Regional management an option for Lower Laguna Madre specks
This, just in from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, is a follow-up to the December 6 post here on CoastalAnglers.com. 
Historically, a relatively small number of participants have had a significant impact on the outcome of public hearings like this. The move to liberalize size and bag limits on Texas redfish around five years or so ago remains perhaps the most outstanding example of this. A small but vocal group of a roughly a dozen outspoken anglers traveled to the various hearings held by TPWD coastwide, and ultimately, achieved their goal of seeing to it that redfish regs were well enough left alone.
The bottom line: If you have strong feelings regarding the Texas trout management issue, one way or another, this is your opportunity to voice those opinions. The “regional management” concept has been discussed and considered by countless coastal fishermen in the past couple of years. As with most all angling-related issues, there are some very strong feelings being voiced by various parties both in favor of specialized management of Lower Laguna Madre speckled trout and toward leaving things as they are.
I’d like to believe that fisheries management decisions are ultimately based largely, if not completely, upon biological findings. However, it’s indisputable that “social” concerns play no small role as well.
Even before any decisions are made … and as you will read below, those decisions could be made inside of the coming year … a controversy of this sort essentially spells good news for the Texas trout fishery.
Why?
Because it wasn’t so long ago that we were all worried about a lack of speckled trout in the state’s bays and estuaries. Now, at least some of us are worried about not having enough big trout.
Today, there is more pressure on our coastal resources than ever. Some 2,000 newcomers make an entry into Texas saltwater each and every month, according to TPWD statistics. The fact that our saltwater fishery continues to produce as consistently and impressively as it does, any way you look at current or proposed regulations, speaks volumes for the job that coastal anglers and Texas coastal fishery managers have done in protecting an irreplaceable resource.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Anglers in the Lower Laguna Madre could see spotted seatrout bag and size limits that are different from those in effect in other bay systems as early as September 2007.
A regional management plan for the Lower Laguna Madre is one solution being considered by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department coastal fisheries biologists to address a downward trend in both the number and size of the popular game fish being landed in Texas’ southernmost bay system.
In a briefing to TPW commissioners Aug. 23, Randy Blankinship, then the TPWD ecosystem leader for the Lower Laguna Madre, said that the department’s data shows that good numbers of spotted seatrout are being recruited to the fishery. Still, Blankinship said, fewer fish over 20 inches are being landed, even though fishing pressure has remained constant or even slightly increased in recent years.
“Because coast-wide trends are positive and the Lower Laguna Madre is the only bay system exhibiting negative trends in spotted seatrout, a regional management approach appears to be one option to accomplish the goal of maintaining a world-class fishery,” Blankinship told commissioners.
Scoping meetings to discuss the proposed changes are slated for January 2007.
Howdy. I am 
De Javu’ or what? At the SSWG meeting and Town Hall meetings of years past, I went on record stating that Regionalizing the Coast was a sure fire solution to Local Bays problems. I was told it’d never work and too hard to Patrol. And now it pops up as a wonderful solution? lol Thanks for the updates Larry and hope to see you soon!