At the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Work Session on Nov. 2, the Commission received an update on the current status of the spotted seatrout fishery, and it became clear changes will come sooner than later.
Dakus Geeslin, the Deputy Director of the Coastal Fisheries Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said since the freeze of 2021, catch rates have been lower than the 10-year average, and some of the lowest since 2009.
Following the freeze, a number of regulations were put into effect, especially the threefish, 17-23-inch slot. But the temporary regulations expired Aug. 31, and the coastwide bag and size limit reverted back to the allowance of 5 fish per day, between 15-25 inches, with one fish over 25 inches.
Geeslin shared results of TPWD’s gillnet and bag seine samples, saying 40 percent of the trout are from 14-16 inches in length and 60 percent are between 14 and 18 inches. “Less than 10 percent reach trophy size — 25 inches and greater,” he said. “Less than 1 percent get to 30 inches.”
Geeslin described the effects of changing the bag and slot limits.
“A three-fish limit would increase spawning biomass by 7 percent,” he said. “But there is an additive impact when combined with a reduced slot. A slot limit of 15 to 20 inches, plus the three-fish limit, would increase spawning stock by 27 percent over a period of about 7 years.”
The department held public hearings at six locations in October, with 275 people attending.
“Support of the three-fish limit was 83 percent,” Geeslin said.
TPWD also conducted an electronic angler survey and learned that 47 percent of recreational anglers supported a three fish limit with a 15-20-inch slot, also allowing for one oversized fish per year.
The Coastal Resource Advisory Committee also recommended the reduced limit with a 16-20-inch slot, and one oversized tag per year.
While regulation changes would normally be proposed at the next Commission in January, then published for public comment and considered at the March meeting, the Commission accelerated the process, approving the publishing of proposals for a 3-fish, 15-20-inch slot in the Texas Register immediately, thereby allowing for approved changes to be implemented at the Commission’s January 2024 meeting, that would then take effect by March.
While bag and slot limits will likely change in January, tags for an oversized trout, if approved, may come later to allow for them to be either included in a fishing license or done through the My Texas Harvest App.
“We need to do all we can to preserve the spawning mass,” said Commission Chairman Jeffery Hildebrand.
