The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) purchased and retired 46 commercial oyster licenses during the tenth round of its Commercial Oyster Boat License Buyback Program, the agency said in a Nov. 2 news release.
Combined with 112 licenses retired last year, nearly 30 percent of the state’s commercial oyster licenses have now been removed from circulation, according to the department.
TPWD said the recent success follows the creation of a public-private partnership between the department and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) that has brought significant private funding to the effort. The agency said the funding has accelerated progress toward reducing harvest pressure on Texas oyster reefs.
Like buyback programs created in prior years, the oyster program gives willing license holders an opportunity to exit the fishery, helping reduce pressure on stocks and oyster reefs, the release said. TPWD said improving the health of wild oyster reefs remains a top priority for the department because wild oyster abundance has declined due to several factors. Both the oyster industry and various conservation groups have identified license buybacks as an effective way to reduce harvest pressure on wild reefs over the long run and create a more sustainable fishery, according to the agency.
Through the S. Reed Morian Oyster Buyback Program, TPWD and TPWF worked with private donors this year to offer license holders a fixed price of $30,000 per license, the release said. Laurie Morian and Coastal Conservation Association Texas have been instrumental in supporting the program, which the agency said honors the late S. Reed Morian, a former chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission whose passion for the Texas coast and ability to bring people together helped shape modern oyster conservation.
“The progress we’ve made in just two years is remarkable, and it shows what we can accomplish when we work together,” said TPWF Executive Director Anne Brown in the release. “We are deeply grateful to Laurie Morian, CCA Texas and the many generous donors who have stepped up to support this effort. Reed would be so proud to see the momentum behind this program and the difference it is making for the Texas coast he loved so much.”
More information about the state’s commercial fishing license buyback program is available on the TPWD website, the department said.