These prehistoric monster fish have become a popular catch over the years for North Texas anglers, in part because of how they look and how huge they can become.
Every year, Texas Parks and Wildlife hosts a drawing for a chance to catch and keepThe TPWD Inland Fisheries staff explained the harvest authorization drawing via email, writing that “anglers chosen would receive a non-transferable harvest authorization to harvest one alligator gar from the date of issuance through August 31, 2023." The authorization could be used day or night, and alligator gar could be taken by any. “There’s a few different people that fish for gar.
Alligator gars are a part of the natural Texas ecosystem, and with their growing popularity with anglers, the TPWD is worried about possible overfishing. “Compared with other sport fish, alligator gar are few in number because they are near the top of the food chain,” the TPWD staff wrote. “Because they are long-lived and reproduce infrequently, alligator gar can only sustain harvest rates of about 5% each year. … If too many fish are taken, populations can quickly decline and only young, small fish will remain. Once an alligator gar population declines, it can take decades to restore.
“The Trinity River is arguably the most popular fishery for exceptionally large alligator gar in the world,” the TPWD release said. “The harvest authorization process allows limited harvest opportunity while protecting a majority of spawning-aged fish.” Before anyone can catch and keep one of these whoppers, they must first enter the drawing from Sept. 1–30 using either the
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