Passport to Texas

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

Construction of the new $27 million East Texas Fish Hatchery in Jasper County, with an anticipated completion in early 2010, is now underway.

The new East Texas Fish hatchery is proposed to replace the Jasper Fish Hatchery.

Todd Engeling is chief of inland hatcheries. The state-of-the-art facility is being built just below Sam Rayburn Reservoir, a juxtaposition that’s no accident.

We chose the Jasper County site to sit just below the Sam Rayburn reservoir. It sits below a quality water source, where we have an agreement with the Lower Neches Valley Authority to withdraw water from the reservoir that will guarantee us a good water source well into the future.

Beyond access to quality water, this site also allows for environmental efficiencies.

Under some circumstances within the reservoir throughout the year—we can gravity flow water from the reservoir to the hatchery. A significant part of the power consumption of any facility is the cost to pump water. Moving water can be very expensive. Where we can get some assistance from gravity to do that, to move water without having to use powerful pumps, it’s to our benefit. And this location offers that opportunity.

Learn more about inland fisheries at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish restoration program… providing funding for the operations and management of the Texas’ state fish hatcheries.

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

East Texas Fish Hatchery Environmental Efficiencies Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

After seven decades, the Jasper Fish Hatchery will be retired, and replaced by the new state-of-the-art East Texas Hatchery.

Construction has begun in early July. We’re anticipating the completion will be sometime early 2010.

Todd Engeling is chief of inland hatcheries. The new facility is under construction on 200 acres below Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

About 2000, we did a feasibility study to determine if it whether it was more feasible to renovate the facility where it was at, or to move it to another location. And based on that assessment, we chose to build a new facility in another location.

The East Texas Hatchery will provide at least 45 acres of fish production ponds capable of delivering up to 4.5 million fish annually for stocking in Texas public waters, including….

Primarily a sub species of the large mouthed bass; channel catfish and blue catfish, and bluegill sunfish. Those will be the principle species that it will be raising. It will also have the capability to participate with our striped bass and hybrid striped bass program should it be needed in the future. We think right now, given what pond space we were planning, we should be able to produce four to five million fingerlings a year.

Innovations and environmental efficiencies at the new hatchery…that’s tomorrow.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish Restoration program… providing funding for the operations and management of the Texas’ state fish hatcheries. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

New East Texas Fish Hatchery Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas Parks and Wildlife Television gets thematic in October. Production Supervisor, Don Cash, explains.

The first show in October deals with bats. Where to go see bats, and the monetary value that bats have. One of the shows is a fishing show. We go to the Texas coast, and we feature a fishing guide up at lake Fork, a guy named Brian Duplechain, who is just a great guy, and a great guide.

One day Butch Ray called and said, I’ve got a guide trip. Shore enough, and I jumped on that opportunity. The first cast that morning, my customer had a backlash; the second cast he caught an eight and a half pounder. He caught a big fish. That made me a guide.

Another one of our theme shows has to do with hunting. One of the stories is about a dog named call and his trainer Linda Palmer, and it’s just a great story about how she takes this dog from three months all the way up to a year. It’s a story about the relationship between the trainer and the dog.

He watched the whole thing, made sure everything was recorded in his brain, brought the bird in, and then, of course, went to get the other one.

So, if you’ve got an interest in hunting, or fishing, or bats, you’ve got a whole show that you can look at and really get in depth with it.

Thanks Don. Find a list of stations that air the series, at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…we record our series at the Production Block studios in Austin, Texas.

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

TP&W TV--Themed Shows Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas Parks and Wildlife Television gets thematic in October. Production Supervisor, Don Cash, explains.

The first show in October deals with bats. Where to go see bats, and the monetary value that bats have. One of the shows is a fishing show. We go to the Texas coast, and we feature a fishing guide up at lake Fork, a guy named Brian Duplechain, who is just a great guy, and a great guide.

One day Butch Ray called and said, I’ve got a guide trip. Shore enough, and I jumped on that opportunity. The first cast that morning, my customer had a backlash; the second cast he caught an eight and a half pounder. He caught a big fish. That made me a guide.

Another one of our theme shows has to do with hunting. One of the stories is about a dog named call and his trainer Linda Palmer, and it’s just a great story about how she takes this dog from three months all the way up to a year. It’s a story about the relationship between the trainer and the dog.

He watched the whole thing, made sure everything was recorded in his brain, brought the bird in, and then, of course, went to get the other one.

So, if you’ve got an interest in hunting, or fishing, or bats, you’ve got a whole show that you can look at and really get in depth with it.

Thanks Don. Find a list of stations that air the series, at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…we record our series at the Production Block studios in Austin, Texas.

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

TP&W TV--Themed Shows Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

Fishing is a very family oriented activity.

That’s why it will be featured prominently at this year’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo, October 4 and 5. Ron Smith with Inland fisheries is coordinating the new Fishing FUNdamentals area at this year’s festival. He says fishing is a multi-faceted activity.

It promotes conservation, stewardship, time with the family, time with good friends, time outdoors. All of the things that Parks and Wildlife represents, fishing has a big part in.

It used to be folks interested in fishing had to go to several locations around Expo grounds to get their questions answered—but not this year!

This time we’re going to try to bring everything into one place. So that someone at Expo—if they have any kind of question whatsoever about fishing—or are interested in any kind of fishing activity, or going anywhere in Texas to go fishing, we can answer those questions in one spot.

Expo gives visitors of all ages the opportunity to actually catch a fish, and if it is your first fish, we’ll make a big deal about it. In addition, the husband and wife professional angling team of Hector and Diane de la Garza will be on hand to demonstrate techniques and answer your questions.

We have more information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for the operations and management of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.

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

Expo: Fishing FUNdamentals, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download