It's funny to hear you guys say we should leave the alligator gar regs alone.

birds of a feather

What the heck is this supposed to mean or imply?

Of course the first time that i visit this forum in months i find THIS topic, and of course I can never keep myself from getting involved.

First off here is the TPWD Mission: "To manage and CONSERVE the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and FUTURE generations"

This is our state mandated charge. With that said, it is common knowledge among biologists that ALLIGATOR GAR (i'm positive that most people can not tell the difference between the gar species)populations are decreasing throughout there entire range, including in Texas. The most probable reason for this decline is habitat loss (ex. large rivers being dammed).

So do to the decline in alligator gar populations, we are mandated to try to conserve the species. The regulations are not targeting a specific group, but all persons involved in harvesting alligator gar, and the only way to successfully protect the species is through regulations, since their habitat is irreversibly altered (we can't ask them to remove livingston dam!).

The alligator gar study on the Trinity River is looking at movements and habitat utilization. We are interested in identifying spawning habitats and seasonal habitat utilization.

I'm not even going to get involved with the discussion on the regulations. Thank goodness that is not MY job!

Thanks for the info Aggie. Hey, couple questions... Do you work for TPWD? Are one of our states biologists that have supposedly not done any research on alligator gar?

I've been an aquatic biologist with TPWD for a year now, but I'm not in the Fisheries Management and Research Branch. I work in the River Studies program, so I deal with conserving and protecting the fish communites in the states streams, creeks, and rivers. The current alligator gar research project (we are also tracking striped bass)on the Trinity River is being conducted by biologists from Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center, but I am assisting them on the project because of my experience working with gar (I did my M.S. at Texas A&M on alligator, spotted and longnose gar in the Brazos River).

Aggie Angler, I have heard various growth rates on A-gar...from a 200lb fish being 7-8 years old to a 200lb fish being 50+ years old I would love to know your findings on this. At one point you posted some interesting aging data based on there jaw bones I belive but I have searched and can not locate it. Any light you can shed on this subject would be appreciated!

Maybe we should just stage alligator gar fight tournaments and the strong survive and the weak can be eaten.

Yes, I posted a picture of a branchiostegal ray from a 4ft long longnose gar that was 24yrs old in one of the previous alligator gar topics similar to this over a year ago.

I've looked at the branchiostegal ray from a 6ft 126lb alligator gar and could count about 25 rings, but I know for a fact that it was underestimated because the base of the ray was too thick to read the earlier rings. So a 200lb fish would more than likely be older than 7-8yrs.

Unfortunately, aging gar with branchiostegal rays has not been validated yet (compared to a fish of known age to see if the rings are actual annuli) but it is one of the better methods for the smaller gar and not so good for really big alligator gar due to the issues stated above. There has, however, been a real push to advance our knowledge of the basic biology of alligator gar.

We may not know all the answers yet, but the picture is becoming clearer...

Very cool! Were you the one awarded that prestigious scholarship from TPWD a while back?

Anyway, your input here ( And that of your colleagues ) is very much appreciated!

If Alligator Gar are on the decline, would TPWD start a restocking program? If dams are causing this why not restock above the dams?

The good thing about my job is that I don't have to make those decisions!

To my knowledge I only know of two places that raise alligator gar: Tishomingo National Fish Hatcher in Oklahoma and a hatchery in Mexico near Vicente Guerrero Reservoir in Tamaulipas.

The federal hatchery in Uvalde has alligator gar listed, but I don't think they rear them.

signed... come on guys... we need more!

No, but I'm sure you help influence those decisions hehe.

As for restocking, it's good to know that if TPWD decides to go in that direction, they will at least have a few hatcheries to obstain some fish to stock with. Stocking above dams could be a good idea, though I think part of the problem is that all the damming up of lakes has altered the Alligator Gar's natural habitat in such a big way that it may be tough for them to spawn the way nature intended. Re-stocking may help alleviate the population in some areas where it is declining heavily due to interrupted waterways and habitat destruction.