Trout, flounder reg meetings to be held this week

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Coastal Fisheries Division will host seven public scoping meetings this week (Jan. 7-9) in several communities to discuss potential changes to Texas saltwater fishing regulations.

At these meetings, TPWD will be scoping several items for the upcoming 2014 statewide hunting and fishing proclamation process. The department is considering changes to the current flounder and spotted seatrout regulations to improve overall numbers in these fisheries. The option of applying a sunset date to potential regulation changes also may be considered by TPWD. (An FAQ on these issues may be viewed at http://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/related/2013-12-18_scoping_coastal_faq/.)

All interested parties are encouraged to attend any of the meetings listed below, learn about the proposals, and provide comments. Those unable to attend one of meetings may provide comments online via the TPWD public comment web pagehttp://tpwd.texas.gov/business/feedback/public_comment/proposals/201401_scoping_coastal.phtml , which provides brief summaries of the proposals, or by email to SWFishComments@tpwd.texas.gov.

After these meetings, department staff will present recommendations to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission at its Jan. 22-23 meeting. Based on the commission’s feedback, TPWD staff will hold a series of formal statewide public hearings if any regulatory proposals are advanced. Hearings for all fishery- and wildlife-related proposals would be held after the January meeting and before the March 26-27 commission meeting. Final decisions about proposed regulations will be made by the commission at that meeting.

All of the following scoping meetings will be from 6-8 p.m. on the dates shown:

• Jan. 7, 2014, Port Lavaca: Bauer Community Center, 186 County Road 101
• Jan. 8, 2014, Rockport: Aransas County Court Room, 301 N. Live Oak St.
• Jan. 8, 2014, Corpus Christi: Del Mar College Center for Economic Development, 3209 S. Staples St., Room 106
• Jan. 8, 2014, San Antonio: Lion’s Field Adult and Senior Citizens Center, 2809 Broadway
• Jan. 9, 2014, Port Isabel: Port Isabel Community Center, 213 Yturria
• Jan. 9, 2014, Port Arthur: Gallery Room of the Port Arthur Public Library, 4615 9th Ave.
• Jan. 9, 2014, Dickinson: TPWD Dickinson Marine Lab, 1502 Pine Dr. (FM 517)

For more information, contact the following Coastal Fisheries staff members:

• Art Morris, Corpus Christi Field Station, (361) 825-3356, art.morris@tpwd.texas.gov.
• Jeremy Leitz, HQ, Austin, (512) 389-4333, jeremy.leitz@tpwd.texas.gov.
• Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department