TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE - seagrantfish.lsu.edu · Effective September 1, 2003 Expires August 31, ... • Clear Fork of the Trinity Riverdown- ... bass and freshwater drum,

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE

2 0 0 3 - 2 0 0 4TEXAS COMMERCIAL

FISHING GUIDE

Effective September 1, 2003Expires August 31, 2004

Information in this guide may change due to Legislative or Commission action.

• IMPORTANT: See Special Notices, Page 2 •

03-04 Comm Fish Guide.qxd 07.17.2003 7:38 AM Page 1

A GUIDE TO TEXAS COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY REGULATIONS

Commercial fishing is any activity involving taking or handling fresh or saltwater aquatic products for pay or forthe purpose of barter, sale or exchange.

This publication is a summary of regulations for thecommercial fishing industry in Texas and is designed as aguide only. Regulations concerning sport fishing are con-tained in the “Texas Parks & Wildlife Outdoor Annual”

which is available free of charge from Texas Parks andWildlife Department (TPWD) offices and from bait, tackleand sporting goods dealers where fishing licenses are sold.

More detailed information concerning commercialfishing industry regulations can be obtained fromTPWD game wardens or any law enforcement officeof TPWD.

TABLE OF CONTENTSSPECIAL NOTICES ................................................................................................................ 2GENERAL REGULATIONS ...................................................................................................... 3

Possession of Prohibited Fishing Devices ...................................................................... 3Definitions .................................................................................................................. 4Potentially Harmful Exotic Fish, Shellfish and Aquatic Plants ........................................ 5

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................................... 5Sportfishing License Requirements for Commercial Fishermen .................................... 5General Licenses .......................................................................................................... 5Bait Dealers’ Licenses .................................................................................................. 7Other Business Licenses .............................................................................................. 8Boat Licenses .............................................................................................................. 9Permit to Sell Non-game Fish Taken From Public Fresh Water ...................................... 9

PURCHASE OF AQUATIC PRODUCTS FOR RESALE ................................................................ 10SHIPPING REGULATIONS

Aquatic Product Transportation Invoices ...................................................................... 10Containers .................................................................................................................. 10Licenses ...................................................................................................................... 10

RECORDS.............................................................................................................................. 11Commercial Harvest Reports........................................................................................ 11

MARKING OF VEHICLES........................................................................................................ 11IMPORTATION REGULATIONS .............................................................................................. 12

Importation of Commercially Protected Fish ................................................................ 12COASTAL WATERS BOUNDARY ............................................................................................ 13FISH

General Regulations .................................................................................................... 14Prohibited Acts in all Public Waters .............................................................................. 14Sale of Fish — Fresh Water .......................................................................................... 14Sale of Fish — Salt Water ............................................................................................ 15Texas State Waters — Federal Waters .......................................................................... 15Padre Island National Seashore — Special Regulations ................................................ 15How to Measure a Fish................................................................................................ 15Commercial Bag, Possession, and Length Limits .......................................................... 16Freshwater Devices, Means and Methods .................................................................... 17Saltwater Devices, Means and Methods ...................................................................... 18

FINFISH LICENSE MANAGEMENT.......................................................................................... 19Finfish License Buyback Program.................................................................................. 19

SHRIMPGeneral Regulations .................................................................................................... 19Display Boat Numbers.................................................................................................. 20Method of Net Measurement ...................................................................................... 20Special Regulations (Bay and Bait Shrimping) .............................................................. 20Shrimp License Management ...................................................................................... 21Shrimp License Buyback Program ................................................................................ 21Waters Defined............................................................................................................ 21Map of Gulf Shrimp Fishery Management Zones ........................................................ 22Outside Waters ............................................................................................................ 23Inside Waters .............................................................................................................. 28BRD and TED Illustrations.......................................................................................... 31-35

CRABS .................................................................................................................................. 36CRAB LICENSE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................ 37

Crab License Buyback Program .................................................................................... 37OYSTERS .............................................................................................................................. 38MUSSELS AND CLAMS ........................................................................................................ 38OTHER AQUATIC LIFE .......................................................................................................... 39


SPECIAL NOTICES1. All commercial shipments of aquatic

products must be accompanied by aninvoice and containers must be labeled. (SeeSHIPPING REGULATIONS page 10.)

2. The Shipper and Receiver of commercialshipments of aquatic products must keepthe shipping invoices on file as a record forone year from the date of shipment. (SeeRECORDS page 11.)

3. Consumption of Clams, Mussels, andOther Molluscan Shellfish taken from pub-lic fresh waters is prohibited by the TexasDepartment of Health.

4. Clams, Mussels, Oysters, and Other Molluscan Shellfish taken from public saltwaters may be taken only from watersapproved by the Texas Department of Health.(Maps identifying approved areas may beobtained from the Department of Health,Seafood Safety Division (512) 719-0215.Additional information concerning area closures may be obtained 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 1-800-685-0361.)

5. Commercial Bay and Bait Shrimp boatlicenses and Commercial Crab Fisherman’sLicenses are subject to limited issuance. Fordetailed information see pages 21 and 37.

6. Commercial finfish fisherman’s license aresubject to limited issuance. For more infor-mation see page 19.

7. The possession of all species of fish andcrabs is prohibited from the following areas.Catch and release of fish and crabs fromthese areas is lawful.• Portions of upper Lavaca Bay in Calhoun

County.• The Donna Irrigation System in Hidalgo

County.• Clear Fork of the Trinity River down-

stream from the 7th Street Bridge in FortWorth to the confluence with the WestFork, the West Fork of the Trinity Riverfrom the confluence with the Clear Forkdownstream to the Interstate Highway 20Bridge southeast of Dallas.

• Mountain Creek Lake in Dallas County.• Lake Como, Echo Lake and Fosdic Lake

(also known as Oakland Lake) in TarrantCounty.

8. TDH recommends limiting consumption of certain fish in these areas as follows: (a) GULF OF MEXICO: All Texas Coastal

Waters.• Chemical of Concern: Mercury

• King mackerel greater than 43inches in total length should not beconsumed.

• For king mackerel 37 to 43 inchesin total length:

• Adults should limit consumptionto no more than one, 8-ouncemeal per week.

• Women of child-bearing ageand children should limit con-sumption to not more than one,8-ounce meal per month.

• King mackerel less than 37inches in total length are safefor unrestricted consumption.

(b) Arroyo Colorado, Llano Grande Lake,and the Main Floodway upstream ofthe Port of Harlingen in Cameron andHidalgo counties.• Chemicals of Concern: Organochlo-

rine pesticides• For smallmouth buffalo, adults

should limit consumption to nomore than two, 8-ounce meals permonth, and children should limitconsumption to no more than two,4-ounce meals per month.

(c) B.A. Steinhagen Lake in Jasper andTyler counties; Big Cypress Creek inMarion County; Caddo Lake in Harrisonand Marion counties; Sam RayburnReservoir in Angelina, Jasper, Nacog-doches, Sabine, and San Augustinecounties; and Toledo Bend Reservoirin Newton, Panola, Sabine, and Shelbycounties.• Chemical of Concern: Mercury

• All Locations: For largemouthbass and freshwater drum,adults should limit consumption tono more than two, 8-ounce mealsper month, and children shouldlimit consumption to no more thantwo, 4-ounce meals per month.

• For B.A. Steinhagen Reservoir: Forwhite bass or hybrid striped bass,adults should limit consumption tono more than one, 8-ounce meal permonth, and children should limit consumption to no more than one,4-ounce meal per month.

(d) Brandy Branch Reservoir in HarrisonCounty; Martin Creek Reservoir inPanola and Rusk counties; and LakeWelsh in Titus County.• Chemical of Concern: Selenium

• For All Species of Fish:• Adults should limit consumption

to no more than one, 8-ouncemeal per week.

• Children 7 years of age andolder should limit consumptionto no more than one, 4-ouncemeal per week.

2 2003-2004 Texas Commercial Fishing Guide


• Children 6 years of age andyounger, pregnant women, orwomen who may soon becomepregnant should not consumefish from these reservoirs.

• Persons consuming fish fromthese reservoirs should not con-sume mineral dietary supple-ments with selenium exceeding50 micrograms per day.

(e) Houston Ship Channel upstream anddownstream of the Lynchburg Ferrycrossing and all contiguous water includ-ing the San Jacinto River below U.S.Highway 90 bridge, and Upper Galve-ston Bay and all contiguous watersnorth of a line drawn from Red BluffPoint to Five Mile cut Marker to HoustonPoint in Harris and Chambers counties.• Chemicals of Concern: Dioxin (all

waters), and Polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) and Organochlorine pesticides(upstream of the Lynchburg Ferrycrossing)• For All Species of Fish and Blue

Crabs:• Adults should limit consumption

to no more than one, 8-ouncemeal per month.

• Women of child-bearing ageand children should not con-sume any fish or blue crabs fromthis area.

(f) Lake Daingerfield in Morris Countyand Lake Ratclif f in Houston County.• Chemical of Concern: Mercury

• For largemouth bass, adultsshould limit consumption to nomore than two, 8-ounce meals permonth, and children should limit

consumption to no more than two,4-ounce meals per month.

(g) Lake Kimball in Hardin and Tyler coun-ties and Lake Pruitt (Black CypressCreek) in Cass County.• Chemical of Concern: Mercury

• For all species of fish, adults shouldlimit consumption to no more thantwo, 8-ounce meals per month, andchildren under 11 years of ageshould limit consumption to no morethan two, 4-ounce meals per month.

(h) Lake Meredith in Hutchinson, Moore,and Potter counties.• Chemical of Concern: Mercury

• For walleye, adults should limitconsumption to no more than two,8-ounce meals per month, and chil-dren should limit consumption tono more than two, 4-ounce mealsper month.

(i) Lake Worth in Tarrant County.• Chemicals of Concern: Polychlori-

nated biphenyls (PCBs)• Persons should not consume any

species of fish from these waters.(j) Trinity River from Texas 34 to Cedar

Creek Reservoir discharge in Kaufman,Ellis, Henderson, and Navarro counties.• Chemicals of Concern: Polychlori-

nated biphenyls (PCBs), Chlordane,DDE• Persons should not consume any

species of gar from these waters.

Note: Additional information concerning TexasDepartment of Health closures or advisories maybe obtained by calling (800) 685-0361 (shellfish)or (512) 719-0215 (other advisories) or visitingwww.tdh.state.tx.us/bfds/ssd.

2003-2004 Texas Commercial Fishing Guide 3

GENERAL REGULATIONSThese rules also apply to fish, shrimp, crabs orother aquatic life caught in the Exclusive Economic Zone and landed in Texas.

Civil Restitution: Persons violating lawsinvolving the illegal taking, possessing, killing,catching or injuring of fish and wildlife may befined, liable to the state for the value of each ille-gally possessed wildlife resource, and are subjectto license suspension or revocation.

Texas residents 17 years of age or olderwhile fishing, hunting, or trapping MUST haveon their person a driver’s license or personalidentification certificate issued by the Depart-ment of Public Safety. Non-residents must havesimilar documents issued by the agency of thestate or country of which the person is a resident

that is authorized to issue driver’s licenses or personal identification certificates.

POSSESSION OF PROHIBITED FISHING DEVICES

It is unlawful to possess a device designed tocatch fish or other aquatic life in or on the pub-lic water of this state where the use of the deviceis prohibited.

In coastal waters, a prohibited device may bepossessed on board a vessel if the vessel is inport or in a marked channel going directly to orfrom an area in this state where the use of thedevice is permitted.

Gill nets, trammel nets, strike nets and seines(other than minnow seines) may not be possessedwithin 500 yards of any public coastal waters.



• Marlin, blue• Marlin, white• Pickerel• Sailfish• Sauger• Seatrout, spotted• Sharks• Snook• Spearfish, longbill• Swordfish, broadbill• Tarpon• Trout, brown• Trout, rainbow• Wahoo• Walleye

DEFINITIONSAquatic Product: Any live or dead uncooked,fresh or frozen aquatic animal life.

Artificial Lure: Any lure (including flies) withhook or hooks attached that is man-made and isused as a bait while fishing.

Bait: Something used to lure any wildlife resource.It is unlawful to use gamefish or any part thereofas bait.

Bycatch Reduction Device (BRD): A deviceinstalled in the cod end (tail bag) of a shrimp trawlfor the purpose of excluding finfish from the net.NOTE: BRDs are required in certain trawls.

Cast Net: A net which can be thrown or cast todrop over an area.

Community Fishing Lake: All public impound-ments 75 acres or smaller located totally within anincorporated city limits or a public park, and allimpoundments of any size lying totally within theboundaries of a state park. For a list of CommunityFishing Lakes in your area, call 1-800-792-1112.

Crab Line: A baited line with no hook or poleattached.

Crab Measurement: Blue crabs are measuredacross the widest point of the body from tip ofspine to tip of spine. Stone crab claws are meas-ured by the propodus length which is that dis-tance from the tip of the immovable claw fingerto the first joint behind the claw.

Daily Bag Limit: The quantity of a species thatmay be taken in one day.

Day: A 24-hour period of time that begins atmidnight and ends the following midnight.

Fishing: Taking or trying to take fish, shrimp,crabs, oysters, clams, mussels, or any otheraquatic life by any means.

Fishing Guide: A person who operates a boatfor compensation to accompany or to transporta person or persons engaged in fishing in thewater of this state.

Fishing Guide Deck Hand: A person in theemploy of a fishing guide who assists in operat-ing a boat for compensation to accompany or totransport a person or persons engaged in fishingin the water of this state.

Gaff: Any hand-held pole with a hook attached.

Game Fish (includes hybrids or subspecies offish on this list):

• Bass, Guadalupe• Bass, largemouth• Bass, smallmouth• Bass, spotted• Bass, striped• Bass, white• Bass, yellow• Catfish, blue• Catfish, channel• Catfish, flathead• Cobia• Crappie, black• Crappie, white• Drum, red• Mackerel, king• Mackerel, Spanish

Gear Tag: A tag constructed of material asdurable as the device to which it is attached. Thegear tag must be clearly legible and show thename and address of the person using the deviceand except for saltwater trotlines and crab traps,the date the device is set out.

Gig: Any hand-held shaft with single or multiplepoints, barbed or barbless.

Jug Line (fresh water): A fishing line with 5 orless hooks tied to a free-floating device.

Lawful Archery Equipment: Longbow, recurvedbow, compound bow and crossbow.

Mussels and Clams: Includes all freshwaterand marine bivalve mollusks except oysters.

• Freshwater mussels – bivalve mollusks of thefamily Unionidae.

Natural Bait: A whole or cut-up portion of a fishor shellfish or a whole or cut-up portion of plantmaterial in its natural state, provided that none ofthese may be altered beyond cutting into portions.

Non-game Fish: All species not listed as gamefish except endangered or threatened fish whichare defined and regulated under separate rules.

Non-resident: A person who does not meetthe resident requirements.

Permanent Residence: One’s principal or ordi-nary home or dwelling place. This does not includea temporary abode or dwelling such as a hunt-ing/fishing club, or any club house, cabin, tent ortrailer house used as a hunting/fishing club, or anyhotel, motel or rooming house used during a hunt-ing, fishing, pleasure or business trip.



Permanent Structure: A building designed,planned, and constructed so as to remain at onelocation.

Pole and Line: A line with hook, attached to apole. This gear includes rod and reel.

Possession Limit: The maximum number of aspecies of game, fish, or other animals that maybe possessed at one time.

Purse Seine: A net with flotation on thecorkline adequate to support the net in openwater without touching bottom with a rope orwire cable strung through rings attached alongthe bottom edge to close the bottom of the net.

Resident: A person who has lived in Texas con-tinuously for more than 6 months immediatelybefore applying for a license. (This includes resi-dents and their spouses or unmarried children liv-ing at home who enter the United States ArmedForces and continue to list Texas as their state ofresidency with the armed forces.)

Seine: A section of non-metallic mesh webbing.The top edge buoyed upwards by a floatline andthe bottom edge weighted.

Spear: Any shaft with single or multiple points,barbed or barbless, which may be propelled byany means, but does not include arrows.

Spear Gun: Any hand operated devicedesigned and used for propelling a spear, butdoes not include the crossbow.

Throwline (fresh water): A fishing line with 5 orless hooks and with one end attached to a per-manent fixture. Components of a throwline may

also include swivels, snaps, rubber and rigid sup-port structures.

Trap: A rigid device of various designs anddimensions used to entrap aquatic organisms.

Trawl: A beam trawl or otter trawl with a bag-shaped net which is used to catch shrimp.

• Beam Trawl – A trawl, without wings, themouth of which is held open by a rigid beamof wood or metal.

• Otter Trawl – A funnel-shaped trawl, withwings, the mouth of which is held open byfloats and weights and spread by trawl doorsfastened to the wings.

Trotline: A non-metallic main fishing line withmore than 5 hooks attached and with each endattached to a fixture.

Turtle Excluder Device (TED): A deviceinstalled in a shrimp trawl forward of the codend (tail bag) for the purpose of excluding seaturtles from the net. NOTE: TEDs are requiredin certain trawls.

Umbrella Net: A non-metallic mesh net that issuspended horizontally in the water by multiplelines attached to a rigid frame.

POTENTIALLY HARMFUL EXOTICFISH, SHELLFISH & AQUATIC PLANTSThe importation, sale, transportation and release of exotic fish, shellfish, or aquatic plants desig-nated harmful or potentially harmful by the Parksand Wildlife Commission are prohibited exceptby special permit from the Department. The listof potentially harmful species may be obtainedby calling (800) 792-1112.

SPORTFISHING LICENSE REQUIREMENTS FOR

COMMERCIAL FISHERMENResidents who possess a Resident General Commercial Fisherman’s License must purchasea Resident Sport Fishing License or a TemporaryResident Sport Fishing License to fish for recre-ational purposes.

Non-resident commercial fishermen mustobtain a Non-Resident Fishing License or a Temporary (5-Day) Non-Resident Fishing Licenseto fish for recreational purposes.

In addition to the above, a Saltwater Sport-fishing Stamp is required to fish for recreationalpurposes in coastal waters of this state and aFreshwater Trout Stamp to fish for freshwatertrout for recreation.

LICENSE REQUIREMENTSLicense requirements and fees are subject to change. (License fees are not refundable.)

GENERAL LICENSES

General Commercial Fisherman’sResident (Type 372) ................................$24Non-resident (Type 340) ......................$180

Required for any person who:• catches aquatic products from the waters

of this state for pay or for the purpose ofsale, barter or exchange or any other com-mercial purpose; or

• unloads in this state aquatic products thatwere taken from water outside this stateand have not been previously unloaded inanotherstate or a foreign country, for pay orfor the purpose of sale, barter or exchangeor any other commercial purpose.


• a non-resident who is residing in a statethat denies the privilege of commercial fish-ing in that state to a Texas resident becauseof residency status is not eligible for a non-resident general commercial fisherman’slicense.

Exceptions:• a person who holds a commercial shrimp

boat captain’s license, commercial oysterboat captain’s license, a bait dealer’slicense and catching bait only, commercialcrab fisherman’s license, commercial finfishfisherman’s license, Class A and Class BMenhaden boat license, or the crew of alicensed commercial shrimp boat or oysterboat is not required to obtain a generalcommercial fisherman’s license.

Commercial Finfish Fisherman’sResident (Type 371) ..............................$360Non-resident (Type 361)....................$1,440

Required for any person who takes finfish forcommercial purposes from the coastal waters ofthis state.

• Finfish Fisherman: defined as a personwho catches finfish from the coastal watersof this state for the purpose of sale, barter, exchange or any other commercialpurpose.

• Finfish: defined as those living resources having either cartilaginous or bony skele-tons (Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes).

Exceptions:• A person who is licensed as a bait dealer

and who takes finfish for bait only is notrequired to obtain a commercial finfish fish-erman’s license.

• A person who is in a vessel licensed as a menhaden boat and who takes menhadenis not required to obtain a Commercial Finfish Fisherman’s License.

• A person who holds a Commercial ShrimpBoat Captain’s License or the crew of alicensed commercial shrimp boat is notrequired to obtain a Commercial FinfishFisherman’s License when catching finfishincidental to legal shrimp trawling opera-tions.

• A person may operate a boat bearing acommercial finfish fisherman’s license plateONLY if that person possesses on board thefollowing documentation:• a commercial finfish fisherman’s license

issued to the plate owner AND a generalcommercial fisherman’s license, AND

• a copy of an affidavit permitting the boatoperator to fish the commercial finfish fish-ing devices owned by the person to whomthe commercial finfish fisherman’s licensewas issued. The affidavit must contain the

date, original signature of the licensee, andcommercial finfish license number whichmatches the commercial finfish licenseplate number on the boat.

• A person operating a boat for the purpose ofcommercial finfish fishing is not required topossess a commercial fishing boat license.

Note: No person applying for either a Residentor Non-resident Commercial Finfish Fisherman’sLicense will be issued that license by the Depart-ment unless the person files with the Department,an affidavit containing statements that the appli-cant is not employed at any full-time occupationother than commercial fishing and during theperiod of validity of the Commercial Finfish License,the applicant does not intend to engage in any full-time occupation other than commercial fishing.

Note:• A person purchasing this license will receive

two (2) license plates bearing a numberunique to that person, and two annual com-mercial finfish fisherman’s license decals.

• A boat operated for the purposes of com-mercial finfish fishing is required to have acommercial finfish fisherman’s license plateprominently displayed as to be clearly visiblefrom both sides of the boat.

• The plates are valid only when each is affixedwith one annual commercial finfish fisher-man’s license decal to the upper left corner ofthe plate.

• No more than one set of commercial finfish fisherman’s license plates may beon board a commercial finfish fishingboat at any one time.

Commercial Shrimp Boat Captain’sResident (Type 333) ................................$30Non-resident (Type 433) ......................$120

Required of any person who operates a commercial shrimp boat catching or attemptingto catch shrimp and other aquatic products fromthe public waters of this state or unloading orattempting to unload in this state shrimp andother aquatic products taken from waters out-side this state.

Commercial Oyster Boat Captain’sResident (Type 309) ................................$30Non-resident (Type 409) ......................$120

Required of any person who operates a commercial oyster boat while taking oystersfrom the public waters of this state.

Commercial Oyster Fisherman’sResident (Type 370) ..............................$120Non-resident (Type 470) ......................$300

Required of any person who takes oystersfrom the public waters of this state for pay or for




the purpose of sale, barter, or exchange or anyother commercial purpose. (Not required of thecaptain and crew of licensed commercial oysterboats.)

Commercial Crab Fisherman’sResident (Type 338) ..............................$600Non-resident (Type 438)....................$2,400

Required for any person who takes crabs for commercial purposes from the coastal waters ofthe state.

NOTE: No person may hold more than 3 commercial crab fisherman’s licenses.

Exceptions:• A person may operate a boat bearing a

commercial crab fisherman’s license plateONLY if that person possesses on board thefollowing documentation:• a commercial crab fisherman’s license or

a general commercial fisherman’slicense, AND

• a copy of an affidavit permitting theboat operator to fish the commercialcrab fishing devices owned by the per-son to whom the commercial crab fish-erman’s license was issued. The affidavitmust contain the date, original signatureof the licensee, and commercial crablicense number which matches the com-mercial crab license plate number on theboat.

• A person operating a boat for the purposeof commercial crab fishing is not requiredto possess a commercial fishing boatlicense.

Note:• A person purchasing this license will receive

two (2) license plates bearing a numberunique to that person, and two annualcommercial crab fisherman’s license decals.

• A boat operated for the purposes of com-mercial crab fishing is required to have acommercial crab fisherman’s license plateprominently displayed as to be clearly visi-ble from both sides of the boat.

• The plates are valid only when each is affixedwith one annual commercial crab fisherman’slicense decal to the upper left corner of theplate.

• No more than one set of commercial crabfisherman’s license plates may be on boarda commercial crab fishing boat at any onetime.

Commercial Mussel and Clam Fisherman’sResident (Type 320) ................................$36Non-resident (Type 420) ......................$960

Required of any person taking mussels, clamsor their shells from the public waters of this statefor commercial purposes.

Fishing Guide Licenses (available only at TPWDLaw Enforcement Offices)

Freshwater Fishing GuideResident (Type 600)..........................$125Non-resident (Type 700) ..................$125

Required for any person who for compen-sation, accompanies, assists, or transports anyperson engaged in fishing in the fresh watersof the state.

Saltwater Fishing GuideResident (Type 610)..........................$200Non-resident (Type 710) ..................$200

Required for any person who for compen-sation, accompanies, assists, or transports anyperson engaged in fishing in the salt watersAND fresh waters of the state.

A vessel license is required from the U.S.Coast Guard (USCG) to carry passengers forhire on waters designated as navigable by theUSCG. It is the operator’s responsibility toassure compliance with USCG regulations. Foradditional information, contact the USCGRegional Examination Center in Houston at(713) 948-3350.

NOTE: NO PERSON operating a vesselor boat as a fishing guide on or in the saltwaters of this state may be issued a Fish-ing Guide license unless the person pres-ents documentation to the license deputythat the applicant possesses a valid andappropriate U.S. Coast Guard Operator’sLicense.

BAIT DEALERS’ LICENSES

All Bait Dealers who purchase aquatic product(s)from anyone except other Dealers, and all Bait Dealers who harvest aquatic product(s)themselves are required to report these landingsunder the Aquatic Product Reporting Program.See page 11, COMMERCIAL HARVESTREPORTS.

Bait Dealer – Individual(Type 312)................................................$36

Required for any person who catches, trans-ports or sells his own catch of minnows, fish orother aquatic products (except shrimp) for bait.

Note: In addition to this license, a permit tosell non-game fish taken from public fresh wateris required. The fee for this license is $60 and canbe obtained by calling (512) 389-4647.

Bait Dealer – Place of Business/Building(Type 515)................................................$36

Required for any person who buys for the pur-pose of sale, minnows, fish, shrimp in non-coastalcounties or other aquatic products for bait.


Bait Dealer – Place of Business/Motor Vehicle

(Type 516)................................................$36

Required for any person operating a place ofbusiness and buying, for the purpose of salefrom a motor vehicle, minnows, fish, shrimp innon-coastal counties or other aquatic productsfor bait.

Bait-Shrimp Dealer (coastal counties)(Type 335)..............................................$204

Required for any person who operates anestablished place of business engaged in sellingshrimp for fish bait. Minnows, non-game fish orother aquatic products may also be sold for fishbait under this license. Only the place of busi-ness/building bait dealer’s license is required forgrocery stores which do not unload or purchaseshrimp directly from commercial bait-shrimpboats.

OTHER BUSINESS LICENSES

“Place of business” means a permanent struc-ture on land or a motor vehicle where aquaticproducts or orders for aquatic products arereceived or where aquatic products are sold orpurchased, but does not include a boat or anytype of floating device, a public cold-storagevault, the portion of a structure that is used as aresidence, or a vehicle from which no orders aretaken or no shipments or deliveries are madeother than to the place of business of a licenseein this state.

Aquatic products lawfully taken from thewaters of another state or country may be soldwithin this state by licensed dealers withoutregard to size limitations imposed on such prod-ucts taken within this state. A record of thesource and disposition of such undersized oroversized products shall be maintained by thedealer for as long as the undersized or oversizedproducts are retained and for at least 30 daysthereafter.

All Fish Dealers who purchase aquatic product(s)from anyone except other Dealers, and all Fish Dealers who harvest aquatic product(s) themselvesare required to report these landings under theAquatic Product Reporting Program. See page 11,COMMERCIAL HARVEST REPORTS.

*Wholesale Fish Dealer (each place of business except trucks) (Type 314) .................. $825

*Wholesale Fish Truck Dealer (for each truck used as a place of business) (Type 315) ..............$561

Required for any person who operates a placeof business for the purpose of selling, offering

for sale, canning, preserving, processing, or han-dling for shipments or sale aquatic products toretail or wholesale fish dealers, hotels, restau-rants, cafes, or consumers.

*Note: HB 2470 of the 78th Legislature mandated a 10% surcharge on fees for theselicenses. The funds generated by these increaseswill be dedicated to a shrimp marketing and pro-motion program administered by the TexasDepartment of Agriculture.

*Retail Fish Dealer (each place of business except trucks)(Type 302) ..........................................$92.40

*Retail Fish Truck Dealer (each truck used as a place of business) (Type 316)........................$171.60

Required for any person who operates a place ofbusiness and sells aquatic products to consumers.


Menhaden Fish Plant (Type 326) ............$180

Required for any person who operates, at afixed location on land, any installation where fishand fish by-products are processed by pressure,heat or chemical means into fish oil, fish sol-ubles, fish scraps or other products.

Texas Finfish Import License(Type 380)................................................$90

Required of any person in this state receivingbass of the genus Micropterus, blue marlin, crappie,flathead catfish, goliath grouper (formerly calledjewfish), longbill spearfish, muskellunge, northernpike, red drum, sailfish, sauger, snook, spottedseatrout, striped bass, tarpon, walleye, white bass,white marlin, yellow bass or hybrids of any of thesefish directly from another state or country; orimporting, transporting, or selling for resale thesefishes in this state. (This license is not required forlicensed Texas fish farmers raising these fishes, orpersons transporting these fish by common carrierfrom outside this state to a point of delivery outsidethis state providing the fish are not unloaded inTexas and are accompanied by a bill of lading.)

Shell BuyerResident (Type 324) ..............................$120Non-resident (Type 424)....................$1,800

Required to purchase for commercial use mussel and clam shells that have been takenfrom the public waters.




BOAT LICENSES

Current boat registration or documentationpapers must be presented when purchasing aboat license.

A non-resident boat is defined as a boat thatdoes not have a Texas Certificate of Number ora boat that does not have a United States CoastGuard Certificate of Documentation that lists theowner’s address in Texas.

Commercial Fishing BoatResident (Type 304) ................................$18Non-resident (Type 404) ........................$72

Required of each boat that must be registeredunder federal or state laws and is used in takingaquatic products except menhaden, oysters andshrimp from the public waters of the state or forboats unloading within the state such productstaken outside the state’s waters for pay, barter,sale, exchange or any commercial purpose.

Class A Menhaden Boat(Type 325) ..........................................$4,200

Required for each boat used in the coastalwaters of this state for the purpose of catching,storing and transporting menhaden for pay,barter, sale or exchange. Persons aboard a men-haden boat for the purpose of taking menhadenare not required to possess a general commercialfisherman’s license or commercial finfish fisher-man’s license.

Class B Menhaden Boat(Type 329)................................................$50

Required for each boat used for the purposeof assisting a Class A Menhaden boat in catchingmenhaden. Persons aboard a Class B Menhadenboat for the purpose of catching menhaden arenot required to possess a general commercialfisherman’s license or commercial finfish fisherman’s license.

Bait-Shrimp BoatResident (Type 337) ..............................$348Non-resident (Type 437) ......................$750

Required for each boat that must be regis-tered under federal or state laws and is used inthe inside waters of the state for taking baitshrimp for pay, barter, sale or exchange. A boatlicensed as a commercial bait shrimp boat mayalso be used to take edible aquatic products,other than shrimp, for pay, barter, sale orexchange from inside waters.

*Bay-Shrimp BoatResident (Type 336) ........................$382.80Non-resident (Type 436) ......................$825

Required for each boat that must be regis-tered under federal or state laws and is used in

the inside major bay waters of the state for tak-ing shrimp for pay, barter, sale or exchange. Aboat licensed as a commercial bay shrimp boatmay also be used to take other edible aquaticproducts for pay, barter, sale or exchange frominside waters.


*Gulf-Shrimp BoatResident (Type 330) ..............................$495Non-resident (Type 430)....................$1,485

Required for each boat that must be regis-tered under federal or state laws and is used inthe Gulf of Mexico or “outside” waters of thestate for taking shrimp and other edible aquaticproducts for pay, barter, sale or exchange or forboats unloading within the state such productstaken outside the state’s waters.


Commercial Oyster Boat LicenseResident (Type 306) ..............................$420Non-resident (Type 406)....................$1,680

Required for each boat used to transport orfor taking oysters for pay or for the purpose ofsale, barter, or exchange or any other commer-cial purpose from the public waters of this stateby utilizing a dredge, tongs, or other mechanicalmeans.

Commercial Crab BoatRefer to information under Commercial Crab

Fisherman’s License on page 7.

PERMIT TO SELL NON-GAME FISH TAKEN FROM PUBLIC

FRESH WATER

In addition to a General Commercial Fisherman’sLicense, Bait Dealer’s License, and/or a CommercialFishing Boat License (if using a boat to catch non-game fish), no person may sell a non-game fishtaken from the public fresh waters of this stateunless that person first obtains a permit to sell non-game fish. (See the section entitled SALE OFFISH — FRESH WATER, page 14 of this guide.) Thefee for the PERMIT TO SELL NON-GAME FISH is $60,and can be obtained by calling (512) 389-8037.


AQUATIC PRODUCT TRANSPORTATION INVOICES

All aquatic products (uncooked, fresh or frozen fish,shrimp, oysters, crabs, etc.) shipped for commercialpurposes must be accompanied by an invoice preparedby the shipper containing the following information:

• Invoice Number• Date of Shipment• Name and Physical Address of Shipper (Fish

Dealer)• Name and Physical Address of Receiver• License Number of Shipper (Dealer Number)• Quantity of Aquatic Products Contained in the

shipment; finfish by species, number, orweight; oysters by volume; and all otheraquatic products by weight.

Shippers shall sequentially number invoices during each license year. No number may be usedtwice during any one license period.

Shipper and receiver shall maintain a copy of invoicefor a period of one year from date of shipment.

CONTAINERSAll containers of aquatic products shipped for commercial purposes must have a label attached tothe outside listing the following information:

• Aquatic Products Transportation Invoice numberof the shipment of which the container is a part

• Kind of aquatic product contained• Weight of aquatic product in the container

Finfish may not be shipped in individual packagesthat contain more than one species.

A commercial fisherman licensed to take aquaticproducts from Texas waters transporting his owncatch within this state is not required to invoice theshipment or label containers.

LICENSESAny person transporting aquatic products for commercial purposes must have in his possessionthe license authorizing the shipment.

• General Commercial Fisherman’s License,Commercial Finfish Fisherman’s License ofanother individual, and an affidavit from theholder of the Commercial Finfish Fisherman’sLicense authorizing the person to operatetheir fishing devices for shipment’s of the fish-erman’s own catch.

• General Commercial Fisherman’s License andCommercial Finfish Fisherman’s License for ship-ments of the fisherman’s own catch of finfish.

• Commercial Shrimp Boat License (or copy ofCommercial Shrimp Boat License) and Com-mercial Shrimp Boat Captain’s License forshipments of shrimp and/or other aquaticproducts taken on a commercial shrimp boat.

• Commercial Oyster Boat Captain’s License and Commercial Oyster Boat License (or copyof Commercial Oyster Boat License), for ship-ments of oysters taken on a commercial oysterboat.

SHIPPING REGULATIONS


PURCHASE OF AQUATIC PRODUCTS FOR RESALEWholesale Fish Dealers may purchase for resale, orreceive for sale, barter, exchange, or any other com-mercial purpose aquatic products only from personsor entities in this state who hold a valid:

• general commercial fisherman’s license;• commercial oyster fisherman’s license;• commercial oyster boat license;• wholesale fish dealer’s license;• fish farmer’s license;• commercial oyster boat captain’s license;• commercial shrimp boat license; • commercial shrimp boat captain’s license;• commercial crab fisherman’s license; or• commercial finfisherman’s license.All Wholesale Fish Dealers who purchase aquatic

product(s) from anyone except other Dealers, andall Wholesale Fish Dealers who harvest aquatic prod-uct(s) themselves are required to report these land-ings under the Aquatic Product Reporting Program.See page 11, COMMERCIAL HARVEST REPORTS.

Retail Fish Dealers may purchase for resale, orreceive for sale, barter, exchange, or any other com-mercial purpose aquatic products only from personsor entities in this state who hold a valid:

• wholesale fish dealer’s license;• fish farmer’s license;• general commercial fisherman’s license;

• commercial shrimp boat captain’s license;• commercial shrimp boat license when the retail

fish dealer has given written notification to theDepartment of the dealer’s intent to purchaseaquatic products from the holder of a generalcommercial fisherman’s license or a commer-cial shrimp boat license;

• commercial crab fisherman’s license; or• commercial finfisherman’s license.All Retail Fish Dealers who purchase aquatic prod-

uct(s) from anyone except other Dealers, and allRetail Fish Dealers who harvest aquatic product(s)themselves are required to report these landingsunder the Aquatic Product Reporting Program. Seepage 11, COMMERCIAL HARVEST REPORTS.

Restaurant owners, operators, or employeesmay purchase aquatic products (only for consump-tion by the restaurant’s patrons on the restaurantpremises) only from persons or entities in this statewho hold a valid:

• general commercial fisherman’s license;• wholesale fish dealer’s license;• fish farmer’s license; • commercial shrimp boat license; • commercial shrimp boat captain’s license;• commercial crab fisherman’s license; or• commercial finfisherman’s license.


Cash Sales Tickets: Dealers who purchase fish,shrimp, or other forms of aquatic products exceptoysters from any person other than another dealer,must maintain cash sale tickets at their place of busi-ness for a period of one year from the date of thepurchase. These cash sale tickets must be madeavailable for examination by an authorizedemployee of Texas Parks and Wildlife Departmentduring reasonable business hours.

A cash sales ticket must include:• the name of the seller;• the commercial license number of the seller;• the finfish license number of the seller, if one

is required;• the number of pounds sold by species;• the date of sale;• the water body or bay system from which the

aquatic products were taken; and • price paid per pound per species. Cash sales tickets are required for all aquatic

products except oysters and must be completed atthe time the products are delivered from the fisher-man to the dealer.

Oyster Transaction Receipt: Certified shellfishdealers handling oysters must maintain oyster transac-tion receipts at the place of business for at least one yearfrom the date of the transaction for each first sale orexchange transaction involving oysters. An oyster trans-action receipt must include: the name or registrationnumber and commercial oyster boat license number of

RECORDSthe oyster harvesting boat; the name of the captain ofthe boat; the number of crew on the boat; the com-mercial oyster fishermen license number of the harvester;the name of the receiving certified shellfish dealer; thenumber of barrels of oysters received; the price paid perbarrel; the location where the oysters were harvested;the description and number of gear used to harvest theoysters; and the date of the transaction.

COMMERCIAL HARVEST REPORTSMonthly Aquatic Products Report

All dealers who purchase or receive aquatic prod-uct(s) from anyone other than another dealer MUSTfile a monthly report with the Texas Parks and WildlifeDepartment on or before the 10th day of eachmonth following the month in which the reportableactivity occurred. The report must be filed everymonth, whether or not reportable activity occurs.The filing of an incorrect or false report is unlawful.This report must include the name, amount pur-chased, unit, unit price, processing code, water body,and kind(s) of equipment used for each species.

Source of FormsDealer report forms for saltwater and freshwaterproducts are available by writing: Commercial Harvest Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart-ment, Dickinson Marine Laboratory, 1502 F.M. 517 E,Dickinson, TX 77539 or calling (281) 534-0110.


• Commercial Oyster Fisherman’s License for ship-ments of the fisherman’s own catch of oysters.

• Wholesale or Retail Fish Dealer’s Truck Licenses(original license) or a copy of the Wholesale orRetail Fish Dealer’s business license for shipmentsgoing to or from the place of business of fish dealer.

No person may transport aquatic products out ofthis state for commercial purposes unless the ship-per first obtains a Wholesale Fish Dealer’s License,Retail Fish Dealer’s License, or a Bait Dealer’sLicense, whichever is applicable.

No person may bring into this state and deliveraquatic products for any commercial purpose unlesshe has obtained a Wholesale Fish Dealer’s License ora Retail Fish Dealer’s License, whichever is applicable.

A motor carrier providing contract carriage ofaquatic products for a fish dealer is not responsiblefor invoicing or labeling the shipment or obtaining aWholesale or Retail Fish Dealer’s License. The ship-per (seller of the aquatic product) is responsible forinvoicing and labeling the shipment and obtainingthe proper dealer’s license.

(Reduced version of truck decal. Must beat least 6 inches by 6 inches in size and incontrasting color to the truck.)

MARKING OF VEHICLESAll motor vehicles, trailers, or semi-trailers transporting finfish for com-mercial purposes are required to exhibit the inscription “FISH” on therear of the vehicle. The inscription shall read from left to right, beattached or painted on the vehicle in block Arabic letters of good pro-portion in contrasting color to the background and be at least 6 inchesin height, or be marked in the lower left portion, on the rear of the vehi-cle with a decal (see illustration – right) as prescribed by the Parks andWildlife Commission. For information call (512) 389-4628. Each indi-vidual dealer or company is responsible for generating their owndecal according to provided guidelines.

A motor carrier providing contract carriage of aquatic products for afish dealer is not required to mark his vehicle providing the motor car-rier does not own or have part ownership of the aquatic products.



IMPORTATION REGULATIONSNo person may import into this state or possess awildlife resource taken outside this state, unless theperson possessing the wildlife resource produces ondemand by a game warden a valid hunting, fishingor other applicable license, stamp, tag, permit ordocument for the state or country in which thewildlife resource was legally taken.

A person importing or possessing a wildliferesource from another state or country must pro-duce upon demand by a game warden a valid dri-ver’s license or personal identification certificate.

Fish imported into Texas and landed by boat, mustcomply with Texas bag and size limits. This does notapply to fish caught under the authority of anapproved Federal Fishery Management Plan.

IMPORTATION OF COMMERCIALLY PROTECTED FISH

All shipments of commercially protected finfishmust be accompanied by a “Commercially Pro-tected Finfish Shipping Invoice.” A copy of theinvoice must accompany all commercially pro-tected finfish shipments through their place offinal sale to the consumer.

Commercially Protected Finfish

• Bass of the genus Micropterus*• Bass, striped*• Bass, white*• Bass, yellow• Catfish, flathead*• Crappie, black*• Crappie, white*• Drum, red*• Grouper, goliath (formerly called jewfish)• Marlin, blue• Marlin, white• Muskellunge• Pike, northern• Sailfish• Sauger• Seatrout, spotted• Snook• Spearfish, longbill• Tarpon• Walleye• Hybrids of any of these fish*

*NOTICE: To be lawfully imported, sold, or pur-chased in Texas, bass of the genus Micropterus,crappie, flathead catfish, red drum, stripedbass, white bass, or a hybrid of any of these fishmust be farm raised and fed a prepared feed con-taining 20% or more of plant protein or grain by-products as a primary food source.

Commercially Protected Finfish Invoice1. Shall accompany all shipments of commer-

cially protected finfish imported, exported orshipped within the state.

2. Shall contain all of the following informa-tion, correctly stated and legibly written:

(a) Commercially Protected Finfish ShippingInvoice number;

(b) Date of shipment;(c) Name and physical address of shipper;(d) Name and physical address of receiver;(e) Shipper’s and receiver’s Texas Finfish

Import License number when required;(f) Number and weight of whole fish or

fillets by species contained in the ship-ment; and

(g) State (or country, if outside the UnitedStates) of origin.

3. Shall be in the form prescribed by the Parksand Wildlife Commission and 81/2 x 11 inches insize.

4. Be sequentially numbered during thelicense period.

5. The shipper and receiver is responsible forsubmitting a copy of each invoice for shipmentsmade during each month to the Texas Parksand Wildlife Department Regional LawEnforcement office on or before the 10th dayof the following month, except a retail dealeror restaurant selling only to the consumer is notrequired to submit a copy of the invoice.

6. One copy of each invoice must be retainedby the shipper and receiver, including retail deal-ers and restaurants, for a period of at least oneyear from the date of shipment.

Package RequirementsCommercial shipments of commercially pro-tected finfish must be shipped in containerswhose volume is no greater than six cubic feet orin containers that do not contain more thanthree individual fish each.

Package LabelsEach package of commercially protected finfishshall be labeled as to its contents. Labels shall beplaced on the outside of each package and con-tain the following information:

1. The commercially protected finfish invoicenumber of the shipment of which the package isa part.

2. The number and weight of whole fish or fillets by species contained in the package.

Importation of Commercially Protected Finfish from the EEZ by

Commercial FishermenA commercially protected finfish lawfully takenor raised for commercial purposes in the Exclu-sive Economic Zone (EEZ) under the authority ofa Federal Fishery Management Plan or FederalPermit may be transported into this state by theharvesting vessel. These commercially protectedfinfish may only be unloaded to the holder of aTexas Finfish Import License.



COASTAL WATERS BOUNDARYAll public waters east and south of the followingboundary are considered coastal waters: begin-ning at the International Toll Bridge inBrownsville, northward along U.S. Hwy. 77 tothe junction of Paredes Lines Road (FM Road1847) in Brownsville, thence northward alongFM Road 1847 to the junction of FM Road 106east of Rio Hondo, thence westward along FMRoad 106 to the junction of FM Road 508 in RioHondo, thence northward along FM Road 508to the junction of FM Road 1420, thence north-ward along FM Road 1420 to the junction ofState Hwy. 186 east of Raymondville, thencewestward along State Hwy. 186 to the junctionof U.S. Hwy. 77 near Raymondville, thencenorthward along U.S. Hwy. 77 to the junction ofthe Aransas River south of Woodsboro, thenceeastward along the south shore of the AransasRiver to the Junction of the Aransas River Roadat the Bonnie View boat ramp; thence north-ward along the Aransas River Road to the junc-tion of FM Road 2678 to the junction of FMRoad 774 in Refugio, thence eastward along FMRoad 774 to the junction of State Hwy. 35 southof Tivoli, thence northward along State Hwy. 35 to the junction of State Hwy. 185 between Bloomington and Seadrift, thence northwestward

along State Hwy. 185 to the junction of FMRoad 616 in Bloomington, thence northeast-ward along FM Road 616 to the junction ofState Hwy. 35 east of Blessing, thence south-ward along State Hwy. 35 to the junction ofFM Road 521 north of Palacios, thence north-eastward along FM Road 521 to the junction ofState Hwy. 36 south of Brazoria, thence south-ward along State Hwy. 36 to the junction ofFM Road 2004, thence northward along FMRoad 2004 to the junction of Interstate Hwy.45 between Dickinson and La Marque, thencenorthwestward along Interstate Hwy. 45 tothe junction of Interstate Hwy. 610 in Hous-ton, thence east and northward along Inter-state Hwy. 610 to the junction of Interstate

Hwy. 10 in Houston, thence east-ward along Interstate

Hwy. 10 to the junction of State Hwy. 73 in Winnie, thence

eastward along State Hwy. 73 to thejunction of U.S. Hwy. 287 in Port Arthur,

thence northwestward along U.S. Hwy. 287 to the junction of Interstate Hwy. 10 in Beaumont, thence eastward along InterstateHwy. 10 to the Louisiana State Line.

The public waters: (1) waters of SpindletopBayou inland from the concrete dam at RusselsLanding on Spindletop Bayou in JeffersonCounty; (2) north of the dam on Lake Anahuacin Chambers County; (3) the waters of TaylorBayou and Big Hill Bayou inland from the salt-water locks on Taylor Bayou in JeffersonCounty; (4) Galveston County Reservoir onState Hwy. 146 and Galveston State Park Ponds#1 through 7 in Galveston County; (5) Lake-view City Park Lake, West Guth Park Pond, andWaldron Park Pond in Nueces County; (6) LakeBurke-Crenshaw and Lake Nassau in HarrisCounty; (7) Fort Brown Resaca, Resaca de laGuerra, Resaca de la Palma, Resaca de losCuates, Resaca de los Fresnos, Resaca RanchoViejo, and Town Resaca in Cameron County;and (8) Little Chocolate Bayou Park Ponds #1and #2 in Port Lavaca in Calhoun County, arenot considered coastal waters for purposes ofthis proclamation.



FISHGENERAL REGULATIONS

It is unlawful to take, attempt to take, pos-sess, sell, or purchase fish within a protectedlength limit, in greater numbers, by othermeans, or at any time or place other than asprovided in this guide.

It is unlawful to transport by boat or personany fish within a protected length limit, or inexcess of the daily bag limit or possessionlimit established for those fish.

No person on board a licensed commercialfishing boat (a commercial fishing boat, com-mercial shrimp boat, menhaden boat, com-mercial oyster boat) may possess any fishspecies whose sale is prohibited. To legallysport fish from a licensed commercial fishingboat the commercial plates must be removedfrom the boat. While no commercial platesare on board all sport fishing regulationsapply including size, bag, and possession lim-its. While the commercial plates are on board,all commercial regulations apply, includingsize, bag and possession limits.

No person may possess a finfish of anyspecies, except broadbill swordfish, shark orking mackerel, taken from public water thathas the head or tail removed until such personfinally lands the catch on the mainland, apeninsula or barrier island, not including jet-ties, piers and does not transport the catch byboat.

Leaving fish to die. A person commits anoffense if the person leaves edible fish orbait fish taken from the public waters of thisstate to die without the intent to retain thefish for consumption or bait.

PROHIBITED ACTS IN ALL PUBLIC WATERS

It is unlawful to fail to immediately remove theintestines from grass carp, tilapia, or anyother harmful exotic species when caughtor possessed. (For a complete listing contactTPWD at (800) 792-1112.)

It is unlawful for any person to use a gaffexcept to aid in the landing of fish caught byother legal devices, means, or methods. Fishlanded with a gaff may not be below the min-imum, above the maximum, or within a pro-tected length limit.

It is unlawful for any person to release intothe public waters of this state a fish with a

device or substance implanted or attachedthat is designed, constructed, or adapted toproduce an audible, visual, or electronic signalused to monitor, track, follow, or in any man-ner aid in the location of the released fish.

It is unlawful to catch, possess, use, trans-port, purchase or sell any game fish or any partthereof as bait.

Billfish, except swordfish, may not belanded or possessed by the captain or crew ofa commercial fishing vessel.

SALE OF FISH — FRESH WATER

It is unlawful to sell any fish taken from thepublic fresh water of Texas except for the following:

(1) Channel and Blue catfish over 14inches in length taken in the following:

• Angelina County• Bowie County• Camp County• Cass County• Chambers County• Franklin County• Freestone County• Gregg County• Hardin County• Harris County• Harrison County• Jasper County• Jefferson County• Lamar County• Leon County• Liberty County• Madison County• Marion County• Montgomery

County• Morris County• Nacogdoches

County• Navarro County

• Newton County• Orange County• Panola County• Polk County• Red River County• Sabine County• San Augustine

County• San Jacinto County• Shelby County• Titus County• Trinity County• Tyler County• Upshur County• Walker County• the Neches and

Trinity rivers in Houston County

• the Colorado River in Bastrop, Colorado, Fayette, Matagorda, or Wharton counties

(2) A PERMIT TO SELL NON-GAME FISHis required to sell alligator gar, shortnose gar,spotted gar, longnose gar, bowfin, gizzardshad, threadfin shad, common carp, goldfish,grass carp, bighead carp, bigmouth buffalo,black buffalo, smallmouth buffalo, river carp-sucker, black bullhead, yellow bullhead, fresh-water drum (gaspergou), Mozambique tilapia,blue tilapia, redbelly tilapia, Rio Grande perch,silversides, mullet, shiners, minnows, andhybrids of these species taken from the pub-lic fresh waters of this state. Other non-gamefish may not be sold. For permit informationcall (512) 389-8037.


SALE OF FISH — SALT WATER

All fish listed below taken from the public saltwater of Texas may NOT be sold for any pur-pose. All other fish taken from public saltwater may be sold provided all commercialfishing regulations including licensing, andsize, possession, and bag limits are met.

• Bass of the genusMicropterus

• Bass, striped• Bass, white• Bass, yellow• Catfish, flathead• Crappie, black• Crappie, white• Drum, red• Grouper, goliath

(formerly called jewfish)

• Marlin, blue• Marlin, white

• Muskellunge• Pike, northern• Sailfish• Sauger• Seatrout,

spotted• Snook• Spearfish,

longbill• Tarpon• Walleye• Hybrids of any

of these fish

Commercial Fishing SeasonsThe commercial fishing seasons for red snap-per, sharks, and king mackerel caught in Texaswaters shall run concurrently with commercialseasons established for these species in fed-eral waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone(more than 9nm off shore).

HOW TO MEASURE FISH AND CRABS

The length to be measured is thatstraight line distance from the tip ofthe snout to the extreme tip of the tailor caudal fin. All measurements are tobe made as that straight line distance(not over the curve of the body) withthe fish lying on its side and with thejaw closed in a normal position, notextended in any way. The tail shouldbe squeezed or rotated to produce themaximum overall length.

TEXAS STATE WATERS — FEDERAL WATERS

Texas recreational and commercial fishermen fishing more than nine (9) nautical miles offthe coast of Texas are in federal waters andare subject to rules and regulations that maydiffer from those in state waters. To insureyou are in compliance with federal regula-tions, you should contact the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council at (888) 833-1844 (toll-free).

PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE — SPECIAL REGULATIONS

Until further notice, after November 15,2000, the National Park Service will prohibitcommercial fishing within the park boundaryof the Padre Island National Seashore in theLaguna Madre and 1/8 mile east of theshoreline into the Gulf of Mexico to the two-fathom depth.

Commercial fishing guides are required tohave an Incidental Business Permit in order tooperate within the park boundaries.

For more information contact the NationalPark Service at (361) 949-8173.




The possession limit does not apply to fish inthe possession of:

(1) a person who has an invoice or salesticket showing the name and address of theseller, number of fish by species, date of the sale,and other information required on a sales ticketor an invoice.

(2) for all wildlife resources (including fish)taken for personal consumption and for which

there is a possession limit, the possession limitshall not apply after the wildlife resource hasreached its final destination.

It is unlawful for any person while fishing onor in public waters to have in possession fish inexcess of the daily bag limit or fish within a pro-tected length limit as established for thosewaters.

COMMERCIAL BAG, POSSESSION, AND LENGTH LIMITSMinimum Maximum

Bag Possession Length LengthSpecies Limit Limit (Inches) (Inches)

Amberjack, greater 1 2 32 No limit

Drum, black* No limit No limit 14 30

Catfish: blue & 25*** 50 14 No limitchannel (In any (In any

combination) combination)

Catfish, gafftopsail No limit No limit 14 No limit

Cobia 2 4 37 No limit

Flounder° 60 60 14 No limit

Mackerel, king 2 4 27 No limit

Mackerel, Spanish 15 30 14 No limit

Mullet: all species No limit No limit No limit 12their hybrids & during Oct., Nov.,subspecies** Dec. & Jan.

Snapper, lane No limit No limit 8 No limit

Snapper, red 4 8 15 No limit

Snapper, vermilion No limit No limit 10 No limit

Shark: All species, 1 2 24 No limittheir hybrids &subspecies

Sheepshead* No limit No limit 12 No limit

°Special Regulation: The daily bag and possession limit for the holder of a valid commercial finfish fisherman’s license is 60 flounder, except on board a licensed commercial shrimp boat thelimit is 10 per person and is subject to the 50% bycatch rule (see page 20).

*Only the holder of a commercial finfish fisherman’s license is exempt from recreational bag andpossession limits while commercial fishing for black drum or sheepshead.

**May not take from public waters or possess on board a boat mullet over 12 inches during October, November, December and January. No limits apply during other months.

***Exceptions to daily bag limit:1) in Lake Livingston (Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties) the daily bag limit for chan-

nel and blue catfish is 50 in any combination;2) in lakes lying totally within a state park and community fishing lakes (see the Texas Parks &

Wildlife Outdoor Annual), the daily bag limit for channel and blue catfish is 5 in any combi-nation and fish may be taken by pole and line only.


FRESHWATER DEVICES, MEANS, AND METHODSThis section describes what fishing devicesmay be lawfully used to take fish from publicfreshwater and in what areas the devices maybe used. Areas of the state where fish may betaken commercially from public fresh waterare described in the SALE OF FISH — FRESHWATER section on page 14 of this guide.

It is unlawful for any person to fish withmore than 100 hooks on all devices combinedor for any person to take, attempt to take, orpossess fish caught by any device, means, ormethod other than as listed in this guide.

In Community Fishing Lakes and in sectionsof rivers lying totally within the boundaries ofstate parks, game and non-game fish may betaken by pole and line only.

Channel and blue catfish may be taken onlyby pole and line (includes rod and reel), trot-line, jugline, or throwline.

Non-game fish may be taken by pole and line(includes rod and reel), trotline, jugline,throwline, shad trawl, minnow seine, dip net,cast net, minnow trap, gig, umbrella net,speargun and spear, or bow and arrow.

Cast Net: It is unlawful for any person touse a cast net exceeding 14 feet in diameter.Non-game fish only may be taken.

Dip Net: It is unlawful for any person totake game fish with a dip net except a dipnet may be used to aid in the landing of fishcaught on other legal devices.

Jugline: It is unlawful for any person to use ajugline with more than 5 hooks attached.Gear tags must be attached within six inchesof the free floating device, are valid for 30days after the date set out, and must includethe number of the permit to sell non-gamefish taken from public fresh water, if applica-ble. For commercial purposes, a jugline mustbe marked with an orange free floatingdevice; for non-commercial purposes, a jug-line must be marked with a white free floatingdevice. The use of a jugline is prohibited inLake Bastrop, Bellwood Lake, Boerne City ParkLake, Lake Bryan, Lakes Coffee Mill and DavyCrockett in Fannin County, Dixieland Reser-voir, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, TankersleyReservoir in Titus County, Community FishingLakes, and in sections of rivers lying totallywithin the boundaries of a state park.

Lawful Archery Equipment: Non-game fishonly may be taken.

Minnow Seine: It is unlawful for any personto use a minnow seine: which exceeds 20 feetin length; with mesh exceeding 1/2-inchsquare; or which is not manually operated.Non-game fish only may be taken.

Minnow Trap: It is unlawful for any personto use a minnow trap exceeding 24 inches inlength or with a throat larger than 1 inch x 3inches. Non-game fish only may be taken.

Shad Trawl: It is unlawful for any person touse a shad trawl longer than 6 feet or with amouth larger than 36 inches in diameter. Ashad trawl may be equipped with a funnel orthroat and must be towed by a boat or byhand. Non-game fish only may be taken.

Speargun and Spear: Non-game fish onlymay be taken.

Throwline: It is unlawful for any person touse a throwline with more than 5 hooksattached. The use of a throwline is prohibitedin Lake Bastrop, Bellwood Lake, Boerne CityPark Lake, Lake Bryan, Lakes Coffee Mill andDavy Crockett in Fannin County, DixielandReservoir, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, TankersleyReservoir in Titus County, community fishinglakes, and in sections of rivers lying totallywithin the boundaries of a state park.

Trotline: It is unlawful for any person touse a trotline: with a mainline lengthexceeding 600 feet; without valid gear tags(gear tags must be attached within 3 feet ofeach end of the trotline and are valid only for30 days after the date set out); with hookintervals of less than 3 horizontal feet; withmetallic stakes; with the main fishing line andattached hooks and stagings above thewater’s surface; or with more than 50 hooks.

The use of trotlines is prohibited in PinkstonReservoir, Lake Bastrop, Gibbons Creek Reser-voir, Fayette County Reservoir, Bellwood Lake,Boerne City Park Lake, Lakes Coffee Mill andDavy Crockett in Fannin County, DixielandReservoir, Tankersley Reservoir in Titus County,Community Fishing Lakes, and in reservoirs orsections of rivers lying totally within theboundaries of a state park.

Umbrella Net: It is unlawful for any personto use an umbrella net with the area withinthe frame exceeding 16 square feet. Non-game fish only may be taken.




SALTWATER DEVICES, MEANS AND METHODS

It is unlawful to take gamefish on any deviceexcept pole and line (includes rod and reel).Non-game fish may be taken with lawfularchery equipment, cast net (for bait only),gig, minnow seine (for bait only), perch trap(for bait only), pole and line (includes rod andreel), spear gun and spear, or trotline. Purseseines may be used for taking menhaden only.

In salt water, it is unlawful to fish with anydevice that is marked with a buoy made of aplastic bottle(s) of any color or size.

Cast Net: It is unlawful for any person touse a cast net exceeding 14 feet in diameter.Non-game fish only, to be used for bait only,may be taken.

Minnow Seine: It is unlawful for any per-son to use a minnow seine which exceeds 20feet in length. Non-game fish only, to be usedfor bait only, may be taken.

Perch trap: Perch traps may be used to takebait only, may not exceed 18 cubic feet andmust be marked with an orange floating visi-ble buoy not less than 6 inches in height and6 inches in width. The buoy must have a geartag attached.

Purse Seine: Purse seines with not less than 1-1/2 inch stretched mesh, not including thebag, may be used only for taking menhadenfrom the third Monday in April through thefirst day in November. Purse seines for takingmenhaden may not be used in any bay, river,pass or tributary, nor within one mile of anybarrier, jetty, island or pass, nor within 1/2mile offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Whenusing a purse seine to take menhaden, edibleaquatic products may not exceed 5 percent byvolume of the menhaden in possession.

Trotline: A non-metallic main fishing line withmore than five hooks attached and with eachend attached to a fixture.• May be used to take non-game fish,

channel catfish, blue catfish and flatheadcatfish.

• Red drum, spotted seatrout and sharkscaught on a trotline may not be retained orpossessed.

• Maximum Number of Trotlines Allowed:• It is unlawful to fish for commercial

purposes with more than 20 trotlines atone time.

• It is unlawful to fish for non-commercialpurposes with more than 1 trotline atone time.

• Tag Requirements:• Must be used with a valid GEAR TAG

(see page 4) attached and attachedwithin 3 feet of the first hook at eachend of the trotline.

• Construction and Design Restrictions:• The mainline length may not exceed

600 feet.• May not use metallic stakes.• May not place the main fishing line and

attached hooks and stagings above thewater’s surface.

• Must be marked with yellow flaggingattached to stakes or with a yellow float-ing buoy not less than six inches inheight and six inches in width, attachedto end fixtures.

• Floats must be yellow.• Buoys or floats may not be made of

plastic bottle(s) of any color or size.• May not be baited with other than

natural bait (EXCEPT Sail Lines). Naturalbait is whole or cut-up portion of a fishor shellfish or a whole or cut-up portionof plant material in its natural state, pro-vided that none of these may be alteredbeyond cutting into portions.

• Hooks must be 3 feet apart.• May not be used with hooks other than

circle-type hook (comparable to Mustad11/0 circle hook Model #39960ST) withpoint curved in and having a gap (dis-tance from point to shank) of no morethan one-half inch, and with the diame-ter of the circle not less than five-eighthsinch (EXCEPT Sail Lines).

• Placement and Location Restrictions:• May not be used in or on the waters of

the Gulf of Mexico within the jurisdictionof this state;

• May not be placed closer than 50 feetfrom any other trotline, or set within 200feet of the edge of the IntracoastalWaterway or its tributary channels.

• May not be used in Aransas County in Little Bay and the water area of AransasBay within one-half mile of a line fromHail Point on the Lamar Peninsula, thendirect to the eastern end of Goose Island,then along the southern shore of GooseIsland, then along the causeway betweenLamar Peninsula and Live Oak Peninsula,


then along the eastern shoreline of theLive Oak Peninsula past the town of Ful-ton, past Nine-Mile Point, past the townof Rockport to a point at the east end ofTalley Island, including that part ofCopano Bay within 1,000 feet of thecauseway between Lamar Peninsula andLive Oak Peninsula.

• No trotline or trotline components(EXCEPT Sail Lines), including lines andhooks, but excluding poles, may be leftin or on coastal waters between thehours of 1 p.m. on Friday through 1 p.m.on Sunday of each week, except thatattended sail lines are excluded from therestrictions imposed by this clause.Under the authority of the Texas Parksand Wildlife Code, §66.206(b), in theevent small craft advisories or highermarine weather advisories issued by theNational Weather Service are in place at

8:00 a.m. on Friday, trotlines may remainin the water until 6 p.m. on Friday. Ifsmall craft advisories are in place at 1 p.m. on Friday, trotlines may remain inthe water until Saturday. When smallcraft advisories are lifted by 8 a.m. onSaturday, trotlines must be removed by 1 p.m. on Saturday. When small craftadvisories or higher marine weatheradvisories are still in place at 1 p.m. onSaturday, trotlines may remain in thewater through 1 p.m. on Sunday. It is aviolation to tend, bait or harvest fish orany other aquatic life from trotlines dur-ing the period that trotline removalrequirements are suspended under thisprovision for adverse weather condi-tions. For purposes of enforcement, thegeographic area customarily covered bymarine weather advisories will be delin-eated by department policy.

A license management program (limitedentry) has been in effect for the Texas bayand bait shrimp fishery since June 1999.

For further information regarding any lim-ited entry requirements or other provisions ofthe program contact: Mr. Art Morris, TexasParks and Wildlife Department, Coastal Fish-eries Division, Natural Resources Building,6300 Ocean Drive, Suite 2500, Corpus Christi,TX 78412, (361) 980-3353 or Mr. BobbyMiller, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,Coastal Fisheries Division, 1502 F.M. 517 E,Dickinson, TX 77539, (281) 534-0110.

FINFISH LICENSE MANAGEMENTFINFISH LICENSE

BUYBACK PROGRAM

At least once each year, the Texas Parks andWildlife Department provides an opportunityfor holders of commercial finfish licenses toapply to have their licenses purchased by theDepartment. If you are interested in moreinformation about participating in this volun-tary program contact the Coastal FisheriesDivision, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744, (800) 792-1112 ext. 4645 or (512) 389-4645.

GENERAL REGULATIONS

LICENSE REQUIRED• Commercial Shrimp Boat Captain’s License• Commercial Shrimp Boat License

(Bay, Bait, or Gulf)

(see pages 6 and 9)

To legally sport fish from a licensed commer-cial shrimp boat and to legally catch and retainfish species prohibited from sale, the commer-cial plates must be removed from the boat.While no commercial plates are on board, all

sport fishing regulations apply including size,bag and possession limits. All commercial reg-ulations apply when the commercial plates areon board.

It is unlawful to:• take or attempt to take shrimp within the

boundaries of any natural or man-madepass leading from the inside waters to theoutside waters (Gulf of Mexico) of thestate.

• use a trawl or fail to have the spreadingdevices on deck and the trawl bag untied ata time when shrimping is prohibited.

SHRIMP




• possess a trawl that is too wide or has smallmesh in an area where the trawl is prohibited.Such trawls may be possessed on vessels inport or in a marked channel going directly toor from an area in this state where the use ofthe trawl is permitted.

• head shrimp aboard a boat in inside waters. • possess a device designed to catch fish or

other aquatic life, including a shrimp trawl, inor on the public waters of the state where theuse of the device is prohibited.

• catch and retain fish species prohibited fromsale on a licensed commercial shrimp boatwhile the commercial plates are on board.

• retain a red drum, spotted seatrout, or light-ning whelk on board a licensed commercialshrimp boat if there is a trawl on board theboat.

It is unlawful for any person:• aboard a vessel licensed as a commercial bay

shrimp boat to off-load, transfer, sell, or barterany amount of live or dead shrimp to a personaboard another vessel;

• aboard a vessel to off-load, transfer, purchase,or barter from a person aboard a vessellicensed as a commercial bay shrimp boat anyamount of live or dead shrimp;

• aboard a vessel licensed as a commercial baitshrimp boat to off-load, transfer, sell, or barterany amount of live or dead shrimp, except anamount of live or dead shrimp not to exceedtwo quarts per sport fisherman or one gallon(by volume) for two or more sport fishermenmay be off-loaded, transferred, sold, orbartered to a person aboard a sport fishingvessel; or

• aboard a vessel to off-load, transfer, purchase,or barter from a person aboard a vessellicensed as a commercial bait shrimp boat anyamount of live or dead shrimp, except a per-son aboard a sport fishing vessel may off-load,transfer, purchase, or barter an amount ofshrimp not to exceed two quarts per sportfisherman or one gallon (by volume) for twoor more sport fishermen.

A commercial shrimp boat license must beprominently displayed as to be clearly visiblefrom both sides of the boat.

Fresh shrimp may be held in possession onlythrough open seasons and 5 days thereafter,except that bait dealers and sport fishermenmay possess bait shrimp throughout the year.

The captain of a licensed commercialshrimp boat is required to hold a Commer-cial Shrimp Boat Captain’s license.

Non-game fish and other aquatic productstaken incidental to legal shrimp trawling opera-tions may be retained provided:

• the total weight of aquatic productsretained, in any combination, do notexceed 50% by weight of shrimp on ashrimping vessel; or

• from May 1 to September 30 up to 1,500live non-game fish not regulated by bag orsize limit and/or 300 dozen ribbonfish maybe retained daily for bait purposes onlyon board a vessel licensed for commercialbait shrimp fishing.

The taking of aquatic products of illegal sizeon board a licensed commercial shrimp boatengaged in the lawful taking of shrimp is not aviolation if the aquatic products of unlawful sizeare returned to the waters from which taken in amanner to ensure their best chance of survival.

DISPLAY BOAT NUMBERSAll commercial shrimp boats are required toexhibit the vessel’s documentation or registra-tion number on the port and starboard sides ofthe deckhouse or hull and on an appropriateweather deck. The number in block Arabicnumerals in contrasting color to the backgroundmust be at least 18 inches in height on vesselsover 65 feet and 10 inches in height for all othervessels and be permanently attached.

METHOD OF NET MEASUREMENTAll total widths specified for commercial ottertrawls, including try nets, are measured alongthe uninterrupted corkline from leading tip ofdoor to leading tip of door, including any and alladd-on devices or attachments to the corkline.All beam trawl widths are measured along thebeam in its fully extended position.

Mesh sizes specified for commercial trawlsapply to the trawl, bag and trawl liner and aremeasured in inches of length between the twomost widely separated knots in any consecutiveseries of five stretched meshes after the trawlhas been placed in use.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS(Bay and Bait Shrimping)

A boat having on board or displaying a baitshrimp boat license must operate only undercommercial bait shrimp regulations, including: 1)200 pound daily limit; 2) maintaining 50% of theshrimp alive; 3) places authorized for bait shrimp-ing; and 4) sale or unload to a bait shrimp dealeror sportsman. See page 19, GENERAL REGU-LATIONS.

A shrimp boat licensed both as a bay shrimpboat and a bait shrimp boat may not shrimp inboth a major bay and any other water on thesame calendar day during the period May 15through July 15 (Spring Open Season).

A shrimp boat licensed both as a bay shrimpboat and a bait shrimp boat may not take morethan 600 pounds of heads on shrimp per calen-dar day during the period May 15 through July 15(Spring Open Season).


SHRIMP LICENSE MANAGEMENT

A license management program (limited entry)has been in effect for the Texas bay and baitshrimp fishery since June 1995.

For further information on any limited entryrequirements and restrictions, contact: CoastalFisheries Division, Texas Parks and WildlifeDepartment, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin,Texas 78744; (800) 792-1112, ext. 4645 or (512) 389-4645.

SHRIMP LICENSE BUYBACK PROGRAM

At least once each year, the Texas Parks andWildlife Department provides an opportunity forholders of commercial bay-shrimp boat licensesand/or commercial bait-shrimp boat licenses toapply to have their licenses purchased by theDepartment. If you are interested in more infor-mation about participating in this voluntary pro-gram contact the Coastal Fisheries Division, TexasParks and Wildlife, 4200 Smith School Road,Austin, Texas 78744; 1-800-792-1112 ext. 4645or (512) 389-4645.

WATERS DEFINED

Outside Waters—That part of the Gulf of Mexico extending from the shoreline seaward 9 nautical miles.

Inside Waters—All bays, passes, rivers, or otherbodies of water landward from the Gulf of Mexico. In these waters, the tide rises and fallsand saltwater shrimp are found or migrate.

Major Bays (arranged geographically north tosouth)• Sabine Lake (north of Cameron Causeway to

the south of a line marked by the GIWW[Sabine Neches Canal/Sabine River] betweenthe eastern most tip of Goat Island to the west-ern most tip of Stewts Island)

• Trinity Bay (southward from a line extendingfrom the mouth of Double Bayou in Cham-bers County to Double Bayou Channel Marker14, to Separator C-2, to Point Barrow inChambers County)

• Galveston Bay• East Bay (westward from a line extending

from Frozen Point to the GIWW Marker 12)• Matagorda Bay (westward of a line extending

from a location on the mainland where a linerunning immediately northwest [bearing 330degrees] from Shellfish Marker A intersects

the mainland; thence southeasterly to Shell-fish Marker A located near the mainland,thence to Shellfish Marker B located near theend of Shell Island Reef, thence to the tidegauge located near the Matagorda Peninsula,and thence southeasterly [bearing 153degrees] to the Matagorda Peninsula)

• East Matagorda Bay• Tres Palacios Bay (south of a line from Grassey

Point to the mouth of Pinkerton)• Espiritu Santo Bay• Lavaca Bay (seaward of State Hwy. 35)• San Antonio Bay (seaward of a line from

McDowell Point to Mosquito Point)• Aransas Bay• Corpus Christi Bay (exclusive of the area

bounded by a line extending from the GIWWat the southwest point of Dagger Islandchain, along Dagger Island to the southeasttip of Ransom Island, then southeast to thewesternmost point of land north of Marker14 in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel)

• All exclusive of tributary bays, bayous, andinlets, lakes and rivers.

Bait Bays include major bays and the follow-ing (arranged geographically north to south)• Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) exclusive

of all tributaries• Chocolate Bay• West Bay (south and west of Interstate

Hwy. 45 Causeway Bridge and the GIWWinclusive of the area south of a line extendingwestward from the Interstate Hwy. 45 Cause-way Bridge at Virgina Point, along the south-ern edge of Tiki Island to the northeastern tipof North Deer Island at Channel Marker 48)

• Trinity Bay (northward from a line extendingfrom the mouth of Double Bayou in Cham-bers County to Double Bayou Channel Marker14, to Separator C-2, to Point Barrow inChambers County)

• The Old Brazos River (lying north of theGIWW in Brazoria County)

• Baroom Bay• Upper Laguna Madre• Alazan Bay• Baffin Bay, and• Lower Laguna Madre including the

Brownsville Ship Channel

Nursery Areas (Those coastal waters not specif-ically named above as Major Bays or Bait Baysare considered Nursery Areas)—Includes tributarybays, bayous, inlets, lakes, and rivers that providegrowth and development environments for post-larval and juvenile shrimp. Does not include out-side waters, major bays or bait bays.




Port Arthur

Galveston

Palacios

Port O’Connor

Rockport

Corpus Christi

Brownsville

Louisiana

Mexico3 nm 5 nm 9 nm

3 nm

9 nm

5 nm

Corpus Christi Fish PassLatitude 27° 40' 34"

SouthernShrimpZone

NorthernShrimpZone

A B C

D E FGulf of Mexico

Area of coverage.

MAP OF GULF SHRIMP FISHERY MANAGEMENT ZONES


OU

TS

IDE

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ulf

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Feb.

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ay 1

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ly 1

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ers

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iles

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eral

May

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July

15*

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ave

chan

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prio

r to

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licat

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erie

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e.

The

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the

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are

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as f

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Map

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ts(s

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Loca

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ts

F5-

9 n

auti

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July

16*

* –

Nov

. 30

D

ay a

nd N

ight

Bag:

No

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it•

Nu

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:N

o Li

mit

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m

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Dec

. 1

– M

ay.

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Size

: N

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• T

raw

l Siz

e:N

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mit

Not

less

tha

n 8-

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inch

es

• A

ppro

ved

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Ds†

are

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ired

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ched

mes

hes

E3-

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auti

cal

July

16*

* –

Nov

. 30

30 m

in.

befo

reBa

g: N

o Li

mit

• A

ppro

ved

TED

s‡ar

e re

quire

dm

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ise

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0 m

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Size

: N

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mit

afte

r su

nset

(Con

tinue

d)

Southern Shrimp Zone




SOU

THER

N S

HR

IMP

ZON

E(S

outh

of

a lin

e fr

om t

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orpu

s C

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ti Fi

sh P

ass

[Lat

itude

27°

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4"]

to t

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exic

an B

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r) (

cont

inue

d)

The

Stat

e O

utsi

de W

ater

s of

the

Sou

ther

n Sh

rimp

Zone

are

OPE

N T

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as f

ollo

ws:

(co

ntin

ued)

Map

Seg

men

ts(s

ee p

g.

19)

Loca

tio

nSe

aso

n (

Dat

es)

Ho

urs

Lim

its

Traw

l Req

uir

emen

ts

DIn

sid

e 3

July

16*

* –

Nov

. 30

30 m

in.

befo

reBa

g: N

o Li

mit

• N

um

ber

of

traw

ls:

No

mor

e M

esh

Siz

e:n

auti

cal m

iles

sunr

ise

to 3

0 m

in.

Size

: N

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mit

than

2N

ot le

ss t

han

8-3/

4 in

ches

af

ter

suns

et•

App

rove

d B

RD

s†ar

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quire

dov

er 5

str

etch

ed m

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s•

App

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d TE

Ds‡

are

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ired

Traw

l Siz

e:O

tter

tra

wls

mus

t ha

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oors

at

leas

t 3

ft.

long

as

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terli

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lead

ing

tip o

f do

or t

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and

each

net

can

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and

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on d

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tach

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ts t

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Do

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Len

gth

(ft

.)To

tal W

idth

(ft

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ore

but

less

tha

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4'71

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or

mor

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han

5'

73'

5’ o

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ore

but

less

tha

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6'75

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or

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e bu

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han

7'

77'

7' o

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ore

but

less

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8'79

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9'

81'

9' o

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but

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'83

'10

' or

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85'

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ore

but

less

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' or

mor

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'

Try

Net

s:•

Ott

er T

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ls —

Tot

al W

idth

: 21

ft.

; D

oors

: 45

0 sq

uare

inch

es•

Bea

m T

raw

ls —

May

not

exc

eed

10 f

t. in

wid

th

**SP

ECIA

L N

OTI

CE:

Thes

e da

tes

may

be

chan

ged

by t

he d

epar

tmen

t pr

ovid

ing

72 h

ours

pub

lic n

otic

e on

new

clo

sing

dat

es a

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4 ho

urs

notic

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ope

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†B

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educ

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Dev

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Dm

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Tur

tle E

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Dev

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Southern Shrimp Zone


NO

RTH

ERN

SH

RIM

P ZO

NE

(Nor

th o

f a

line

from

the

Cor

pus

Chr

isti

Fish

Pas

s [L

atitu

de 2

7°40

' 34"

] to

the

Lou

isia

na B

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r)Th

e St

ate

Out

side

Wat

ers

of t

he N

orth

ern

Shrim

p Zo

ne a

re C

LOSE

D T

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HR

IMPI

NG

as f

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Map

Seg

men

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19)

Loca

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Dat

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Ho

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Lim

its

Traw

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A &

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30 m

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nau

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A &

BIn

sid

e 5

Win

ter

Clo

sed

Sea

son

Day

and

Nig

htC

LOSE

D T

O S

HR

IMPI

NG

nau

tica

l mile

sD

ec.

1 –

Feb.

15

A,

B &

CIn

sid

e 9

Sum

mer

Clo

sed

Sea

son

Day

and

Nig

htC

LOSE

D T

O S

HR

IMPI

NG

nau

tica

l mile

sM

ay 1

5**

– Ju

ly 1

5**

9-20

0 n

auti

cal

Sum

mer

Clo

sed

Sea

son

IMPO

RTA

NT

NO

TIC

E:Th

e ru

les

rega

rdin

g th

e Su

mm

er C

lose

d Se

ason

for

Fed

eral

Wat

ers

off

Texa

sm

iles

(Fed

eral

May

15*

* –

July

15*

*m

ay h

ave

chan

ged

prio

r to

pub

licat

ion

of t

his

guid

e. F

or c

urre

nt r

ules

, pl

ease

cal

l the

Nat

iona

l Mar

ine

Wat

ers)

Fish

erie

s Se

rvic

e at

(72

7) 5

70-5

305

or c

onta

ct y

our

near

est

TPW

D L

aw E

nfor

cem

ent

offic

e.

The

Stat

e O

utsi

de W

ater

s of

the

Nor

ther

n Sh

rimp

Zone

are

OPE

N T

O S

HR

IMPI

NG

as f

ollo

ws:

Map

Seg

men

ts(s

ee p

g.

19)

Loca

tio

nSe

aso

n (

Dat

es)

Ho

urs

Lim

its

Traw

l Req

uir

emen

ts

C5-

9 n

auti

cal

July

16*

* –

Nov

. 30

D

ay a

nd N

ight

Bag:

No

Lim

it•

Nu

mb

er o

f tr

awls

:N

o Li

mit

Mes

h S

ize:

m

iles

Dec

. 1

– M

ay 1

5**

Size

: N

o Li

mit

• T

raw

l Siz

e:N

o Li

mit

Not

less

tha

n 8-

3/4

inch

es

• A

ppro

ved

BR

Ds†

are

requ

ired

over

5 s

tret

ched

mes

hes

B3-

5 n

auti

cal

Feb.

16

– M

ay 1

5**

30 m

in.

befo

reBa

g: N

o Li

mit

• A

ppro

ved

TED

s‡ar

e re

quire

dm

iles

July

16*

* –

Nov

. 30

sunr

ise

to 3

0 m

in.

Size

: N

o Li

mit

afte

r su

nset

AIn

sid

e 3

Feb.

16

– M

ay 1

5**

30 m

in.

befo

reBa

g: N

o Li

mit

• N

um

ber

of

traw

ls:

No

mor

e M

esh

Siz

e:n

auti

cal m

iles

July

16*

* –

Nov

. 30

sunr

ise

to 3

0 m

in.

Size

: N

o Li

mit

than

2N

ot le

ss t

han

8-3/

4 in

ches

af

ter

suns

et•

App

rove

d B

RD

s†ar

e re

quire

dov

er 5

str

etch

ed m

eshe

s•

App

rove

d TE

Ds‡

are

requ

ired

(Con

tinue

d)

Northern Shrimp Zone




NO

RTH

ERN

SH

RIM

P ZO

NE

(Nor

th o

f a

line

from

the

Cor

pus

Chr

isti

Fish

Pas

s [L

atitu

de 2

7°40

' 34"

] to

the

Lou

isia

na B

orde

r) (

Con

tinue

d)

The

Stat

e O

utsi

de W

ater

s of

the

Nor

ther

n Sh

rimp

Zone

are

OPE

N T

O S

HR

IMPI

NG

as f

ollo

ws:

(C

ontin

ued)

Map

Seg

men

ts(s

ee p

g.

19)

Loca

tio

nSe

aso

n (

Dat

es)

Ho

urs

Lim

its

Traw

l Req

uir

emen

ts

Insi

de

3Tr

awl S

ize:

nau

tica

l mile

sO

tter

tra

wls

mus

t ha

ve d

oors

at

leas

t 3

ft.

long

as

mea

sure

d (c

ontin

ued

alon

g th

e do

or c

ente

rline

fro

m le

adin

g tip

of

door

to

trai

ling

from

pg.

22)

edge

of

door

; an

d ea

ch n

et c

anno

t ex

ceed

any

of

the

follo

win

g di

men

sion

s as

mea

sure

d al

ong

an u

nint

erru

pted

cor

klin

e fr

om

lead

ing

tip o

f do

or t

o le

adin

g tip

of

door

incl

udin

g an

y an

d al

l ad

d-on

dev

ices

or

atta

chm

ents

to

the

cork

line.

Do

or

Len

gth

(ft

.)To

tal W

idth

(ft

.)

3' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n

4'71

'4'

or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

5'

73'

5’ o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n

6'75

'6'

or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

7'

77'

7' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n

8'79

'8'

or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

9'

81'

9' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 10

'83

'10

' or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

11'

85'

11' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 12

'87

'12

' or

mor

e89

'

Try

Net

s:•

Ott

er T

raw

ls —

Tot

al W

idth

: 21

ft.

; D

oors

: 45

0 sq

uare

inch

es•

Bea

m T

raw

ls —

May

not

exc

eed

10 f

t. in

wid

th

(Con

tinue

d)



NO

RTH

ERN

SH

RIM

P ZO

NE

(Nor

th o

f a

line

from

the

Cor

pus

Chr

isti

Fish

Pas

s [L

atitu

de 2

7°40

' 34"

] to

the

Lou

isia

na B

orde

r) (

Con

tinue

d)

The

Stat

e O

utsi

de W

ater

s of

the

Nor

ther

n Sh

rimp

Zone

are

OPE

N T

O S

HR

IMPI

NG

as f

ollo

ws:

(C

ontin

ued)

Map

Seg

men

ts(s

ee p

g.

19)

Loca

tio

nSe

aso

n (

Dat

es)

Ho

urs

Lim

its

Traw

l Req

uir

emen

ts

A,

B &

CSe

abo

bs

Dec

. 1

– M

ay 1

5**

30 m

in.

befo

reN

o pe

rson

•

Nu

mb

er o

f tr

awls

:N

o m

ore

Mes

h S

ize:

July

16*

* –

Nov

. 30

sunr

ise

to 3

0 m

in.

catc

hing

th

an 1

6-1⁄

2in

ches

ove

r 5

stre

tche

d af

ter

suns

etse

abob

s m

ay

• A

ppro

ved

BR

Ds†

are

requ

ired

mes

hes

catc

h or

hav

e •

App

rove

d TE

Ds‡

are

requ

ired

on b

oard

a

boat

any

oth

er

Ott

er t

raw

ls m

ust

have

doo

rs a

t le

ast

3 ft

. lo

ng a

s m

easu

red

spec

ies

of

alon

g th

e do

or c

ente

rline

fro

m le

adin

g tip

of

door

to

trai

ling

shrim

p w

hich

ed

ge o

f do

or;

and

cann

ot e

xcee

d an

y of

the

fol

low

ing

exce

ed 1

0%,

dim

ensi

ons

as m

easu

red

alon

g an

uni

nter

rupt

ed c

orkl

ine

from

in w

eigh

t or

le

adin

g tip

of

door

to

lead

ing

tip o

f do

or in

clud

ing

any

and

all

num

ber

of t

head

d-on

dev

ices

or

atta

chm

ents

to

the

cork

line.

entir

e ca

tch.

Do

or

Len

gth

(ft

.)To

tal W

idth

(ft

.)

3' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n

4'48

'4'

or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

5'

50'

5’ o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n

6'52

'6'

or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

7'

54'

7' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n

8'56

'8'

or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

9'

58'

9' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 10

'60

'10

' or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

11'

62'

11' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 12

'87

'12

' or

mor

e89

'

Try

Net

s:•

Ott

er T

raw

ls —

Tot

al W

idth

: 12

ft.

; D

oors

: 45

0 sq

uare

inch

es

**SP

ECIA

L N

OTI

CE:

Thes

e da

tes

may

be

chan

ged

by t

he d

epar

tmen

t pr

ovid

ing

72 h

ours

pub

lic n

otic

e on

new

clo

sing

dat

es a

nd 2

4 ho

urs

notic

e on

new

ope

ning

dat

es.

†B

RD

mea

ns B

ycat

ch R

educ

tion

Dev

ice

‡TE

Dm

eans

Tur

tle E

xclu

der

Dev

ice





INS

IDE

WAT

ER

SC

om

mer

cial

Bay

-Sh

rim

p B

oat

s –

Seas

on

s, L

imit

s an

d G

ear

Res

tric

tio

ns

(Maj

or

Bay

s O

nly

)Lo

cati

on

Seas

on

(D

ates

)H

ou

rsLi

mit

sTr

awl R

equ

irem

ents

Maj

or

Bay

s Sp

rin

g O

pen

Sea

son

30 m

in.

befo

reBa

g: 6

00 p

ound

sM

ain

Net

:M

ay 1

5 –

July

15

sunr

ise

to 2

p.m

.Si

ze:

No

Lim

it•

No

mor

e th

an 1

net

may

be

used

at

any

one

time

as a

mai

n ne

t.•

App

rove

d B

RD

s†ar

e re

quire

d.•

App

rove

d TE

Ds‡

are

requ

ired

(FED

ERA

L R

EGU

LATI

ON

).•

Ott

er t

raw

ls m

ust

have

doo

rs a

t le

ast

3 ft

. lo

ng a

s m

easu

red

alon

g th

e do

or c

ente

rline

fro

m le

adin

g tip

of

door

to

trai

ling

edge

of

door

; an

d ca

nnot

exc

eed

any

of t

he f

ollo

win

g di

men

sion

s as

mea

sure

d al

ong

an

unin

terr

upte

d co

rklin

e fr

om le

adin

g tip

of

door

to

lead

ing

tip o

f do

or

incl

udin

g an

y an

d al

l add

-on

devi

ces

or a

ttac

hmen

ts t

o th

e co

rklin

e.

Do

or

Len

gth

(ft

.)

Tota

l Wid

th (

ft.)

Mes

h S

ize:

3' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 4'

40'

Not

less

tha

n 4'

or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

5'42

'6-

1/2

inch

es o

ver

5' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 6'

44'

5 st

retc

hed

mes

hes

6' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 7'

46'

7' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 8'

48'

8' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 9'

50'

9' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 10

'52

'10

' or

mor

e54

'

Bea

m T

raw

l:C

anno

t ex

ceed

25

ft.

in t

otal

wid

th

Try

Net

s:•

Ott

er T

raw

ls —

Tot

al W

idth

: 21

ft.

; D

oors

: 45

0 sq

uare

inch

es•

Bea

m T

raw

ls —

May

not

exc

eed

10 f

t. in

wid

th

Maj

or

Bay

sFa

ll O

pen

Sea

son

30 m

in.

befo

reBa

g: N

o Li

mit

Mai

n N

et:

Mes

h S

ize:

Aug

. 15

– N

ov.

30su

nris

e to

30

min

.Si

ze:

Aug

. 15

– O

ct.

31:

• N

o m

ore

than

1 n

et m

ay b

e us

ed a

t an

y on

eA

ug.

15 –

Oct

. 31

:N

ot

afte

r su

nset

50 h

-o/l

btim

e as

a m

ain

net.

less

tha

n 8-

3/4

inch

es

No v

. 1

– N

ov.

30:

• A

ppro

ved

BR

Ds†

are

requ

ired

over

5 s

tret

ched

mes

hes

No

Lim

it•

App

rove

d TE

Ds‡

are

requ

ired

(FE

DER

AL

Nov

. 1

– N

ov.

30:

Not

R

EGU

LATI

ON

).le

ss t

han

6-1/

2 in

ches

• T

raw

l may

not

exc

eed

95 f

t. in

tot

al w

idth

.ov

er 5

str

etch

ed m

eshe

s

Try

Net

s:•

Ott

er T

raw

ls —

Tot

al W

idth

: 21

ft.

; D

oors

: 45

0 sq

uare

inch

es•

Bea

m T

raw

ls —

May

not

exc

eed

10 f

t. in

wid

th

(Con

tinue

d)


Com

mer

cial

Bay

-Shr

imp

Boat

s –

Seas

ons,

Lim

its a

nd G

ear

Rest

rictio

ns (

Maj

or B

ays

Onl

y) (

Con

tinue

d)

Loca

tio

nSe

aso

n (

Dat

es)

Ho

urs

Lim

its

Traw

l Req

uir

emen

ts

Maj

or

Bay

s —

Win

ter

Op

en S

easo

n30

min

. af

ter

Bag:

No

Lim

itM

ain

Net

:O

nly

so

uth

of

Feb.

1 –

Apr

il 15

suns

et t

o 30

min

.Si

ze:

No

Lim

it•

No

mor

e th

an 1

net

may

be

used

at

any

one

time

as a

mai

n ne

t.th

e C

olo

rad

obe

fore

sun

rise

• A

ppro

ved

BR

Ds†

are

requ

ired.

Riv

er•

App

rove

d TE

Ds‡

are

requ

ired

(FED

ERA

L R

EGU

LATI

ON

).•

Ott

er t

raw

ls m

ust

have

doo

rs a

t le

ast

3 ft

. lo

ng a

s m

easu

red

alon

g th

e do

or c

ente

rline

fro

m le

adin

g tip

of

door

to

trai

ling

edge

of

door

; an

d ca

nnot

exc

eed

any

of t

he f

ollo

win

g di

men

sion

s as

mea

sure

d al

ong

an

unin

terr

upte

d co

rklin

e fr

om le

adin

g tip

of

door

to

lead

ing

tip o

f do

or

incl

udin

g an

y an

d al

l add

-on

devi

ces

or a

ttac

hmen

ts t

o th

e co

rklin

e.

Do

or

Len

gth

(ft

.)

Tota

l Wid

th (

ft.)

Mes

h S

ize:

3' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 4'

40'

Not

less

tha

n 4'

or

mor

e bu

t le

ss t

han

5'42

'6-

1/2

inch

es o

ver

5' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 6'

44'

5 st

retc

hed

mes

hes

6' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 7'

46'

7' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 8'

48'

8' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 9'

50'

9' o

r m

ore

but

less

tha

n 10

'52

'10

' or

mor

e54

'

Bea

m T

raw

l:C

anno

t ex

ceed

25

ft in

tot

al w

idth

Try

Net

s:•

Ott

er T

raw

ls —

Tot

al W

idth

: 21

ft.

; D

oors

: 45

0 sq

uare

inch

es•

Bea

m T

raw

ls —

May

not

exc

eed

10 f

t. in

wid

th

†B

RD

mea

ns B

ycat

ch R

educ

tion

Dev

ice

‡TE

Dm

eans

Tur

tle E

xclu

der

Dev

ice

NO

TE: A

tra

wl m

ay b

e EX

EMPT

fro

m t

he f

eder

al T

ED r

egul

atio

n if

(1)

ther

e is

no

on-b

oard

pow

er o

r m

echa

nica

l-adv

anta

ge t

raw

l ret

rieva

l sys

tem

; or

(2)

all l

ive

shrim

p on

boa

rdar

e re

tain

ed in

a c

onta

iner

with

a c

ircul

atin

g se

awat

er s

yste

m if

it d

oes

not

poss

ess

mor

e th

an 3

2 po

unds

of

dead

shr

imp

on b

oard

AN

D t

ow t

imes

do

not

exce

ed: (

A)

55 m

in-

utes

dur

ing

the

perio

d A

pril

1–O

ctob

er 3

1; A

ND

(B)

75

min

utes

dur

ing

the

perio

d N

ovem

ber

1–M

arch

31.




Co

mm

erci

al B

ait-

Shri

mp

Bo

ats

– Se

aso

ns,

Lim

its

and

Gea

r R

estr

icti

on

s (M

ajo

r B

ays

and

Bai

t-B

ays)

Loca

tio

nSe

aso

n (

Dat

es)

Ho

urs

Lim

its

Traw

l Req

uir

emen

ts

Maj

or

Bay

s an

dYe

ar-ro

und

Aug

. 15

– M

ar.

31:

Bag:

200

pou

nds

Mai

n N

et:

Bai

t B

ays

30 m

in.

befo

reSi

ze:

No

Lim

it•

No

mor

e th

an 1

net

may

be

used

at

any

one

time

as a

mai

n ne

t.su

nris

e to

30

min

.•

Ott

er t

raw

ls m

ust

have

doo

rs a

t le

ast

3 ft

. lo

ng a

s m

easu

red

alon

g th

e af

ter

suns

etSp

ecia

l Req

uir

emen

ts:

door

cen

terli

ne f

rom

lead

ing

tip o

f do

or t

o tr

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.


OTTER TRAWL MEASUREMENTS

Shrimp trawls in Texas are measuredfrom leading tip of one door along the uninterrupted cork line to the leadingtip of the other door.

BRD MEASUREMENTS

All measurements must be takenwith gear in a hanging position.

For additional information on specifications for trawls, BRDs and TEDs, call the nearest Coastal LawEnforcement office (see back cover).

Diagrams are derived from images provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service.




CStart ofFisheye

Center Seam12 M

12 M

Tie-off Rings

Trawl

To tie-off ringsTo trawl body

11 feet24 inches

BA

Lazy Line Attachment System

Apex of Fisheye BRD

Minimum Inside Diameter

Minimum Area of Inside Opening

5” 36 sq. in.

Fisheye & Sea Eagle BRDsInside Measurements

Top View of Tail Bag

A. Fisheye opening may not be placed less than 24 inches behind lazy line attachment system.

B. Fisheye opening must be less than 11 ft. from the cod end tie-off rings.

C. Fisheye may not be placed more than 12 meshes either side of the center seamof the tail bag.

Key Measurements• Lazy lines, choker straps, elephant ears.

rings and other lines may be placed inthese areas.

• Fisheye opening may not be obstructedby any ropes, rings, elephant ears or straps.

Lazy Line Placement

FISHEYE AND SEA EAGLE BRDs




A B C

Funnel Section

Semi-rigid HoopJones-Davis Cone Stimulator

Components Key Measurements

Side View Top View

6 inches minimum

(Openings are cutouts in thebody of the trawl tail bag)


Escape Openings

A. Leading edge of the Escape Opening must be within 18 inches of the posterior edge of the TED grid. B. BRD escape opening should total a minimum of 864 sq. in. C. Clearance between the 28-inch hoop and the side of the funnel, when hanging, should be at least 6 inches.

JONES-DAVIS BRD







Funnel Section

Semi-rigid Hoop

Funnel Extension

Large Mesh Escape Section

Components

A B C

Side View

Top View

Key MeasurementsA. BRD funnel should not be more than 14 inches from the posterior edge of the TED grid. B. Mesh size of the Large Mesh Escape Section should be between 4 and 5 inches on a side. C. Clearance between the posterior edge of the large mesh escape section and the funnel, when hanging, should be at least 8 inches.

8 inchesminimum

LARGE MESH EXTENDED FUNNEL BRD




Fixed AngleAnthony Bent Pipe

TED Length

Standard Grid Hooped Bent Rod

If webbing immediately around TED has a mesh size smaller than allowed for the trawl, such webbing may not

be greater than 60 total stretched meshes in length.

APPROVED TED DESIGNS






NOTE: The rules for fishing with crab traps during the months of February and March mayhave changed following publication of thisannual. For current rules, please contact yournearest TPWD Law Enforcement office or call(800) 792-1112, ext. 4645.

• There are no public salt waters, seasons ortimes closed to the taking and retaining ofcrabs and ghost shrimp, EXCEPT as providedin this guide.

• It is lawful to take, attempt to take, or pos-sess crabs and ghost shrimp by means, innumbers, and of sizes ONLY as describedbelow.

Bag, Possession and Length Limits

Blue crab• Daily Bag: No limit• Possession: No limit

• Except that not more than 5% by num-ber, of undersized blue crabs may be pos-sessed for bait purposes only and mustbe placed in a separate container.

• May not possess egg-bearing (sponge)crabs.

• May not possess a female crab that hasits abdominal apron detached.

• Minimum Length: 5 inches• Measured across the widest point of the

body from tip of spine to tip of spine (seepg. 15).

Stone crab (right claw only)• Daily Bag: No limit• Possession: No limit

• Only the right claw may be retained or possessed.

• The body of the stone crab must bereturned to the water from which it wastaken.

• Minimum Length: 2-1/2 inches claw measurement• Measured from the tip of the immovable

claw to the first joint behind the claw (seepg. 15).

Devices and Restrictions

Crab Line: A baited line with no hookattached.• Must be marked with a white floating buoy

not less than 6 inches in height, 6 inches inlength and 6 inches in width.

• Buoys must be marked with a commercialcrab fisherman’s license plate number in let-ters of a contrasting color at least twoinches high attached to the trap.

• Buoys or floats may not be made of plastic bottle(s) of any color or size.

Crab Traps:• May only remove crab traps from the water

or remove crabs from crab traps during theperiod from 30 min. before sunrise to 30min. after sunset.

• Maximum Number of Traps Allowed:• Only 200 crab traps at a time may be

used while fishing under the authority ofa commercial crab fisherman’s license.

• Only 20 crab traps at a time may be usedwhile fishing under the authority of acommercial finfish fisherman’s license.

• Tag Requirements: Must be used with a valid GEAR TAG (see pg. 4) attached within6 inches of the buoy.

• Construction and Design Restrictions:• May not exceed 18 cubic feet.• Must be equipped with at least 2 escape

vents in each crab-retaining chamber andlocated on the outside trap walls.

• Escape vents must be at least 2-3/8" indiameter.

• Must be marked with a white floatingbuoy not less than 6 inches in height, 6inches in length and 6 inches width.

• Crab traps fished under the authority of acommercial crab fisherman’s licensemust have buoys marked with a commer-cial crab fisherman’s license plate numberin letters of a contrasting color at leasttwo inches high attached to the trap.

• Crab traps fished under the authority of acommercial finfish fisherman’s licensemust have buoys marked with a commer-cial finfish fisherman’s license plate num-ber preceded with the letter “F” in lettersof a contrasting color at least two incheshigh attached to the trap.

• Buoys or floats may not be made of plas-tic bottle(s) of any color or size.

• Must be equipped with a degradablepanel. A trap is considered to have adegradable panel if one of the followingmethods is used in construction of thetrap:• the trap lid tie-down strap is secured to

the trap at one end by a simple loop ofuntreated jute twine (comparable to

CRABS


A license management program (limitedentry) has been in effect for the Texas com-mercial crab fishery since June 1997.

For further information on any limited entryrequirements and restrictions, contact Mr. ArtMorris, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,Coastal Fisheries Division, Natural ResourcesBuilding, 6300 Ocean Drive, Suite 2500, CorpusChristi, TX 78412, (361) 980-3353 or Mr. BobbyMiller, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,Coastal Fisheries Division, 1502 F.M. 517 E, Dickinson, TX 77539, (281) 534-0110.

CRAB LICENSE BUYBACK PROGRAM

At least once each year, the Texas Parks andWildlife Department provides an opportunity forholders of commercial crab fisherman’s licenseto apply to have their licenses purchased by theDepartment. If you are interested in more infor-mation about participating in this voluntary pro-gram contact the Coastal Fisheries Division,Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744; (800) 792-1112, ext. 4645 or (512) 389-4645.

CRAB LICENSE MANAGEMENT

Lehigh brand #530), sisal twine (com-parable to Lehigh brand #390) oruntreated steel wire with a diameter of20 gauge or smaller. The trap lid mustbe secured so that when the twine orwire degrades, the lid will no longer besecurely closed; or

• the trap contains at least one sidewall,not including the bottom panel, with arectangular opening no smaller ineither dimension than 3 inches by 6inches. Any obstruction placed in thisopening may not be secured in anymanner EXCEPT it may be laced, sewn,or otherwise obstructed by a singlelength of untreated jute twine (compa-rable to Lehigh brand #530), sisaltwine (comparable to Lehigh brand#390) or untreated steel wire with adiameter of 20 gauge or smaller knot-ted only at each end and not tied orlooped more than once around a singlemesh bar. When the twine or wiredegrades, the opening in the sidewallof the trap will no longer beobstructed; or

• the obstruction may be loosely hingedat the bottom of the opening by nomore than two untreated steel hogrings and secured at the top of theobstruction in no more than one placeby a single length of untreated jutetwine (comparable to Lehigh brand#530), sisal twine (comparable toLehigh brand #390) or untreated steelwire with a diameter of 20 gauge orsmaller. When the twine or wiredegrades, the obstruction will hingedownward and the opening in the side-wall of the trap will no longer beobstructed.

• Placement and Location Restrictions:• May not place a crab trap or portion

thereof closer than 100 feet from anyother crab trap, EXCEPT when traps aresecured to a pier or dock.

• May not fish a crab trap in public freshwaters.

• May not fish a crab trap within 200 feetof a marked navigable channel in AransasCounty; and in the water area of AransasBay within one-half mile of a line fromHail Point on the Lamar Peninsula, thendirect to the eastern end of Goose Island,then along the southern shore of GooseIsland, then along the eastern shorelineof the Live Oak Peninsula past the townof Fulton, past Nine Mile Point, past thetown of Rockport to a point at the eastend of Talley Island including that part ofCopano Bay within 1,000 feet of thecauseway between Lamar Peninsula andLive Oak Peninsula.

• May not possess, use or place more than 3 crab traps in waters north and west ofHighway 146 where it crosses the Hous-ton Ship Channel in Harris County.

• May not use or place more than 3 crabtraps in public waters of the San BernardRiver north of a line marked by the boataccess channel at Bernard Acres.

Other Devices:• Devices legally used for taking of fresh or

saltwater fish or shrimp may be used to takecrab if operated in places and at timesauthorized by a proclamation of the TexasParks and Wildlife Department Commissionor the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code.

• See applicable pages in this guide to deter-mine authorized uses, places and times forother legal devices.



MUSSELS AND CLAMS

Note: The following are required tocommercially take mussels, clams ortheir shells from the public waters of thisstate:

• commercial mussel and clam fisher-man’s license,

• general commercial fisherman’slicense, and

• commercial fishing boat license (if aboat is used).

• Season open year-round.• May be taken for consumption only from

waters approved by the State Commis-sioner of Health.

• May be taken by hand only unless the col-lector has a permit to use other means.

• May be taken only from 30 minutes beforesunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

• No more than 75 pounds of whole musselsand their shells may be taken per day on Saturday and Sunday of each week (only 75 pounds may be possessed on publicwater or within 500 yards of public freshwater on Saturday or Sunday).

• Freshwater mussels of the following speciesmay be taken only when they will not passthrough a ring with an inside diameter(I.D.) specified for that species.

Ring I.D.Species in inchesWashboard 4.00Threeridges and roundlakes 2.75Mapleleafs and pimplebacks 2.75Tampico pearlymussel 2.75Bleufer 2.75All Other Species of

freshwater mussels 2.50

All public fresh waters of the state areopen to freshwater mussel and clam har-vest except that freshwater mussels andclams may not be taken from the follow-ing rivers or creeks and their tributaries:

• North Sulphur River from State Highway50 in Fannin County to State Highway 24in Delta and Lamar counties;

• South Sulphur River from State Highway50 in Hunt County to State Highway 154in Hopkins County;

• Sulphur River from State Highway 37 inFranklin County to U.S. Highway 271 inTitus County;

• White Oak Creek from State Highway 37in Franklin County to U.S. Highway 271in Titus County;

• Big Cypress Creek from the Dam at LakeBob Sandlin downstream to U.S. High-way 271 in Camp County;

Commercial Oystering Seasons—November1 through April 30 except in all private leaseswith permits from the Texas Parks andWildlife Department where there is no closedseason. During open season, oysters may betaken only from sunrise to sunset.

Legal Size Limits—Three (3) inches (greatestlength of shell) or larger. Oysters 3/4 inch tothree inches are to be culled and returned toreef from which taken; provided, however,that each cargo may contain not more than15 percent of oysters of this size. Not morethan two barrels of unculled oysters are per-mitted on board while on a reef.

Legal Means and Methods—It is unlawfulwhile taking or attempting to take oysters forpay or the purpose of sale, barter, or exchange

or any other commercial purpose to use morethan one dredge, use a dredge which exceeds48 inches in width and a two-barrel capacity,have more than one dredge connected in anymanner to a winch, chain or other lifting deviceduring the open public season; or have anyadditional dredge(s) on board unless securedbelow deck, to the wheelhouse or to the deckin such a manner as to be lashed, tied, shackledor chained as to prevent its immediate use.Commercial oyster boats limited to not morethan 50 barrels of legal size oysters.

Special Provisions—Oysters may be taken onlyfrom waters approved by the State Commis-sioner of Health.

The harvesting, shucking, processing andsale of oysters must conform to all regulationsspecified by the Texas Department of Health.

OYSTERS




• Sabine River from the dam at LakeTawakoni downstream to State Highway19 in Rains and Van Zandt counties,from FM 14 to State Highway 155 inSmith County and from State Highway43 downstream to U.S. Highway 59 inHarrison and Panola counties;

• Angelina River from its source in RuskCounty to its confluence with the NechesRiver in Jasper County;

• Neches River from the Dam at Lake B.A.Steinhagen downstream to its conflu-ence with Pine Island Bayou in OrangeCounty;

• Pine Island Bayou from its source inHardin County to the confluence withthe Neches River in Hardin County;

• Trinity River from State Highway 34 inKaufman and Ellis counties downstreamto FM 85 in Navarro County and fromthe dam at Lake Livingston downstreamto U.S. Highway 59 in Polk County;

• Brazos River from U.S. Highway 380downstream to U.S. Highway 83 inStonewall County, from the dam at Pos-sum Kingdom Reservoir downstream toU.S. Highway 180 in Palo Pinto Countyand from State Highway 7 downstreamto Ranch Road 413 in Falls County;

• The Colorado River from its source inDawson County downstream to RanchRoad 1205 in Borden County, from thedam at Lake E. V. Spence downstream toU.S. Highway 277 in Coke County, and

It is unlawful for any person to knowinglytake, kill or disturb any sea turtle or sea tur-tle eggs in the State of Texas.

There is no open season in any county forALL MARINE MAMMALS INCLUDING POR-POISES, DOLPHINS AND WHALES.

Any other aquatic life (except threatenedand endangered species) not addressed in thisguide may be taken only with the devicesdefined as lawful for taking fish, shrimp, oys-ters or crabs in places and at times as providedin this guide.

OTHER AQUATIC LIFE

from U.S. Highway 377 in McCullochand Brown counties to Ranch Road 45 inMills and San Saba counties;

• The North Concho River from StateHighway 163 in Sterling County to thecity limits of Water Valley in Tom GreenCounty;

• The Concho River from the mouth ofKickapoo Creek downstream to the U.S.Highway 83 in Concho County;

• The San Saba River from Ranch Road1311 in Menard County downstream toU.S. Highway 87 in McCulloch County;

• The Guadalupe River from State High-way 123 in Guadalupe County down-stream to State Highway 80 in GonzalesCounty;

• The San Marcos River from its source inHays County downstream to the conflu-ence with the Guadalupe River in Gon-zales County;

• The Comal River from its source downstream to its confluence with theGuadalupe River in Comal County;

• Pine Creek from its source in LamarCounty to its confluence with the RedRiver, in Red River County;

• Sanders Creek from its source in FanninCounty to the confluence with the RedRiver in Lamar County; and

• Elm Creek from its source downstreamto the dam at Elm Creek Lake atBallinger City Park in Runnels County.



CRIMINAL PENALTIES AND CIVIL VALUE RECOVERY

If you violate fish and wildlife laws, in addition to civil restitution you may:• be fined (Class C – $25–$500; Class B – $200–$2000; Class A – $500–$4000; State

Jail Felony, $1500–$10,000);• be jailed (Class B and higher offenses);• face automatic suspension or revocation of licenses for up to 5 years;• forfeit hunting gear, including firearms, used to commit a violation.

CIVIL RESTITUTION: In addition to the criminal penalty for hunting and fishing violations,the department will seek the civil recovery value for the loss or damage to wildliferesources. The civil restitution cost is payable to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and isin addition to the fine assessed by the court. Failure to pay the civil recovery value will resultin the department’s refusal to issue a license, tag, or permit. An individual who hunts orfishes after the refusal commits a class A misdemeanor which is punishable by a fine notless than $500 or more than $4,000; punishment in jail not to exceed one year; or both fineand confinement. For questions concerning civil restitution call (512) 389-4630.

Support anti-poaching efforts by becoming a member of the Operation Game Thief Program (call 512-389-4381 for membership information) or by sending your tax deductible donation to Operation Game Thief, Texas Parks and Wildlife, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744.

You can make a difference by reporting illegal fishing and hunting activity! Up to $1,000 may be paid for information leading to arrest and conviction of poachers.

Reward Hotline 800-792-GAME

Texas’ Wildlife Crime-Stoppers Program


COMMERCIAL FISHING LICENSE LIMITED ENTRY AND BUYBACK PROGRAMSFor further information regarding any commercial license management program or license buyback program contact: Mr. Art Morris, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Coastal Fisheries Division, Natural Resources Building,6300 Ocean Drive, Suite 2500, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, (361) 980-3353 or Mr. Bobby Miller, Texas Parks andWildlife Department, Coastal Fisheries Division, 1502 F.M. 517 E, Dickinson, TX 77539, (281) 534-0110.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Internet Web Site: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us

Operation Game ThiefTexas Parks and Wildlife Department • 4200 Smith School Road • Austin, Texas 78744

STOP POACHING! FOR 24-HOUR REPORTING OF VIOLATIONS, you may call: (800) 792-GAME; AUSTIN — (512) 389-4848; HOUSTON — (281) 842-8100

WHERE TO GET INFORMATION AND LICENSES Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Regional and Field Law Enforcement Offices

ABILENE, 281 North Willis (79603) (325) 673-3333AMARILLO, 203 West 8th, Suite #200, LB14006

(79101) (806) 379-8900BEAUMONT, 5550–K Eastex Freeway (77708)

(409) 892-8666BROWNSVILLE, 5460 Paredes Line Road, Suite 201

(78526) (956) 546-1952BROWNWOOD, 301 Main, Suite D (76801)

(325) 646-0440BRYAN, 3608 East 29th Street, Suite 220 (77802)

(979) 260-1372CORPUS CHRISTI, 5541 Bear Lane, Suite 232

(78405) (361) 289-5566EL PASO, 401 East Franklin, Suite 520 (79901)

(915) 834-7050FORT WORTH, 5400 Airport Freeway, Suite E

(76117) (817) 831-3128FREEPORT, 210 W. First Street, Suite C (77541)

(979) 233-7968 - hours 9:00 AM to 1:00 PMGARLAND, 346 Oaks Trail, Suite 100 (75043)

(972) 226-9966HOUSTON (NORTH), 350 North Sam Houston

Pkwy E., Suite 285 (77060) (281) 931-6471HOUSTON (SOUTH), 10103 Fondren, #275

(77096) (713) 779-8977KERRVILLE, 309 Sidney Baker South (78028)

(830) 257-7611

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department receives federal financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under Title VI of the Civil RightsAct of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior and its bureaus prohibit discrimination on the basisof race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex (in educational programs). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any TexasParks and Wildlife Department program, activity, or facility, or if you desire further information, please call or write: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice, Office for Diversity and Civil Rights Programs - External Programs, 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Webb 300, Arlington, VA 22203, 703-358-1724.

This digest will be revised as new regulations become effective. Note the date on the front cover and make sure you have thelatest issue. For further information, please contact your local game warden or Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

TOLL FREE INFORMATION (Mon. - Fri., 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) For information concerning fishing regulations or other subjects related to TPWD.

(800) 792-1112 (general information) OR (512) 389- + extension ##4820 Hunting & Fishing Licenses #4828 Boat Registration #4726 Resource Protection#4627 Law Enforcement - Hunting #4505 Coastal Fisheries #4481 Scientific Permit#4628 Law Enforcement - Fishing #4505 Inland Fisheries #4628 Commercial Licenses

LAMARQUE, 14037 Delaney Road (77568) (409) 933-1947

LUBBOCK, 1702 Landmark Lane, Suite 1 (79415) (806) 761-4930

LUFKIN, 1515 Atkinson Drive (75902) (936) 632-1311

MIDLAND, 4500 West Illinois, Suite 307 (79703) (432) 520-4649

MT. PLEASANT, 212 South Johnson (75455) (903) 572-7966

ROCKPORT, 715 South Highway 35 (78382) (361) 790-0312

RUSK, 801 West 6th Street (75785) 903) 683-2511SAN ANGELO, 3407 South Chadbourne (76903)

(325) 651-4844SAN ANTONIO, 858 West Rhapsody (78216)

(210) 348-7375TEMPLE, 1602 West Avenue A, Suite 400 (76504)

(254) 778-2851TYLER, 3330 South Southwest Loop 323 (75701)

(903) 534-0388VICTORIA, 2805 N. Navarro, Suite 600A (77901)

(361) 575-6306WACO, 1601 East Crest Drive (76705)

(254) 867-7951WICHITA FALLS, 100 Fremar Valley (76301)

(940) 723-7327

© 2003 TPWD. PWD BK V3400-074 (7/03)Dispersal of this publication conforms with Texas State Documents Depository Law, and itis available at Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.
