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TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website #12718570 04/16/18 04:06 PM
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TPWD News Release

TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website

Website serves as information portal for Texas’ largest, longest-lived freshwater fish

AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) unveiled a new website to educate and inform Texans about alligator gar – the largest freshwater fish in Texas and one of the largest freshwater fishes in North America. The site, which can be found at www.tpwd.texas.gov/texasgar, features informational articles about alligator gar and the findings of studies conducted by TPWD biologists.

The new website was created by TPWD Inland Fisheries staff to provide anglers and non-anglers with all the information they need about Texas alligator gar in one place. That includes information on alligator gar identification, management, distribution and fishing tips and tactics.

“There is a lot of misinformation floating around about alligator gar regarding their impact on other fish, where they are located throughout the state and population sizes of the gar that live in our reservoirs and rivers,” said Dave Buckmeier, Research Program Director. “This website will provide Texans with a one-stop shop to find science-based facts and information about alligator gar and clear up some of the confusion surrounding these misunderstood fish.”

Some other common myths and misconceptions about alligator gar addressed on the website include the idea that they attack humans, that they are not native to Texas, that they are invasive and that their populations are plentiful throughout their range.

“Alligator gar are only present in a handful states in the country, and although Texas has some of the most robust populations, these fish still face challenges related to angling pressure and limited access to floodplain spawning habitats,” said Dan Daugherty, TPWD research biologist. “In order to sustain this unique fishery for future generations of anglers we want to engage the public and provide a better understanding of these fish both as a recreational resource and as a valuable part of the ecosystem.”

To date, TPWD research has focused on understanding how long alligator gar live, how fast they grow, how often they successfully reproduce and how healthy our populations currently are. But while they have learned a great deal about these topics, researchers know relatively little about the anglers who fish for them.

To help answer this question, the new alligator gar website is hosting pre-registration for an upcoming constituent survey that will gather information about people’s preferences, attitudes and opinions about these fish. This information will be used by researchers to help inform upcoming management decisions about fishing rules and regulations for alligator gar.

“With this survey we will be targeting both anglers and non-anglers in an effort to reach an audience as diverse as Texas itself,” said Warren Schlechte, TPWD research biologist. “The goal is to gain a better understanding of who our constituents are, how our anglers like to fish, their harvest practices, and how they would like to see alligator gar managed in the future.”

The alligator gar constituent survey will launch in June, but anglers can pre-register now on the new alligator gar website here. Pre-registered anglers and non-anglers will be notified via email when the survey launches this summer.

Other resources on the new alligator gar website include links to the species description, current fishing regulations statewide and in select reservoirs, Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine feature articles related to alligator gar and a list of publications related to alligator gar life history and management.

To learn more, visit the alligator gar website at www.tpwd.texas.gov/texasgar.


Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: TFF Staff 3] #12718887 04/16/18 07:44 PM
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I find it funny that TPWD wants input from anglers on AG.. When we did our first angler survey on Falcon, where 85% of fishermen overall said to "kill em all", they didn't like the results and made our local biologists rewrite the survey, to, in my opinion, steer the results. I am sure in todays political world many of you know the procedure.

Manipulation of numbers is easy to do when you control the responses. Let me write the survey questions and I'll bet you get different results..

I am not for the annihilation of the species, just for some balance.

You cannot take a one size fits all approach to AG in Texas.. I am sure there are places where they need more protection than others.

Just like different lakes have different slot limits to try and enhance the fishery, lakes need different restrictions, or no restrictions, to keep the balance in place.

That's called management.. And according to PAW's own research, we are taking well below levels that would damage the AG fishery..

This should be interesting.. And I hope they will include a comment section.. And let everyone read the comments posted by fishermen, with no spin..


James Bendele
Falcon Lake Tackle
"On the eighth day, Man invented the Fish Hook."
Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: NoWeighers] #12719488 04/17/18 02:56 AM
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Yea, they are trying to “save the Sharks” all over again...

Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: crapicat] #12719659 04/17/18 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: crapicat
Yea, they are trying to “save the Sharks” all over again...

People used to kill sharks anytime they caught them. Not to eat ... they just killed them because they thought they were bad and dumped them back in the ocean. It was ignorance and in the last 20 years we have come to understand that sharks play an important role in the ocean's ecosystems. Species like gar and bowfin have been here longer than most of the other species in our lakes. Where is it that they are out of balance with other species and causing a measurable problem?


The solution to any problem - work, love, money, whatever - is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be. --John Gierach

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Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: J.P. Greeson] #12719697 04/17/18 12:46 PM
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Originally Posted By: J.P. Greeson
Originally Posted By: crapicat
Yea, they are trying to “save the Sharks” all over again...

People used to kill sharks anytime they caught them. Not to eat ... they just killed them because they thought they were bad and dumped them back in the ocean. It was ignorance and in the last 20 years we have come to understand that sharks play an important role in the ocean's ecosystems. Species like gar and bowfin have been here longer than most of the other species in our lakes. Where is it that they are out of balance with other species and causing a measurable problem?


Lake Aquilla for one...anyone that gets on the water and opens their eyes can tell...if they want to see, that is.

Further, man dumps garbage in the ocean and calls that intelligent progress, much like the calls for saving the gar?

Last edited by crapicat; 04/17/18 12:49 PM.
Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: TFF Staff 3] #12719764 04/17/18 01:21 PM
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I can't speak for other places.. And never do.. But Choke Canyon and Falcon are off the charts..


James Bendele
Falcon Lake Tackle
"On the eighth day, Man invented the Fish Hook."
Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: crapicat] #12719771 04/17/18 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted By: crapicat
Lake Aquilla for one...anyone that gets on the water and opens their eyes can tell...if they want to see, that is.

What species are gar impacting? Can you post a link to some studies that show gar have a negative impact on Aquilla?

Originally Posted By: crapicat
Further, man dumps garbage in the ocean and calls that intelligent progress, much like the calls for saving the gar?

When did anyone call dumping garbage in the ocean intelligent progress? Intelligent progress is groups like 4Ocean ( www.4ocean.com ) working to clean up our oceans.


The solution to any problem - work, love, money, whatever - is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be. --John Gierach

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Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: NoWeighers] #12719773 04/17/18 01:30 PM
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Originally Posted By: NoWeighers
I can't speak for other places.. And never do.. But Choke Canyon and Falcon are off the charts..

The gar have been there during the peaks and valleys of bass fishing on both Choke and Falcon. Are you saying the population has increased dramatically over the last few years?


The solution to any problem - work, love, money, whatever - is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be. --John Gierach

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Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: TFF Staff 3] #12719795 04/17/18 01:48 PM
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Very Interesting topic. I pre registered for this survey. fish


Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: TFF Staff 3] #12719808 04/17/18 02:01 PM
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They increase dramatically in the right years.. Did you keep up with the studies we did down here on growth rates? And the numbers we encountered?

And how many gar were taken from Choke Canyon in the eighties and how many are there today..

And are you making decisions about gar with emotion or with facts gathered by scientific methods?

Gar are the ultimate fresh water predators with a 75 year shelf life.. They reproduce like rats and it is pretty easy to do the math.. They are sexually mature at three or four and we caught a lot of six and seven year olds that weighed a hundred pounds.. The myth of the 100 year old gar that weighs a hundred pounds is [censored].. At least down here..

I do not speak for other parts of the state..

Some of the bigger fish have over 800,000 eggs in them.. That is not a typo..

When you have thousands of them in a lake, it is easy to see how they can get out of control..


James Bendele
Falcon Lake Tackle
"On the eighth day, Man invented the Fish Hook."
Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: TFF Staff 3] #12719816 04/17/18 02:09 PM
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Most of the lakes in Texas seem to reach a natural balance with gar. Other than a few bowfishermen, most people don't harvest them. I have no emotional connection to gar, but I do think they are often hated without reason. As for Choke and Falcon, you know more than I do about those lakes and I haven't followed your studies, but this would be a good place to post the information you gathered.


The solution to any problem - work, love, money, whatever - is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be. --John Gierach

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Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: bowhuntfisher] #12719849 04/17/18 02:25 PM
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Originally Posted By: bowhuntfisher
Very Interesting topic. I pre registered for this survey. fish


Sounds like a good plan, as they probably need to hear from fishermen, and bowfishermen; not just tree hugging, go with the flow, how much money did your tree hugging survey cost types...and no Mr. Greeson, that comment was pointed at you...I for one know most reasearch is flawed from the beginning...

Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: TFF Staff 3] #12719904 04/17/18 02:57 PM
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I spoke about it in depth on my site a few years back.. And I remember it started a war of sorts on here as well..

In any case.. It has been two years more or less since the implementation of the five fish per day rule change for Falcon.. And as ordered, TPWD is going to be doing an assessment of the gar fishery here on Falcon again next week, to monitor the fish's numbers, and to continue the study they started, four years ago..

These fish will be aged, weighed, fertility tested, and eaten by the locals after data collection..

I will let you know what we find..


James Bendele
Falcon Lake Tackle
"On the eighth day, Man invented the Fish Hook."
Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: NoWeighers] #12719932 04/17/18 03:13 PM
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I, for one, would love to know...so thanks in advance...

Re: TPWD Unveils New Alligator Gar Website [Re: crapicat] #12720206 04/17/18 05:39 PM
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Originally Posted By: crapicat
and no Mr. Greeson, that comment was pointed at you...I for one know most reasearch is flawed from the beginning...

That's a bold comment. How is most research flawed from the beginning?


The solution to any problem - work, love, money, whatever - is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be. --John Gierach

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