Freeze Impacts hit Fish, Turtles along Entire Texas Coast

News Release – News Images


Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us



Feb. 17, 2011



Freeze Impacts hit Fish, Turtles along Entire Texas Coast

AUSTIN – Preliminary assessments by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department coastal fisheries biologists suggest the damage from back-to-back freeze events that impacted marine life from Galveston to Brownsville could have been much worse.



Forecasts of prolonged sub-freezing temperatures along the Texas coast during the first week in February had biologists bracing for major fish kills the likes of which had not been seen in more than two decades. A second, less severe freeze wave hit the Texas coast less than a week later.



Coastal fisheries populations suffered devastating losses during three freeze events in the 1980s, with combined estimates of more than 30 million dead fish. In the aftermath of the freezes of 2011, TPWD officials are breathing collective sighs of relief. Based on early findings, the total numbers of fish impacted will be above that seen during 2010 (51,000 fish killed along the mid and lower coast), 2004 (35,000 fish killed in the lower Laguna Madre) and 1997 (200,000-300,000 fish killed in the upper and lower Laguna Madre) freezes, but lower than the three freezes in the 80s (1983 and two in 1989).



Biologists suggest the total impacts from this year’s fish kill in terms of numbers appear similar to the freeze of 1997, but the species makeup is drastically different. During 1997, spotted seatrout, black drum and red drum comprised roughly 75 percent of the impact. During this year’s freeze, it appears more than 85 percent of the impacted fish are non-recreational species, like silver perch, hardhead catfish, and mullet. Of the recreational species impacted this year, black drum appear to make up a larger component with spotted seatrout, red drum, sand seatrout, sheepshead, whiting, snook, gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and gag grouper making up a much smaller percentage.



“It could be that most fish had time to escape to deeper water before the freeze hit,” theorized Rebecca Hensley, TPWD coastal fisheries regional director. “We didn’t see the beaches covered in ice and very large numbers of dead fish like during the ‘80s freezes.”



Hensley also credits reduced mortality on game fish to conservation measures taken during the freeze, including a temporary fishing closure in deep water thermal refuges and voluntary stoppage of barge traffic in the lower Laguna Madre and through the land cut in the upper Laguna Madre.



“We appreciate the conservation ethic displayed by anglers during and immediately after the freeze when these fish were vulnerable,” said Robin Riechers, TPWD director of coastal fisheries. “It definitely helped reduce fish mortality.”



The recent freeze also saw a huge jump in the number of cold-stunned sea turtles recovered and the high survival rates. More than 1,500 sea turtles were recovered thanks to a massive network of volunteers and state and federal agency efforts.



“There were people out on the water gathering turtles immediately once the freeze hit and that made a huge difference,” said Riechers. “Turtle survival has been fairly high compared to previous freezes.”



In past years for similar coastal freezes, cold-stunned sea turtles in Texas have typically been held in captivity to recuperate for weeks until sea water temperatures rose. But two factors prompted Texas wildlife workers to return turtles to the wild faster this time. First, experts in Florida who’ve had similar recent experiences with cold-stunned turtles advised returning them to the water as soon as possible. Second, the sheer numbers of rescued turtles overwhelmed available facilities, so that many were on floors or wrapped in blankets, and experts say it’s better for them to return to water as soon as possible.



Within days of rescue, sea turtles were returned en masse with volunteers forming assembly-line chains to shuttle turtles down to the water’s edge on beaches near Corpus Christi and along the South Padre Island seashore.



Biologists say they won’t know the full impact to coastal fisheries from the freeze until annual sampling surveys are conducted later in the spring.



Photo Editors: Images associated with this news release are available on the TPWD Web site (http://archive.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/news_images/).



http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20110217c


tss

Galveston Bay Fish Kill Arctic Blast of 2011 ???

Galveston Bay Fish Kill Arctic Blast of 2011 ???



Saturday, February 05, 2011 7:25 PM

I sure hope there is not a major fish kill. it sure was warm just days before this Arctic express came roaring through, and believe it or not, the bait had come back up in here, there were some pelicans and gulls feeding on the bait last week when it was in the 70s. so, I imagine there were some specs and other fish up in here feeding. if I am not mistaken, it was that 83 freeze that took out the specs, and made the limit go from 20 to 10. the bay froze over too in 83 and 89.

water temp at Eagle point Thurs. was 46 degrees (F).

For spotted seatrout, water temperatures below about 45 degrees (F) become lethal. Red drum are a bit more hardy and can tolerate temperatures down to the mid-30's (F); flounder to the low 40's (F).

Water temp at Eagle Point Friday was 41 degrees (F).

Water temp today at Eagle Point today Sat. 42 degrees (F)

let's pray for a miracle. ...TSS


Freeze-triggered coastal fishing ban extended to Monday
By SHANNON TOMPKINS
Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle Feb. 4, 2011, 6:38PM


Concerned about potential pillaging of speckled trout, redfish and other coastal game fish crowded into harbors, channels and other deep-water sanctuaries to escape frigid temperatures, state fisheries officials extended until noon, Monday, a closure of some areas along the coast to all fishing.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department had imposed the closure, which affects 21 locations along the coast, Wednesday when it became obvious the days-long siege of freezing or near freezing temperatures would drop inshore water temperatures to levels that would trigger fish to seek refuge in deeper, more insulated waters.

The ban had been set to expire at noon, Saturday.

"This freeze event has lasted longer than was projected earlier in the week and temperatures are not expected to get much above freezing today," said Robin Riechers, TPWD coastal fisheries division director. "We realize an extension through the weekend may inconvenience some anglers and we appreciate their patience and cooperation, but our primary concern is to give fish holding in those thermal refuges a chance to recover." ...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/outdoors/7413799.html

see the picture of Galveston Bay Froze over behind the house here in 1989.

UPDATE Monday February 7, 2011

Fish kill minimal along coast . Monday, 07 February 2011 11:19 Staff report .Relatively small numbers of dead fish have been reported along the Texas coast after a major cold front late last week. Photo by Patrick Thomas. Anglers and Texas Parks and Wildlife officials along the Texas coast are breathing easier this week after a massive cold front Thursday and Friday seemed to have spared many fish along the bays and Intracoastal Waterway.

Robin Riechers, TPWD Coastal Fisheries Division spokesman, characterized the weekend as “dodging a bullet.”

“That may not be what I’m saying Wednesday (after a flyover), but we are still counting dead game fish in the hundreds, which is amazing considering the cold,” he said. “The most notable kills occurred with pinfish, mullet and hardheads.”

Low tides the previous week and already-cold water help save a lot of fish killed because many of them had already moved to deeper water before the freeze hit.

“In past big events, the cold weather came on quick,” Riechers sad. “Having cold weather before the front, the fish were acclimated already. A lot of water was already shoved out of the bays (because of the low tides) and the barge traffic stoppage helped a lot.”

According to a TPWD memo, “many of the fish seen have been along the shoreline and are small (less than 6-10 inches in length). This weekend, additional fish species have been seen, but in low numbers. During field reconnaissance, the water clarity remains high and many fish were seen in canals beginning to come off the bottom (with their tails on the bottom and head in the water column). With the higher water temperatures, many of the dead fish in the deeper water are beginning to float.”

Mid-coast captain Scott Sommerlatte said he flew over the middle bays Sunday and counted several hundred dead trout, but called the fish kill “insignificant.”

“I think we escaped anything too terrible,” he said. “I saw a couple of really big trout, but not a single redfish. East Matagorda had most of the dead fish, but this wasn’t as bad as last year — not even close.”

A small snook kill was reported in the Lower Laguna Madre, but Capt. Eric Glass guided a redfish client Sunday along the southernmost tip of the coast and reported a great day of fly-fishing on the flats.



http://www.lsonews.com/fishing-news/1479-staff-report


TSS

TEXAS AND IT'S INDUSTRY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDOUS POLLUTING LAWS

TEXAS AND IT'S INDUSTRY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDOUS POLLUTING LAWS


January 2, 2011


Howdy Bay Area Neighbors,


Wasn't it refreshing to read the headlines in the City and State section of the Chronicle Friday December 31, 2010. Three headlines caught my eye. First was 'Texas tries again to foil EPA, second was 'Downpour Sends raw sewage into bayou', and the third was 'Decision to expand dump put on hold'. Puts a light on where we're headed in 2011. More nuke waste material in Texas, More shit in Galveston Bay, and even more shit from the EPA and Austin. Maybe we can redirect Buffalo Bayou and the Nuke waste dump to the Governors office. well, it's just a thought. ...


Buffalo Bayou sewage repairs may take 3 weeks Pipes break from downpour's load

By ALLAN TURNER HOUSTON CHRONICLE Dec. 31, 2010, 9:13AM

City workers on Thursday began assessing damage to a maze of sewer pipes that, gorged with water from heavy rains, spewed more than 100,000 gallons of raw sewage into Buffalo Bayou.

Public works spokesman Alvin Wright said it may take as long as three weeks to repair the damage, but sewer customers should not be inconvenienced in the process.

"They can still flush," Wright said. ...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7360522.html



Texas tries again to foil EPA It asks federal appeals court to stop takeover of rules for permits

By MATTHEW TRESAUGUE HOUSTON CHRONICLE Dec. 30, 2010, 9:09PM

Texas took another swing Thursday at the EPA, asking a federal appeals court to block the agency from seizing the state's authority to regulate the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

The latest legal move comes three days before new nationwide regulations for emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases take effect. Texas is the only state to refuse to implement the rules.

The Texas petition to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia accuses the Environmental Protection Agency of abusing its powers by taking control of the permitting program without proper public notice. The EPA made the unilateral move Dec. 23.

"Once again, the federal government is overreaching and improperly intruding upon the state of Texas and its legal rights," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a statement. Typically, the federal government delegates implementation of Clean Air Act rules to the states....

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7360473.html



Judge orders halt to radioactive waste dump By JAY ROOT © 2010 The Associated Press

Dec. 30, 2010, 5:11PM

AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas judge ordered a temporary halt Thursday to a proposal that could allow three dozen states to dump their radioactive waste in far West Texas, a ruling that sided with environmentalists and caught the state attorney general's office off guard.

State District Judge Jon Wisser issued a temporary restraining order against the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission, which is scheduled to vote Jan. 4 on rules that could expand how much waste could be processed at a dump in remote Andrews County.

The injunction was issued in the judge's courtroom late Thursday morning, shortly after environmentalists filed the request, with nobody there representing the commission. A few minutes later, shocked lawyers from the Texas Attorney General's Office — which hadn't been officially notified of the pending court action — showed up and convinced the judge to order a new hearing on the injunction.

The hearing is set for Monday in Austin, one day before the commission's scheduled vote. ....

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7360256.html



Friday, December 24, 2010

TEXAS NUCLEAR DUMP VOTE SET AMID HOLIDAY RUSH THANKS TO GOVERNOR RICK PERRY

NUCLEAR DUMP VOTE SET AMID HOLIDAY RUSH

CRITICS PROTEST TIMING OF MEETING ON 38-STATE WASTE FACILITY IN TEXAS

http://sciencebushwhacked.blogspot.com/2010/12/texas-nuclear-dump-vote-set-amid.html



WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2008

TEXAS WINS TO BE NEXT BIG DUMPING GROUND FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS RADIOACTIVE WASTE

(see photo's)

http://sciencebushwhacked.blogspot.com/2008/07/texas-wins-to-be-next-big-dumping.html



Monday, July 5, 2010

B.P. Gulf Oil Spill Tar Balls Hit Texas Beaches Galveston and Bolivar

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/07/gulf-oil-spill-tar-balls-hit-texas.html



Thursday, August 5, 2010

DEAD ZONES IN THE GULF AND GALVESTON BAY, NORTH AND SOUTH BACLIFF, SAN LEON, SHORELINE

flounders and stingrays floating belly up north and south of spillway part outlet.

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/08/dead-zones-in-gulf-and-galveston-bay.html


Wednesday, August 6, 2008

TROUBLED WATERS

(DEAD DOLPHIN washed up on rocks in backyard, on Galveston Bay, in Bacliff, Texas 77518)

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2008/08/troubled-waters.html



Saturday, July 19, 2008

GALVESTON BAY, swimming with the dolphins, PCBs, and FECAL MATTER

Greetings again kind friends and neighbors. ...

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2008/07/galveston-bay-swimming-with-dolphins.html



http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/



December 20, 2010

Don’t Trash Texas— Unless You Pay Perry $1.1 Million A billionaire gives the governor $500,000 more to make Texas the nation’s nuclear waste dump.


http://info.tpj.org/Lobby_Watch/pdf/SimmonsNukeImport.pdf



http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/rick-perrys-nuclear-money-mach.html





Terry S Singeltary Sr.
P.O. Box 42
Bacliff, Texas USA 77518