Texas -

Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) today began deploying the Jack Cowan Reef off of Freeport Texas.     Named for famed Texas outdoor artist John P. (Jack) Cowan, the reef is located about 8 miles offshore in Texas state waters on a bearing of 213 degrees from the Freeport jetties.    The latitude/longitude coordinates of the reef are 28 47.656 N. and 95 20.809 W.

Cowan was Texas’ preeminent outdoors artist for three decades and was an avid salt water fisherman and quail hunter.    His paintings are renowned for capturing the rugged spirit of Texas’ coastal marine and brush country environments, and he gave tirelessly of his time and talents to aid outdoor conservation groups such as RFA, Ducks Unlimited and the Wild Turkey Federation.   

Cowan was a prolific artist and his originals and prints are prized in the collections of both individual sportsmen across the nation and in the permanent collections of museums such as the Houston Museum of Fine Art.    Cowan passed away in 2008 and RFA, together with then-Commissioner John Parker of Texas Parks & Wildlife, conceived of creating a reef in Cowan’s honor.      

RFA has been promoting the construction of artificial reefs in Texas waters (within 9 miles of the coast) as a means of creating more habitat and breeding areas for marine shellfish and finfish and as an aid to sport fishing and the economies of Texas’ coastal communities.   Texas Parks & Wildlife has also embraced the concept of near-shore reefing and has a program to designate public reefing areas in Texas waters near major Texas entry ports.    The Jack Cowan Reef site is part of one of those designated sites.    

“Artificial reefing in Texas waters will create additional fish habitat with relatively easy
access for Texas recreational fishermen and divers,” said Jim Smarr, acting-Chairman, RFA-Texas.    “This is important because the Texas coast has relatively few close-in reefs or structures of any kind to attract and hold marine life.    By creating new reefs relatively close to shore more Texas families will have a chance to enjoy our state’s marine resources.”

“Brazoria County officials and businesses in the area are excited about the reefing site and program, because it will be a major economic boost to the local economy.
We hope to see support for artificial reefing begin to build all along the Texas coast and we stand ready to help local communities in that effort.”

RFA-Texas has contracted with Reef Man LLC to begin construction on the Jack Cowan Reef.    Reef Man is owned by Tom Hilton, who produces the well-known Hilton’s Offshore Charts used by Texas fishermen, and by Gary Belvins.   Reef Man utilizes a boat designed for artificial reefing and is the only boat of its type on the Texas coast. 

RFA is also supporting efforts by the non-profit group Texas Gulf Coast Stewards (TGCS) to create an artificial reef site near Galveston.   The TGCS has a long-term goal of planning, constructing and monitoring a science driven artificial reef program on permitted reef sites along the Texas Coast positioned in state waters from 7.5 to 8.5 miles off the beach.    Researchers from Texas A&M would be part of that project, and funding for the project is being sought through environmental remediation money available through the State of Texas.

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