Watch CCA Texas’s Efforts to Conserve Texas’s Coastal Resources

When CCA Texas was first established in 1977 and even until the early and mid 2000s, most of CCA Texas and CCA National's efforts and success were focused on the advocacy side of business. Battles to ensure proper fisheries management; the fight for game fish status for species such as redfish and spotted seatrout; the banning of gill nets and many other issues were groundbreaking and tremendous successes. But unless you were an integral part of the process they were sometimes hard to appreciate and to some degree "seen" to take place. One might only see the difference years later when fishing for redfish and speckled trout came to life again. "Brick and mortar" type projects such as the CCA Texas Marine Development Center (opened in 1982) and Sea Center Texas (opened in 1996) offered members a hands-on success story to see and live. In 2009, CCA Texas made a strong commitment to further conserve the coastal resources of Texas when it established the Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow initiative to restore and establish coastal habitat in Texas. This effort not only gives the resource needed support, but offers members and the general public something to witness firsthand and be part of in a hands-on manner.

CCA Texas's habitat initiative, Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT), continues to play a very active role in the restoration and creation of coastal habitat along the Texas coast. Since the program's inception in 2009 over $3.76 million have been committed to this important restoration and creation work through twenty-three projects to-date. These projects include marsh and oyster reef restoration and creation in the bays of Texas; nearshore reefing projects in Freeport, Matagorda, Port O'Connor, Corpus Christi, and Port Mansfield; water inflow management work; and bay debris removal projects.

In 2013, CCA Texas staff took the next step to show its membership and the general public exactly what HTFT is doing. You can now visit www.ccatexas.org and click on the Conservation tab. There you will see the "Project Videos" link where you will be able to view all the great work of HTFT. To date, there are thirteen great project video productions that include interviews with CCA staff and members, project partners, and the general recreational fishing public talking about the benefits of these projects and what is being done to complete them. This is an excellent opportunity for you, our member, to see how dollars raised in Texas are being used. The benefits of your support and the efforts of CCA Texas' volunteer chapter boards are invaluable to the restoration and creation of coastal habitat along the Texas Gulf Coast.

For more information please contact Kim Ogonosky [email protected] or John Blaha [email protected]. Be sure to follow CCA Texas on You Tube and see all the great work being done for the Texas coast.

CCA Texas Fundraising Season Begins to Get Busy

Looking for a CCA Texas event in your area? Be sure to visit www.ccatexas.org and click on the calendar tab to see upcoming events throughout the state of Texas.

March 5^th Sabine-Neches Chapter Annual Banquet
March 6^th East Texas Chapter Annual Banquet
March 12^th Brazos Valley Chapter Annual Banquet
March 19^th Brazoria County Chapter Annual Banquet
March 26^th Colorado Valley Chapter Annual Banquet