UGRA Restores Guadalupe Bass to Native Habitat
Kerrville
,
TX
,
May 31, 2007
– With the release of thousands of Guadalupe Bass fingerlings, the Upper
Guadalupe River Authority (UGRA) and the
Texas
Parks
and Wildlife Department (TPWD) celebrated the commencement of the first year
of a five-year commitment to restore the native fish
Guadalupe
Bass to the
Upper
Guadalupe
River
in
Kerr
County
. Though TPWD has stocked Guadalupe Bass in
Kerr
County
for the past several years, specifically Johnson Creek, the agreement with
UGRA enables the agency to increase the stocking rates to 225,000 fingerlings
per year. According to TPWD
biologists, the increased stocking rate will enable the native fish to quickly
repopulate its native habitat.
The Guadalupe Bass is a
Central Texas
native and the
Texas
state fish. The numbers of Guadalupe Bass
have decreased in recent years due to a variety of factors, primarily
hybridization with smallmouth bass.
“The
Guadalupe Bass is not only our state fish, but a good indicator organism for
water quality. Thriving populations of Guadalupe Bass tell us that our river
and streams are healthy. This project supports the water quality goals
established in UGRA’s Strategic Plan,” says UGRA General Manager, Ray
Buck.
In
an effort to reduce the number of hybrids, UGRA and TPWD have undertaken a
five-year project to annually stock 225,000 Guadalupe Bass fingerlings in
Kerr
County
. Fingerlings are being
raised at the Federal Fish Hatchery in Uvalde, as well as the Heart of the
Hills
Fisheries
Science
Center
in Mountain Home. TPWD is
coordinating the annual stocking of pure Guadalupe Bass into genetically
contaminated areas. Financial
support is also provided by various groups including the Hill Country
Flyfishers, the Kerrville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the
Hill
Country
Shooting
Sports
Center
and others.
“We
are pleased to be a sponsor of this project along with TPWD. In addition to
improving our watershed with native species, the attention the Guadalupe Bass
brings to tourism also impacts the economy. It’s a win-win for the
environment and
Kerr
County
’s economy,” says UGRA Board President
Curg Starkey
.
This
year’s stocking will bring UGRA and TPWD closer to their goal of restoring
this unique species to its native habitat in the
Guadalupe
River
.
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