Texas Releases Nearly 1 Billion Fish into Bays
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has been putting fish back into Texas bays for 40 years. They've released almost 1 billion saltwater fish to help bring back native fish populations.
TPWD planned to release the 1 billionth fish on Wednesday, but bad weather from Hurricane Beryl made them delay it. The fish they're releasing is a young red drum, a popular fish for Texas anglers.
These young fish are raised in hatcheries to help fish populations grow faster. Red drum numbers are now very high because of this work.
Fish in Texas waters have been decreasing for different reasons. In the 1970s, too many fish were caught. Now, warmer water temperatures are causing problems. The Gulf Coast has seen the biggest increase in water temperature, with Galveston Bay getting almost 9 degrees warmer in the last ten years.
To help protect fish, TPWD made new rules for fishing in 2023-24. Anglers can't catch shortfin mako sharks anymore. They can only catch one cobia per trip. They must use special tools to help reef fish survive when released.
TPWD also made new rules for spotted seatrout. Anglers can only catch three per day. The fish must be between 15 and 20 inches long. They can keep one big trout over 30 inches as part of their daily limit.
These rules are helping to keep fish populations healthy in Texas waters.
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