HUGE flounder update: Hatchery, Cedar Bayou,
Flounder larvae at Sea Center Texas
First off is something you won't see anywhere else at least for a few days...
The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) is donating $30,000 to Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson to enhance their fledgling stocking program and aid them with new equipment that will help them produce more fish. There are lots of equipment details in the report but the real bottom line comes in a letter written from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) officials regarding enhancements to one of the broodstock tanks.
"These changes could be performed on one of our existing 10,000 gallon, 20’ diameter tank. With these changes we could quadruple our broodstock capacity for a selected bay system."
Kudos to CCA for making the crucial donation and congratulations to the hard working men and women of Sea Center for getting new gear to help make our flounder stocking dreams a reality.
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This is from Jeff Dean at texasflats.net about Cedar Bayou/Vinson Slough Pass...
"I'm sure you’re familiar with the ongoing effort by Save Cedar Bayou Inc. to obtain a permit to restore the Cedar Bayou/Vinson Slough Pass, I personally got involved a couple years ago to help spread the word and bring as much attention and support to the project as possible. While I don't always see eye to eye with how the president of Save Cedar Bayou Inc. handles things, I do respect her tenacity and fortitude to stand strong fight the good fight. Again, that sort of self sacrifice inspires me!"
"All studies done to date indicate that when this pass is open our bays benefit, in times of flood it balances the salinity levels by providing an escape for the fresh water inflow. In times of drought it does the same thing by allowing gulf waters in to the bays to keep salinity levels from skyrocketing."
"As it is, there over fifty miles between the two closest passes, with the closest being some twenty miles away in the Port Aransas shipping channel, if Cedar Bayou were open it would not only provide a highway to the gulf for the flounder, but all species! It would restore thousands of acres of wetlands and marsh habitat that is critical right now with our developing coastline."
"We are working with some of the best engineers in the field who have spent thousands of hours researching and putting together a sound plan to restore this pass and keep it open.The time to act is now! At this moment the CORP has placed the permit online and is accepting public comment. It can be viewed toward the bottom of this page: http://www.swg.usage.army.mil/reg/pn.asp"
Write your letter of support and fax or mail it to the project manager:
Denise Sloan
Regulatory Branch, CESWG-PE-RB
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 1229
Galveston, Texas 77553-1229
409-766-3962 Phone
409-766-3931 Fax
Re. Permit Application Number SWG-2007-00813
Save Cedar Bayou Inc.
Deadline for public comment is March 26.
Jeff Dean
texasflatsfishing@gmail.com
www.texasflats.net
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On a personal note, thanks to everyone from the Brenham Chapter of CCA who made it well worth the three and a half hour drive to do a Flounder Revolution seminar last night. You all were great. I unfortunately have to cancel my appearance at the Texas Outdoor Writer's Association (TOWA) awards banquet tomorrow night in Port Aransas as my wife Lisa and daughter Faith are both really sick. That would mean a full day and a half of being gone and I just can't do it now.
I will however do my short appearance at the fishing counter at Gander Mountain in Beaumont tonight and will be at the Mainland CCA Chapter's fishing seminar tomorrow at the Nessler Center in Texas City speaking around 12:30. I can get someone to take care of the wife and kiddo for a few hours but overnight is just not going to happen.
On that same note, I would like to congratulate Capt. Brandon Shuler for winning the TOWA Dan Klepper Scholarship. I was scheduled to present it to him, but situations are as they are. From one TOWA scholarship winner to another, kudos!
God bless,
Chester Moore
Genesis 1:1
I think opening Cedar Bayou is a great idea because of all the advantages you mentioned. Staying with that line of thinking, doesn't East Galveston Bay already reap all the same benefits due to Rollover Pass? Why sure.
How then can one reason that it is a good idea to open Cedar Bayou, yet it is a good idea to close Rollover Pass?
(IMO) They should both be open.
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Agreed.
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Kudos to CCA for the 30K lent to TP&W. Although as a recreational gigger plying my passion in a hi- end Flounder Boat, I still insist the krill surveys are biased and seriously flawed as the past 2 years, I have seen nothing but more and larger Flounder.
I am honest when I say I am extremely happy for the Cedar Bayou project as it should be addressed in this manner but at the same time I am dismayed at the influence of the Texas General Land Office, it's seriously considering filling in Rollover Pass. It's 1 step forward and 2 steps back with the current state of government. UNBELIEVABLE!
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Thanks for the comment Bert.
Actually the surveys are dead on because it has shown there has been a spike over the last two years but we have had these in the past and it keeps going down. Even with our spike, it is down more than 50 percent from the 80s. On the large flounder what you are seeing is an artifact of bycatch reduction and a very good one. With a small, small Gulf shrimping fleet more flounder are making it to maturity but we're still way way down from what we were in terms of population which ties into everything from harvest to warming water temperatures. Thanks for your concerns for the fishery and for checking out Flounder Revolution. Much appreciated.
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