CCA Texas Funds $1.2 Million for Conservation Efforts
The CCA Texas Executive Board approved just over $1.2 million for habitat, research and Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) Game Warden support at their recent August 2025 meeting. These projects included $525,000 for Serpulid reef restoration and research efforts, $625,000 for continued support of Harte Research Institute’s (HRI) Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation (CSSC), and $66,660 for Region IV Game Wardens enforcement equipment.
HRI Serpulid Reef Restoration and Research Project
The Coastal Conservation and Restoration group, led by Dr. Jennifer Beseres Pollock at HRI, has studied the bay bottom habitats of Baffin Bay for over a decade. In 2019, CCA Texas funded $75,000 to study and evaluate the efficacy of using alternative substrates for restoration of Serpulid reef habitats in Baffin Bay. This initial funding has helped lay the groundwork for the beginning of restoration efforts for Serpulid reefs.
From Dr. Jennifer Beseres Pollack, Ph.D., Larry D. McKinney Endowed Chair for Coastal Conservation and Restoration Harte Research Institute - Baffin Bay, Texas, is home to unique Serpulid reefs built by Hydroides dianthus, a species of tube worm capable of thriving in the bay’s hypersaline waters. These reefs play a critical role in supporting Baffin Bay’s ecosystem, serving as habitat for diverse benthic macrofauna and providing forage for economically and recreationally important fish species like Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) and Black Drum (Pogonias cromis). However, Serpulid reefs have experienced significant declines in size and distribution due to wave action, propeller damage, and trampling by anglers. Restoration efforts are urgently needed to preserve and rebuild this ecologically important habitat.
The research group at the Coastal Conservation and Restoration at Harte Research has been studying the bay bottom habitats of Baffin Bay for over a decade. From their most recent research, which involved evaluating both recruitment tiles and bull rock for restoration purposes, they have identified the importance of internal spaces, and particularly, downward-facing surfaces, in facilitating recruitment of Serpulid worms. In comparison, barnacle cover dominated the upward-facing surface of restoration materials. Additionally, they have found that although recruitment of Serpulid worms occurs year-round, the greatest recruitment occurs between September and December. Taken together, these results indicate that there is sufficient larval supply of Serpulid worms for restoration to be successful by providing additional hard substrate with appropriate microhabitat complexity.
CCA Texas Executive Board approved $525,000 for the next phase in the restoration of Serpulid reefs. This funding will cover permitting, construction and monitoring to build a large-scale research and restoration effort. This project will place 155 “Crabitats”, 3D printed concrete modules, in Baffin Bay. These structures will provide the preferred areas of growth for the Serpulid worms. CCA Texas looks forward to this next step of research and restoration that deepens the understanding of these unique and ancient structures of nature that are only found along the United States Gulf Coast in Baffin Bay.
CCA Texas Continues Support of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at HRI
CCA Texas has supported the efforts of HRI since its initial $500,000 funding to establish the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation (CSSC) in 2012. In 2014, CCA Texas renewed its support with a $250,000 grant and furthered its commitment to CSSC with a $625,000 grant at the August 2025 Executive Board meeting. This grant will be funded at $125,000 per year for five years. CCA Texas members and leadership are proud to support these efforts that provide critical and important science that can be applied to immediate management needs for species that are being studied. Sound science is the bedrock of sound management, and CCA Texas remains committed to efforts of HRI and the CSSC.
TPWD Region IV Game Wardens Awarded Critical Dollars to Ensure Protection of Texas’s Coastal Resources
Through the vetting and approval of the CCA Texas TPWD Committee and approval of the Executive Board, CCA Texas has funded $66,660 for Region IV Wardens. This funding will be for new power and engine conversions for five enforcement vessels in Region IV. These areas include Jefferson, Orange, Harris, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria and Matagorda counties. TPWD Wardens are the front line to the protection of Texas’ coastal resources and CCA Texas is proud to continue their support of them.