CCA Texas

TPWD HATCHERIES

CCA/CPL Marine Developement Center

The CCA/CPL Marine Development Center in Corpus Christi is the first state operated hatchery and visitor center, and is one of the best kept secrets in Texas. The hatchery produces juvenile (30 millimeter) red drum and spotted seatrout for releasing into Texas bays for stock enhancement. Three conservation-minded groups helped by the Sport Fish Restoration Act joined forces to form a unique public-private partnership to make this hatchery a reality. The Gulf Coast Conservation Association (new designation Coastal Conservation Association, CCA), Central Power and Light Company (new designation American Electric Power), and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department committed to enhance red drum and spotted seatrout populations in Texas coastal waters.

Sea Center Texas

Sea Center Texas is a marine aquarium, fish hatchery and nature center operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The site’s visitor center educates through interpretive displays, a “touch tank” and aquariums depicting native Texas habitats including a salt marsh, jetty, reef and open Gulf exhibits. The Gulf aquarium houses nurse sharks, large red drum, gray snapper, Atlantic spadefish, and the state record moray eel. The center offers a variety of educational programs that promote the wise use and conservation of Texas’ marine resources.

The facility operates one of the three TPWD marine hatcheries located on the Texas coast that produce juvenile red drum and spotted speckled trout to stock in Texas bays. The hatchery has the capability to produce up to 15 million juvenile fish each year.

The center’s wetland area is part of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail. Over 150 species of birds have been identified at the site. The wetland consists of a one-acre salt marsh and a three-acre freshwater marsh. Damselflies, dragonflies, butterflies and frogs are frequently seen just off the boardwalk. A small outdoor pavilion provides a quiet resting or lunch spot adjacent to the butterfly and hummingbird gardens.

Sea Center Texas was established through a partnership with The Dow Chemical Company, the Coastal Conservation Association, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Station

The Science staff at the Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Station (PRBMFRS) is divided into two groups, the genetics staff and the life history staff. The genetics staff consists of a lead geneticist and three genetics biologists. The life history group is composed of a lead biologist, who is also the Facility Director, a biologist, two fish and wildlife technicians, and a laboratory technician. The genetics group utilizes genetic markers for species identification and to analyze genetic variability and population subdivision within marine species of interest. The life history group examines age and growth and reproductive characteristics of marine fish. Together, the two groups function to provide specialized information about marine fish stocks needed to manage Texas� marine resources effectively. Many of the projects at the PRBMFRS are partially funded by the U. S. Department of the Interior, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act. The station also currently houses a fish ageing program funded by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission and administered by TPWD.