Texas Tech and TPWD Conduct Four Month Survey on Hill Country Rivers
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division is partnering with Texas Tech University’s Department of Biological Sciences and the TTU Llano River Field Station to conduct a four-month survey of anglers who fish Texas Hill Country rivers and streams.
The survey will determine recreational angling effort (time spent fishing), gather information on angler attitudes and opinions, and evaluate the economic impact of angling in the region’s rivers and streams.
Anglers who have fished a Hill Country river or stream during the past 12 months are encouraged to participate in the survey. Information from anglers who target Guadalupe bass, the state fish of Texas, is of special interest. TPWD is engaged in an ongoing effort to restore and preserve Guadalupe bass populations in the Llano, Blanco, Pedernales, San Antonio and James River watersheds.
Anglers can participate in the survey through a link on the TPWD fishing web page http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/ or directly at https://www.research.net/s/HillCountryFishingSurvey. Additional river and stream fishing-related web sites will also be asked to add a link to the survey in the near future. As an incentive to participate, anglers completing the survey will be eligible to win either a spinning rod and reel combo ($200 value) or fly rod and reel combo ($300 value). A drawing for the two rod and reel prizes will be held in January 2013. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete and results are completely confidential. All results will be aggregated so individual responses will be anonymous.
Counties of interest include Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Brown, Burnet, Comal, Coleman, Edwards, Gillespie, Hays, Kimble, Kendall, Kerr, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, Medina, Menard, Mills, Real, San Saba, Travis, and Williamson. Major rivers include the Blanco, Colorado, Guadalupe, James, Llano (North and South forks), Medina, Pedernales, San Antonio, San Marcos and San Saba. A map showing the entire area of interest is included at the beginning of the survey. Anglers fishing smaller rivers, streams and creeks within the area of interest, are also encouraged to participate.
Information gathered from the survey will ultimately be used to help guide future habitat restoration efforts, efforts to expand fishing access, and other actions by TPWD to enhance fishing opportunities in rivers and streams in the Hill Country and throughout Texas.
Thank you,
Karen Marks
Aquatic Education Manager
Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept.
4200 Smith School Rd.
Austin, TX 78744
Category: Causes, Science and Environmental
