the discarded bycatch being juvenile game fish. In addition to the concerns about bycatch, recreational anglers and guides worry that too many nets scar the bottoms of bays, disturb sea grasses, stir up sediment, and generally disrupt the ability of bays and estuaries to function in their critical role as marine nurseries.
Working with the shrimping industry, the Parks and Wildlife Department, which has the authority under Texas law to set limits on when, where, and how shrimpers can conduct their business as well as how many can do it, has put into place a limited entry plan designed to address both the economic plight of the bay shrimper and the overharvesting of the resource. In 1996, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission set a moratorium on the sale of new bay shrimping licenses, which put a cap on the number of bay shrimpers in Texas. State law also gives the Parks and Wildlife Department the authority to further reduce the number of bay shrimpers by offering a buyback plan to the license holder. Funding for the plan is generated by sales of annual commercial shrimp licenses.
Angler Attitudes
Some anglers' attitudes about the harvesting of saltwater gamefish in Texas waters need adjusting, say Parks and Wildlife Department officials, and one of the best ways to change attitudes is through peer pressure.
This does not mean conservation-minded anglers should try to persuade others to throw back every trout and redfish they catch, says Gene McCarty, director of coastal fisheries for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. But it does mean being involved in putting a stop to illegal and unethical practices such as"double bagging" to exploit possession limits, or overfishing the deep holes that gamefish seek for refuge during and after a severe cold snap, just for the sake of filling coolers with fillets.
It also will mean changing the view held by some anglers that "a caught trout is a dead trout." TPWD's McCarty says it is a widely held view in Texas that it is always better to retain a legal-sized seatrout rather than return it to the water because seatrout are not hardy enough to survive the fight. He points out that a spotted seatrout is no more fragile than a rainbow trout caught in a mountain stream, and if handled properly, can be released to fight again. Such attitudes must change, McCarty says, because under the current harvest levels, the Texas coastal fishery cannot withstand an influx of many more anglers. He says there has not been a significant increase in the number of anglers fishing Texas waters in recent years, but the same anglers are taking more fish.
Whether the high quality of recreational fishing now enjoyed by flyfishers along the Texas coast is maintained will depend on the continued vigilance of dedicated anglers, responsible citizens, and progressive fisheries officials. "The question is, do we want to utilize this resource as a meat market, or do we want to use it as a recreational resource, or strike some balance between the two," McCarty says.
