Typically, alligator gar do not spawn every year. Research data indicate alligator gar in Texas have the greatest chance at spawning successfully if the creation of preferred spawning habitat (the seasonal inundation of low-lying areas of vegetation) occurs in late spring through early summer. Because the conditions for spawning do not exist on a regular basis, and because spawning occurs in shallow waters where numerous gar can be concentrated in one area, alligator gar are extremely vulnerable to harvest during spawning.
There were 2 paragraphs with information that is extremely important in maintaining successful breeding and fishing populations of alligator gar in Texas in that release. The first is the fact that gar are a slow reproducing species; they do no breed every year, and they breed successfully
ONLY when the right conditions arise. The right conditions arising in Texas can easily be years apart, so the species is susceptible to damage through over-fishing and over-hunting simply because their reproduction is infrequent. If they bred like rabbits or feral hogs, there wouldn't be a problem, but they don't, and that is exactly why they have been annihilated in much of their original range.
The TPW Commission in 2009 adopted a daily bag limit of one alligator gar per person, which was intended to protect adult fish while allowing limited harvest, thus ensuring population stability. This action was taken to protect alligator gar populations in Texas, as Texas is one of the last remaining strongholds for the species in the U. S. Since 2009, the department has been conducting research to determine the estimated harvest of alligator gar, quantify reproduction, understand habitat usage and determine geographic differences in populations.
If everyone would abide by the 1 gar limit daily, whether fishing or bowhunting, the alligator gar species would probably face little danger in Texas, but the fact is some people don't. If you know people who fish or shoot above the limit, what they are doing is illegal and should be reported. They are robbing us and future generations of an ancient natural resource.
as Texas is one of the last remaining strongholds for the species in the U. S.
That short statement should make abundantly clear the danger over-fishing and over-hunting alligator gar poses to the species. There are alligator gar out there, but if someone catches or shoots 5 or 6 day after day or week after week, how long does it take to deplete a pretty limited resource? Not long in the scheme of things.
Ray
