12-19-2006, 08:10 PM
ZAPATA, Texas-TPWD game wardens in February launched Operation Pescador in an effort to stop illegal commercial fishing on the Texas side of Falcon Reservoir. Game wardens seized 20 boats and 98,000 feet of gill nets in U.S. waters and arrested 28 Mexican commercial fishermen.
"We had some great results from Operation Pescador, but it's evident that we can only take care of our half of the lake," said TPWD game warden Captain Chris Huff, who headed the program. "We will probably continue to do this on occasion to keep the illegal commercial fishermen guessing."
Illegal commercial netting can severely deplete aquatic resources on reservoirs such as Falcon Lake, where low water levels during dry periods can concentrate fish, making them susceptible to fishing pressure and poor reproduction. Until recently, Falcon Lake had been suffering through a decade long drought that saw lake levels plummet 50-feet; lowest on record.
Commercial fishing on Falcon Lake is nothing new, according to Huff. The lake was impounded in 1954 and by 1958, an influx of commercial fishermen from East Texas used high powered boats to illegally fish with gill nets and wooden fish boxes. Mexican commercial fishermen soon entered the scene and by the 1970s when commercial fishing became illegal in Texas, had the run of Falcon Lake to themselves.
Insignificant fines and penalties did nothing to deter the activity. By 1980, Mexican commercial fishing operations were at an all-time high with more than 300 registered fishermen. In 1990, TPWD game wardens filed 175 cases and confiscated more than 50 miles of illegal nets.
News Release: Game Wardens Step Up Efforts To Clean Up Falcon Lake
"We had some great results from Operation Pescador, but it's evident that we can only take care of our half of the lake," said TPWD game warden Captain Chris Huff, who headed the program. "We will probably continue to do this on occasion to keep the illegal commercial fishermen guessing."
Illegal commercial netting can severely deplete aquatic resources on reservoirs such as Falcon Lake, where low water levels during dry periods can concentrate fish, making them susceptible to fishing pressure and poor reproduction. Until recently, Falcon Lake had been suffering through a decade long drought that saw lake levels plummet 50-feet; lowest on record.
Commercial fishing on Falcon Lake is nothing new, according to Huff. The lake was impounded in 1954 and by 1958, an influx of commercial fishermen from East Texas used high powered boats to illegally fish with gill nets and wooden fish boxes. Mexican commercial fishermen soon entered the scene and by the 1970s when commercial fishing became illegal in Texas, had the run of Falcon Lake to themselves.
Insignificant fines and penalties did nothing to deter the activity. By 1980, Mexican commercial fishing operations were at an all-time high with more than 300 registered fishermen. In 1990, TPWD game wardens filed 175 cases and confiscated more than 50 miles of illegal nets.
News Release: Game Wardens Step Up Efforts To Clean Up Falcon Lake