Fishing and Participating in a Conservation Mindset

We all remember the Freeze of February 2021.  We all had lots of concerns, especially those of us that had seen the freezes of 1983 and 1989.  Lot of things have changed along the coast since the ’83 and ’89 freezes.  Most notably the number of anglers using the resource, the technology available to anglers, and simply the extreme increase in pressure along the coast.  Many in the recreational community have advocated for a more conservation minded approach to the resource for many years, sometimes to the belittlement of those that feel the resource is endless.  That in itself is an entirely new conversation, but bottom line is the resource cannot continue to face the pressure of anglers and what Mother Nature throws at it.  February 2021 was truly an eye opening moment for many.

CCA Texas, the Babes on the Bay Committee and many others decided quickly that changes had to be made and made immediately.  Those changes set the tone for many other tournaments, and it put the resource first.  CCA Texas STAR tournament announced within weeks an entirely different new format that was totally catch and release.  Babes on the Bay followed suite, and many other tournaments fell in line shortly after, including high profile events such as the Saltwater Legends Series.  All of the events shifted to different catch and release formats, that focused on the immediate release of the fish caught.

The CCA Texas STAR tournament will continue to maintain its Catch-Clip-Release format for the 2022 Tournament in its two major divisions.  In the Texas Ford Dealer’s Red-Tagged Redfish Division the FIRST FIVE RED-TAGGED redfish caught, tag clipped, fish released & tag turned in at an official CCA Texas STAR Weigh Station, who are certified as winners, will take home a 2022 Ford F150 “Texas Edition” XLT Super Cab connected to a Haynie 23 Bigfoot with a Mercury 150 L Pro XS Optimax and Coastline Trailer. The next five eligible anglers who turn in a RED and under will receive a $25,000 scholarship and boat in lieu of truck/boat for the first 5 prizes.  In the Blue-Tagged Redfish Division, the FIRST THREE BLUE-TAGGED redfish caught, tag clipped, fish released & tag turned in at an official CCA Texas STAR Weigh Station, who are certified as winners, will take home a 2022 Mowdy 22’ V boat, with a Mercury 150 L Pro XS Optimax and Coastline Trailer. The following six, will receive a $750 Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card. 

The STAR tournament will re-introduce catch and weigh divisions for drum, sheepshead and gafftop for inshore and youth divisions.  Eligible anglers who weigh in the HEAVIEST Sheepshead, gafftop and black drum will take home a 2022 Shoalwater19’ Cat Boat, 115hp Mercury Motor & McClain Trailer. There will be four runner-up prizes in each species category.  Eligible STAR Kids ages 6-10 who weigh in the heaviest gafftop or sheepshead can win scholarships from $2500 to $30,000.  Eligible STAR Teens ages 11-17 who weigh in heaviest gafftop or sheepshead will also win scholarships from $2500 to $30,000.  Offshore anglers will be able to participate in the past as well.  Eligible anglers who weigh in the heaviest kingfish, dorado, ling and red snapper will take home a 2022 Hoffpauir Polaris Ranger Crew 570EFI Polaris Pursuit Camo, Big TexTrailer and a STAR Special Edition Trophy.

Babes on the Bay, Babes on Baffin, and other CCA Texas chapter tournaments will continue in their Catch-Photo-Release formats, using the Fishing Chaos App.  Babes on the Bay is first up on May 13/14, 2022 in Fulton, TX at the Fulton Convention Center.  Anglers will compete in six divisions: Non-Guided Any Bait; Non-Guided Artificial; Guided Any Bait; Guided Artificial; Fly; and Babettes.  The Tournament Committee is putting the final touches on the event and is looking forward to another great turnout.  Anglers will fish for their top four redfish. The teams can consist of up to four anglers (two for fly fishing and Babettes are considered individuals as well as part of the Team they are fishing with).  They will all submit their catches to Fishing Chaos. The submissions will be judged by a third party and the app will automatically cull the team’s fish and sort by length and time submitted.  This format will be consistent throughout all CCA Texas chapter tournaments once again in 2022.

If you are a tournament director or participant, we encourage you to take a more conservation minded approach to your events, especially for sportfish species.  There are many formats, and those used by CCA Texas are only a few of those available.  Please take a moment, think about your tournament structure and simply put the resource first.  Many thanks to those that have taken a conservative approach moving forward and good luck to them all.

Advocacy

At the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting on March 24, 2022, the Commission withdrew closure of Oyster Reef Areas within the Mesquite Bay Complex from the agenda. Instead, they opted to ask the Department (TPWD) to form a task force of stakeholders to develop metrics that would define success of a possible closure with the goal of deciding on how to proceed prior to the beginning of the next oyster season on November 1, 2022. Additionally, the task force will also be asked to evaluate the oyster fishery across all bay systems from a wholistic standpoint.

The support to permanently close the Mesquite Bay Complex to oyster harvesting was overwhelming with 79% of public comments favoring the closure. We sincerely appreciate your support through your public comments. YOU made your voice loud and clear. Additionally, 16 non-government organizations submitted individual letters backing the justification for the proposal and offered suggestions to the Commission on how to proceed moving forward. However, after listening to nearly 4 hours of public testimony, the Commission was unable to land on a decision. You can listen to the entire meeting and public comment by clicking here and forwarding the audio to the 18:41 mark.

It is important to remember that the Mesquite Bay Oyster Harvest Area (TX-28) was closed on December 21st of last year and will continue to be temporarily closed for the remainder of the current public oyster season, which ends April 30, 2022.

What’s next? We fight on and continue our work to ensure a sustainable Texas Oyster Fishery which recognizes the structural and ecological benefits of our public oyster reefs.

We will continue to let you know how and when to take action, because we’ll need your voice again to save our Texas Oyster Fishery.

Once again, thank you to everyone who got involved and engaged on this critical issue. Your ongoing support and grassroots efforts to ensure the health and conservation of our marine resources and anglers’ access to them is truly appreciated and will be needed in the near future.

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