TP&W Field Notes

Assessing the Impacts of Hurricane Harvey on the Fisheries of the Aransas Bay System

Evan Pettis | Biologist, Aransas Bay Marine Lab
On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a category four storm in the small fishing community of Rockport....

Who’s that Lady?

Tom Wagner | Biologist | Rockport Marine Lab
Have you ever cast out into the flats or surf, felt a hard tug followed by a thrashing of water,...

Scuttlebutt at the Boat Ramp

Danielle deVacque | TP&W Intern | Upper Laguna Madre Lab
Like many of you, in the summer of 2016, I spent a lot of time enjoying the great outdoors at...

The Booming Texas Snook Population: Coming Soon To A Bay Near You?​

Joel Anderson | Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Station
If you’ve ever caught a snook in Texas, you’re among a select group of anglers. Fishes in the snook family...

Spotted Seatrout of Sabine Lake

Sabine Lake Marine Lab | Port Arthur
Along the Texas coast, spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, are arguably the most highly sought after game fish, and the anglers...

Is That a Hatchery Fish?

Ashley Fincannon | Hatchery Manager, CCA Marine Development Center
While fishing in Texas bays you may hear an angler say about a catch, “That’s a hatchery fish.”Not to spoil...

Keeping Your Ear to the Ground: How SONAR is used to Monitor Aquatic Habitat in Texas Bays

Zachary Olsen and Emma Clarkson | Habitat Assessment Team
The fishfinder has become standard instrumentation on even not-so-modern fishing boats. Colorful displays steadily advance across the LCD consoles of...

Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program

Zack Thomas
Lost fishing gear including fishing line, nets, and various types of traps represents 10% of marine debris littering the bottoms...

Release the Kraken!

Jill Thompson-Grim and Chris Ledford
The latest Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) artificial reef ship project happened earlier this year.The Kraken was released on...

Stow it. Don’t Throw It.

Adriana Leiva
If you have ever enjoyed a day of fishing along the Texas coast, then you know the thrill you experience...

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Get all the latest coastal cuisine recipes from guides and authors.

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Shrimp and Crawfish Bisque

This wonderful recipe comes from Debbie Ulrich and was featured during the cooking presentations at the Port O’Connor Boat Show...

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Reports & Forecasts: November 2025

Reeling in Reliable Results: TPWD’s Approach to Data Quality