The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is asking anglers and non-anglers to participate in a brief online survey to share their experiences and opinions about alligator gar, Texas’ largest freshwater fish.
The results from this survey will help TPWD make informed management decisions regarding this species in the near future.
“Our management goal is to sustain our unique alligator gar fisheries for future generations of Texans,” said Warren Schlechte, TPWD Inland Fisheries Research Biologist. “We spent the last decade learning about the biology of alligator gar, and from that we know we have a variety of management options on the table. What we need now is constituent input – this survey will give our constituents a place at the table.”
The online survey is available now through July 31, takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and is accessible in English here and Spanish here.
Survey questions focus on gathering information about who constituents are, how anglers like to fish, angler harvest practices, and how people would like to see alligator gar managed in the future.
Once considered a “trash” fish, native alligator gar have been growing in popularity among anglers in recent decades and people from all over the world visit Texas to catch these large and challenging fish for a sense of pride.
Although some target alligator gar to catch the trophy fish of a lifetime, others intend to harvest them so they can eat them for a meal. To learn more about this species or view the findings of studies conducted by TPWD biologists before taking the survey, visit tpwd.texas.gov/texasgar.