Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

Mark your calendars for August first. If all goes well – that’s the day the Texas Clipper officially joins the Ships-to-Reefs program.

The idea behind this project is to place a ship about seventeen miles off of South Padre Island for the purpose of enhancing marine life, but also as a premier dive attraction out in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dale Shively coordinates the artificial reef program for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

We are designing it for diving. So, we’re making it very diver friendly. We’re opening up the insides of it, where the divers can go tour the inside decks, especially on the super structure. And, we’ve left as much of the ship intact as possible.

Once marine life starts calling the Clipper home, divers will have more to enjoy.

Organisms will start to settle on it; fish will be attracted to it just because it’s a structure. And then as the food chain develops and the microorganisms that grow on the structure itself increase, then you will see more and more fish.

And more fish means increased angling opportunities.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish Restoration Program…working to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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