By: Tom Behrens
The Texas Parks and Wildlife department (TPWD) issued a temporary closure to saltwater fishing along parts of the Texas coast to protect resources during the coming freezing weather conditions. The closure took effect on Saturday, 12:01, Dec. 24. Visit the Outdoor Annual online to see the list of closed areas with a map feature.
TPWD stated that a hard freeze along the coastal bay areas, in addition to killing game fish in shallow waters, it can also cause surviving fish to congregate in a few deeper areas where they become sluggish and prone to capture.
About two million acres of bays and estuaries in Texas are susceptible to a freeze. There were three major freezes during the 1980s, including one in 1989 when the temperature in Brownsville dropped to 16 degrees Fahrenheit and an estimated 11 million fish were killed. During the last major freeze event in Feb. 2021, an estimated 3.8 million fish were killed on the Texas coast. In the Galveston bays speckled trout catches were none existent after the weather and water warmed up.
“The high mortality that a freeze can cause may deplete fish stocks for years,” said Robin Riechers, director of TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division. Protection of the surviving fish during the few days when they are especially vulnerable to capture would likely shorten the time period for overall recovery of coastal species, especially speckled trout”
Fish mortality in Texas freshwater lakes during cold snaps is normally a factor. Warm water sinks in very cold-water temps. Fish often gather in groups near the bottom in the deepest pools and take a winter rest in the warmer water.
Anglers and coastal residents can report any freeze-related fish kills or large numbers of sluggish or cold-stunned fish by contacting TPWD’s Law Enforcement Communications office at 281-842-8100 or 512-389-4848. Contributing observations and photos of coastal aquatic life that you suspect might have been killed due to the cold helps provide biologists the must-up-to-date information to investigate.