TPWD temporarily suspends coastal fishing

By DINA ARÉVALO
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com

Falling water temperatures spurred the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to take the rare step of issuing a temporary ban on fishing along much of the Texas coast this week.

“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,” TPWD said via a statement issued on New Year’s Day. The fishing ban went into effect from 6 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2 through 10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3.

Coastal waters from South Padre Island to Galveston were affected. Locally, the ban affected the waters along the ship channel jetties, as well as from the Intracoastal Waterway towards the bay shoreline in Port Isabel, from the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway to the site of the old causeway.

As winter weather moved through the region over the holiday weekend, the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre soon experienced temperature drops, as well, officials said.

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