moving to Texas

I will be moving to Texas in about a month, I am looking for information on legality of keeping/collecting natives in texas, I have been busy and havent been able to do much research on it myself yet but I figured some of you here may already know. Thanks.
Brian

Edited by drewish, 06 August 2008 - 11:08 PM.
made topic more descriptive

I ended up taking a job in Texas, I will be moving in about 3 weeks. From the research I have done it appears native can be legally kept in texas. I am hoping my other fish make the 1200 miles journey. Then I will be able to begin collecting and keeping natives.
Brian

Hope the move goes smoothly for you and your fish!

Where in Texas. Would be nice if you found a good source of Western Dollar Sunfish. Also in the Lower reaches of Texas I have observed the sheeps head minnows and sailfin mollies. Of course the mollies can be found all along the shore of the gulf and up the east coast a bit.

Anyway just wondering where you were going. I am originally from Lafayette Louisiana which is only about an hour to 1.5 hours from the border of Texas.

Daniel

Where in Texas are you moving to? There is an incredibly diverse assemblage of fishes here, and they vary wildly from region to region (it is a big state, after all)...

You may keeep fishes, excluding those listed as threatened or endangered:

http://www.tpwd.stat...g/animals/fish/

As I understand it, to collect natives you will need a recreational fishing licence, and game fishes of legal size (which in FW will mainly mean basses, crappie, channel cats, blue cats, and flathead catfish) may be taken by hook and line only- as far as I know there aren't any restrictions on keeping them in aquaria after you've collected them, the only laws I'm aware of for aquarium keeping in TX pertain to exotic spp. (piranha, freshwater rays, zebra mussels, et cetera)

They will also give you a booklet with all the regulations when you buy your licence.

Good luck!

Edited by BLChristie, 28 September 2008 - 06:22 PM.

Where in Texas. Would be nice if you found a good source of Western Dollar Sunfish. Also in the Lower reaches of Texas I have observed the sheeps head minnows and sailfin mollies. Of course the mollies can be found all along the shore of the gulf and up the east coast a bit.

Anyway just wondering where you were going. I am originally from Lafayette Louisiana which is only about an hour to 1.5 hours from the border of Texas.

Daniel

I have to agree with Daniel on the western dollars. I caught one at the just ended NANFA conference in Athens TX and even though only an inch or so long it was beautfully colored I'm sure if I'd had a bit more time I could have come up with several more. Also got in the same location: longears and redspot sunfish, banded pygmy sunfish and golden ear topminnows and so many tadpole madtoms I was tossing em back. And that was in 30 minutes with a dip net. Great convention. I'll have to keep an eye open for airline specials since I got the annual licence.

By the way Barrett I really enjoyed your conference talk on the pupfish breeding at the aquarium sorry I missed your tour.

Edited by keepnatives, 29 September 2008 - 12:24 PM.