Proposed restriction of 15,500 acres of ULM as a new "state scientific area"

May 2012

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bait fishing time enjoy fish know back good caught using water hook kayak line site works artificial green sometimes them gonna thanks lures boat keep croaker throw dargel while made weekend advice didn sent braid give does another awhile than chunk expensive something tried recently said continue beast damn thing

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[shallowgal]

TPWD are conducting scoping meetings to hear input from anglers on creating another SSA (State Scientific Area) akin to the Redfish Bay SSA, but this time it will be around the JFK causeway in the Upper Laguna Madre.  They had many other areas they were considering to make a SSA, including many in the LLM, but decided to start with this 15,500 acre chunk of the bay.  Though they are now claiming this will be a separate issue from the potential formation of LIFA's (low impact fishing areas) championed by Texas Wade Paddle & Pole, or to be more specific, no motor zones, they are being lumped together by many.  I truly believe it is only a matter of time if this is passed before there are more and more areas restricted and eventually banned to motorized traffic, including MOST of the LLM fishing spots.  Please read the following article:

http://www.statesman.com/sports/outdoors/public-can-soon-voice-opinions-about-a-proposed-1960028.html#.TsFNnBnZoyU.email

Anglers and coastal habitat policy protectors will get the chance soon to tell the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department what they think of a proposed new seagrass protection area near Corpus Christi.

TPWD Coastal Fisheries personnel are preparing for a round of public meetings that will help commissioners decide whether to apply new rules to a 15,500-acre area near the John F. Kennedy Causeway.

The area includes significant amounts of fragile seagrass beds that are vital to production of gamefish-spawning stocks in that area of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Robin Riechers, chief of Coastal Fisheries at TPWD, said this week his staff is preparing a list of meeting sites and dates to solicit public feedback.The proposed scientific area, or protection zone, is about 10 miles south of the Redfish Bay State Scientific Area near Port Aransas, Riechers said. There are 32,000 acres in the Redfish Bay SSA. Created in 2000, Redfish Bay has shown benefits in terms of seagrass protection.

TPWD found that during a five-year period from 2005-09, scarring from boat propellers declined significantly in the Redfish Bay SSA and most boaters were aware of the special rules requiring them to raise their engines from the water and to drift or pole through the protected areas of Redfish Bay.

In 2010, the TPWD Commission voted to extend indefinitely the rules prohibiting any uprooting of grasses in the scientific area and also directed staff to begin studying other areas that could fall into the protected category.

Riechers said there are some bays along the coast with additional fragile habitat areas but the area near the causeway has suffered more in terms of propeller scarring and thus needs more immediate attention.

"We're kind of expanding the seagrass protection," Riechers said. "We'll have those same ‘no uprooting' rules in that area."

After the public meetings, coastal fisheries staff will refine the plan and present the commission with a recommendation about whether to move forward in 2012. "It has to be a state scientific area designation (for enforcement purposes) and to protect those areas that have been most heavily impacted by boat traffic," Riechers said.

"We may take (the concept) to other places at other times but this is the highest priority right now. Most people know those areas are important but they may not know what to do. We'll be trying to (accomplish those education and protection goals) in a reasonable length of time."

Riechers also said Coastal Fisheries staff are looking at new areas that could become Low Impact Fishing Areas (LIFA) where paddle craft, wading and drift fishing would be the rule.

Boaters would have to run in designated lanes with outboards and avoid conflict with waders and non-motorized craft.

"We've been asked to explore low impact fishing areas," Riechers told commissioners.

He added that there could be seasonal components to the boating rules that would allow airboat traffic during certain times of the year. "We're looking at the pros and cons," he said.

[shallowgal]

If you would like to learn more or present your opinion on this matter, here are the upcoming hearings from TPWD:

Dec.13, Holiday Inn North Padre Island 15202 Windward Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
Dec. 14, Port Isabel Community Center 213 Yturria, Port Isabel, TX 78578
Dec. 15, TPWD Headquarters, Commission Hearing Room, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744


All meetings are at 7:00pm

[J.Dean]

Looks like wade paddle pole had a louder voice than the boaters.. LIFA just sounds communist to me,

[trout-thumper]

I understand the argument! But this is getting extreme!!

[bigrggiii]

What a bunch a bunch of crap!!!!!!  People might as well stop manufacturing bay boats  . . . . looks like I am going to have to buy a Kayak.

[trout-thumper]

What a bunch a bunch of crap!!!!!!  People might as well stop manufacturing bay boats  . . . . looks like I am going to have to buy a Kayak.
[/quoteI

A Yak with an ice chest storage for bait??? Patent in the making!! Lol

[captmike]

Where in the LLM is this proposed?
Has anyone seen the map?

[rwl1948]

Did anyone attend any of the comment meetings

[fishin shallow]

I think I read that the area in the LLM they are looking at are Mexiquita and South Bay

[captmike]

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/feedback/public_comment/proposals/jfk_state_scientific_area/images/map.png

Here is link to map.

[shallowgal]

A recap of the Port Isabel Scoping meeting:

The one thing that most people were so angry about was the lack of advertising or notice for these meetings. Most people heard about the meeting the day of and I would say you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. About ten minutes in one guy was speaking pretty loudly and got up and starting walking pretty quickly towards the speaker, one of the TPW agents got out of his chair to intercept they guy. We all thought he was going to attack the speaker and then he says "I'm just going to show you something on this map" and of course everyone starting laughing.

First topic was about the freeze closures, which dragged on forever, and people starting standing up yelling at the speaker that they were only dragging that topic on forever to keep from going on to the real reason why people were there ( to talk about the proposed SSA's)

Once we started talking about the proposed SSA's, they showed a map of Texas where they narrowed down to a "short list" of proposed sites for SSA's in Texas, they included:

Galveston Island state Park (GISP)

Christmas Bay (CB)

Matagorda Island Wildlife Management Area (MIWMA)

Upper Laguna Madre (JFK Causeway Area)

Mexiquita Flats/South Bay (SB)

The selection of criteria included: Seagrass coverage, Extensive shallow-water areas (2 feet or less), Boating pressure/accessibility, Proximity to Gulf Pass, Need for protection

Keep in mind, there were several questions asked about whether or not there was even a need for this because of lower fish levels, and the speaker said repeatedly that fish stock levels were on the rise throughout the state. So it was very confusing for most people there as to why we needed these new SSA's when they already had one just 20 miles away. The speaker kept saying that they don't have the capabilities to pull data from other areas of the sate so they need these areas to study themselves (which makes no sense)...

We estimated around 90-100 people attended the meeting- a lot of high profile guides, people who are in the industry, and the newspapers.

How many were against the SSA proposal?
-99%- Keep in mind there was no formal vote held, and even after an hour and a half of people standing up and speaking against the proposal, one of the speakers said and I quote " So what does everyone think? We still don't know what you are thinking..." I knew it would be like that so we took petition sheets to sign and got around 72 signatures and turned them in to the speakers. Just as a precautionary measure we also took photo copies of the petitions. We just wanted to make sure that if there were any question about how people really felt at this particular scoping meeting, we had the evidence in hand.

How many were for the SSA proposal?- Only 1 person, Capt. Bruce Shuler from Port Mansfield's Redfish Inn. However he said he would never approve of a no motor zone.

The speakers kept saying the JFK causeway area was the "next" area chosen for a SSA. I among others stood up and made statements, and my main point was that we support education over legislation. When we deliver a boat to our customers we take them on the water and teach them proper boat etiquette and where they can and cannot go, how to read the tides, etc.

One of the speakers admitted that "helping to educate boat buyers is good however, making an area and SSA is a tool, and regulation is the hammer that drives home the education through handing out citations ($500.00 fine for uprooting sea grass)." Granted there have been several warnings and only 17 prosecutions in the past 6 years. They said the only way they think will be effective to educate the public about seagrass is through regulation.

They also repeatedly admitted they have no proof or physical evidence that prop scars are causing any damage to fish or the environment, but "they have a strong feeling that protecting it will be a good thing". They have no progressive aerial photos of any of the areas they propose to protect. And the data they do have suggests there is more seagrass now than in the past. So most present don't see this SSA or any SSA as having much of a purpose.

ONe of the main reasons why we oppose the SSA is because we know without a doubt they are only the first step towards LIFA areas. They say that they are not moving forward with the other areas " today but that could change tomorrow".

Bottom line: The lines are drawn, the leg work is done, they are most likely moving forward with this despite opposing public opinion. Our main goal is to keep these areas from becoming LIFA's or no prop zones, and honestly to keep every shallow area of every bay with seagrass from becoming an SSA......

Currently they claim that RFA is the only organization opposing the regulation. They claim the Coastal Bend Guides Association is not against this regulation. So, if any of the organizations you belong to (DU, guides associations, fishing groups) are indeed against this regulation. Be sure to send in a formal letter saying so because they seem to believe hardly anyone is against it.

[texan55]

Doesn't matter, we already screwed up the entire laguna madre system anyway.

[mnmhough21]

Don't matter whet we fisherman think...as long as big oil ain't involved...environmentalists with biased and non-scientific data will win the day.  Bottom line...it takes money to fight these people and we prefer to spend ours on fishing. We need to band together and hire big time lobbyists and lawyers - till then...we lose!