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.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has extended until noon on Monday, Feb. 7, the closure to fishing along parts of the coast to provide additional protection to the resource.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has issued a temporary closure to saltwater fishing along parts of the Texas coast to protect resources during freezing weather conditions. The closure takes effect at noon Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 and extends through noon on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011.

A renewed commitment from longtime Texas conservation supporter Toyota will help make possible a wide range of public benefits for hunters and anglers, state park visitors, urban families, private land stewards and others who rely on Texas natural resources.

With a major arctic air mass bearing down on Texas, coastal anglers are asked to be mindful of the impacts a coastal freeze event can have on game fish populations.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission today approved $1.81 million in federal matching funds for boat ramp projects at two state parks and in seven communities. It also okayed $894,700 in boat ramp funding for Luling and Gonzales conditioned on future receipt of additional federal freshwater boating access funds.

Fifteen Community Outdoors Outreach Program grants from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department totaling more than $629,000 will be helping thousands of Texas children explore and learn about the states’ cultural and natural resources.

Austin Canoe and Kayak (ACK), today announced the 2010 Fish Challenge, an annual catch-and-release kayak-fishing event held on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. The challenge offers all types of kayak anglers, including kids and teenagers, a chance to put their kayak fishing skills to the test in the heart of the city.