Bill Text: TX SCR41 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Designating the red drum as the official State Saltwater Fish of Texas.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (N/A - Dead) 2011-05-05 - Removed from local & uncontested calendar [SCR41 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-SCR41-Comm_Sub.html
| By: Hinojosa | S.C.R. No. 41 | |
| (In the Senate - Filed April 11, 2011; April 13, 2011, read | ||
| first time and referred to Committee on Administration; | ||
| April 26, 2011, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7, | ||
| Nays 0; April 26, 2011, sent to printer.) | ||
|
|
||
| WHEREAS, The lands and waters of Texas are home to a diverse | ||
| range of animals, and a select number of these species have been | ||
| recognized as official state symbols as a result of their | ||
| significance to our history and culture; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A particularly rich natural environment is found | ||
| along the Texas Gulf Coast, and of the many distinctive plants and | ||
| wildlife found in that region, the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) | ||
| is particularly deserving of recognition; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Also known as the redfish and the bull red, this | ||
| majestic saltwater fish spends the first three years of its life in | ||
| bays along the coast before heading into the open waters of the Gulf | ||
| of Mexico; it also demonstrates the hardiness and adaptability so | ||
| often found in the Lone Star State, swimming up rivers on occasion | ||
| and also taking up residence in certain inland reservoirs; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of the | ||
| fish is its Texas-sized stature; at three years of age, the typical | ||
| red drum is two and a half feet long and will grow larger over the | ||
| course of its long life; the biggest red drum caught in Texas waters | ||
| was 54.25 inches long and weighed nearly 60 pounds; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The fish's size, along with its power, speed, and | ||
| delicious flavor, has made it one of the most popular game species | ||
| in Texas waters; whether wading through the shallows, casting with | ||
| fly rods, or trying their luck in pier or surf fishing, anglers of | ||
| all types prize the red drum as a catch; as a result, the fish plays | ||
| an important role in boosting recreational tourism; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In decades past, redfish also helped drive the | ||
| state's commercial fishing industry and at times made up as much as | ||
| 35 percent of its landings; overfishing and illegal netting took a | ||
| toll, however, and by the early 1980s the drum population had | ||
| dropped to dangerously low levels throughout the Gulf of Mexico; | ||
| fortunately, state officials responded to the situation by enacting | ||
| legislation and adopting wise management and enforcement measures, | ||
| including the development of a revolutionary hatchery; today, | ||
| numbers have rebounded to the point where the state has one of the | ||
| best red drum fisheries in the nation; and | ||
| WHEREAS, An environmental success story as well as an | ||
| awe-inspiring and much-sought-after resident of the Gulf Coast | ||
| waters, the red drum is a celebrated member of our natural world, | ||
| and it is indeed a fitting symbol of the Lone Star State; now, | ||
| therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate the red drum as the official State Saltwater Fish | ||
| of Texas. | ||
| * * * * * | ||
