Hundreds of turtles and fingerling-sized catfish were rescued from a South Texas lake earlier this week. Texas Game Wardens discovered the animals entangled in numerous illegal hoop nets.
Illegal netting tactics have become a multi-county issue at Falcon Lake, with officials from Starr, Jim Hog, and Zapata counties pursuing them for weeks, according to Texas Game Wardens.
Earlier this week, fishing guides in the area reported to officials that they had seen six hoop nets in the waters where commercial fishing vessels operate on the Texas side of Falcon Lake. During the inquiry, officials discovered and seized seven hoops.
Texas Game Wardens reported that after discovering hundreds of catfish and turtles entangled in the nets, they released them back into the lake.
This week’s results follow weeks of Zapata area wardens taking several thousand feet of monofilament gill and garnet that did not comply with state regulations.
“Because illegal nets do not discriminate between fish sizes or species, they can severely damage local ecosystems by catching all aquatic life within a specific area, preventing fishing opportunities in the future,” according to the announcement.
Texas Game Wardens encourage anybody who witnesses potential fishing offenses to call the OGT hotline at 1-800-792-GAME or contact their local Texas Game Warden.
