Passport to Texas

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

Most people support conservation in theory. Yet, hunters and anglers support it in practice when they buy licenses.

Money from hunting and fishing license sales finds its way back into wildlife conservation and wildlife management, whether it’s a hunting activity or a fishing activity.

Tom Newton, a license revenue manager, says money from the sale of licenses is significant.

License sales, which includes hunting and fishing, of course, all of our recreational licenses, and our commercial licenses…we usually net somewhere around ninety million dollars depending on how the year went.

Resident hunters and anglers aren’t alone in supporting conservation in Texas, their non-resident counterparts also make an important impact.

It’s a very large impact. For the hunters, the licenses generate 2.7 million in annual revenue. And fishing licenses, approximately 3.5 million in license revenue.

Even if you aren’t a hunter or angler, by purchasing a hunting or fishing license, you can help to support conservation work in Texas.

Hunting licenses go on sale August 15; with dove season fast approaching, Newton recommends buying early to avoid lines.

That’s our show… made possibly by a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

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

Hunting and fishing licenses go on sale August 15.

The best license we have is the Super Combo, which includes all of the hunting tags; the freshwater and saltwater privileges for fishing…so it’s sort of an all-inclusive package.

The only other thing a hunter needs is the federal duck stamp, if duck hunting is on the agenda, says Tom Newton, license revenue manager. He adds that license fees have gone up this year across the board.

The average recreational license went up from two to five dollars; and of course, the non-residents went up a little bit more than that. But we haven’t increased license prices since 2004.

Newton says Parks and Wildlife does everything in its power to avoid fee increases; the current adjustment keeps up with inflation. When you consider what you pay for recreational gear, a license, says Newton, is a bargain.

The cost of a license, whether it’s hunting or fishing, usually is the smallest cost that you have in your activity. A fishing license for example—freshwater—is 28 dollars, and it will be going to 30 dollars this year. The price increases that we have implemented this year, have averaged five percent, or just a little over five percent.

Licenses are available at 1600 locations statewide or online at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show… made possibly by a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

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

If you plan on hunting migratory game birds in Texas this fall, you need to be HIP – HIP certified, that is. HIP stands for Harvest Information Program.

Its purpose is to gain information on waterfowl and migratory bird hunters nationwide. Basically a name and address and a little bit about their previous year’s hunting activity—as well as what they plan on hunting what they plan on hunting in the upcoming year.

Kevin Kraai is Assistant Waterfowl Program Leader. He says the HIP program helps wildlife professionals improve resource management practices as well as track various waterfowl populations throughout the country.

It’s a very useful tool in setting the future year hunting regulations and management decisions.

Being a HIP certified waterfowl hunter isn’t just a good idea—it’s the law.

Officially, it is a requirement by law that every individual that plans on hunting migratory birds in the state of Texas us HIP certified. If you are not HIP certified and you are hunting migratory game birds, you are subject to game violations.

We have a link to information about becoming HIP certified at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…made possible by a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel

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

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

Obsolete oil rigs and decommissioned ships accepted into Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Artificial Reef Program become the hard substrate marine organisms need to grow. But these objects are too large to deploy near shore.

We need 50 feet of clear water from the surface down to the top of the structure.

Dale Shively, who coordinates the program, says near shore reefing using concrete and steel provided by the public is one solution.

The public reefing would be a method where members of the public can take materials that are pre-approved by us to one of our permitted parks and wildlife reef sites and reef those materials.

The 160 acre sites are in Texas waters, nine nautical miles from shore.

And the idea behind near shore reefs is that the average fisherman should be able to get out there and back within a few hours.

The materials, and the reefing plan, must be evaluated by TPW staff.

If we approve that, we certify that and actually tag it. Then we will assign them a spot within the reef site, with special coordinates that they’re allowed to reef material in.

Find links to more information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show made possible with a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration Program.

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

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

The Gulf of Mexico has a soft bottom.

The Gulf [of Mexico] in itself is basically barren of a lot of hard substrate.

This is a problem for marine invertebrates like coral, barnacles and sponges that need to attach to hard surfaces to survive.

To address this lack of substrate in the Gulf, TPW developed an artificial reef program. Dale Shively is its coordinator.

Reefs in general provide habitat for marine organisms, and we have reefs that are made from oil platforms—obsolete oil platforms—which are in the rigs to reefs program. We have ships to reefs program, which includes things like the Texas Clipper Ship that we reefed recently. And then we have other materials that we try to reef near shore in our near shore reefing program.

Near shore reefing, sometimes called public reefing, allows organizations and private citizens to deposit materials such as concrete and steel, in predetermined locations, off shore.

So, these smaller reefs and the materials that we put out provide a base for marine life to grow. That creates a mini-ecosystem reef environment in which larger fishes will live and reproduce.

There’s a process involved in public reefing, and we’ll discuss that tomorrow.

The Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series and provides funding for the operations and management of Sea Center Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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