Hello and Greetings to everyone from Overton Fisheries!!

This message serves to inform you of some very important TPWD regulations on Mozambique Tilapia, and to provide you with a phone # and email link where you can voice your comments and concerns about this issue.

The TPWD recently clarified an existing regulation for the industry. They made it clear that Mozambique Tilapia are indeed legal to stock in Texas private waters without a permit, HOWEVER, YOU MAY NOT TRANSPORT YOUR OWN MOZAMBIQUE TILAPIA. In essence, you may have these fish delivered by one of our hauling trucks or via a 3rd party transport company ONLY. We feel this regulation is ridiculous. We have built a solid business over the last decade by supplying tilapia via farm pick-up, and the issue is up for public comment before the TPWD makes a ruling on it in August.

So if you are a fan of tilapia and have enjoyed the convenience of picking these fish up at our farm and stocking them yourself, then we need your help the most. Please call or email your comment to Ken Kurzawski at 512-389-4591 or ken.kurzawski@tpwd.texas.gov

I am guessing the "logic" TPWD is using is that farms and professional haulers have the expertise to avoid inadvertent releases...but when is legislation "logical"?

I'm getting fed up with TPWD.

Todd, thanks for the head's up.

Todd, I'll call.

However, I have found that TPWD solicits public opinion and then does whatever they want.

Will call as well. My short experience with TPWD is that they are indeed only slightly less retarded than Texas department of motor vehicles

Good luck folks. That's been my experience with APHIS up here when it came to VHS rules and I hope it isn't yours with TPWD. They have public hearings and then go ahead and do whatever they want. The meetings are just protocol and make it look like they are listening. We're just a bunch of peons.

We have found it best to pursue all avenues to have a chance and that means contacting your state representatives.

Todd, I'll call and I might just stop by and talk to a few nice people as well......where i Austin are they? Thanks.

I just spent about 15 minutes on the phone with Ken at the TPWD. He was pleasant and helpful on the phone. He said that the law has always been that Tilapia must be delivered to and not picked up by private parties. He understands that in practice that is not the situation, but that technically if you were to get pulled over with live Tilapia you can be fined. He made it clear that he does not make the decision, but that he has received lots of feedback in support of the proposed change to the law that would allow transportation by private parties. He said that it probably would require some type of transportation permit or letter authorizing a private party transaction given to you by the distributor.

The best thing we can do to positively influence and enable the change is to look at the TPWD website later this month after the change is registered with the commission and they will post a link to make public comments about the proposed change. The commission won't rule til August and they will collect citizens feedback for the months of June-August until the commission votes on it. He did take my name and is documenting inquiries.

Thanks Captain will do on the website public comments feedback, and I better leave it at that, otherwise NannyState-ism will infuriate me even more than I already am!

Indiana did the same thing a few years ago on new deer hunting regs and seasons. There was such an outcry from sportsmen that they shelved the proposal and formulated one around the suggestions that the public had. We all were suprised that they actually listened.

Yes surprising our state of Indiana does listen at times Scott. They also have a mind set of not creating too many regs or not making things complicated as it can be a pain on their side too. Hope it stays that way.

Permits tend to be free too as far as fish related things. A pathologist in WI once told me me if regs get too strangling or costly, people just go under the radar and it negates the purpose of the regs in the first place.

Goog luck in Texas and don't forget to contact your state reps. It really does make a difference.

Just sent Ken an email....our lake is being dredged within the next month to remove build up and we're waiting to get our tilapia. Don't want to pay anymore than we have to and you're on our way from dtr's home in Dallas.

hope you folks at overton don't mind if i post this on another message board?

I just got off the phone with Ken and so far it looks good for the proposal that would allow us to transport Tilapia under the direction of the permit holder. After the proposal is sent forward and registered there will be a public comment period. The site for those comments is here:

TPWD Comment Site

Al -- we welcome friendly people like you in WV. I'd love to have more tilapia supporters join me as the nearly lone voice in the West Virginia Aquaculture Association, regarding using tilapia in ponds. It took me nearly 6 years of harping to get state approval saying they are OK in private ponds.

WV is a beautiful place with fantastic waters and incredible mountains full of fish and wildlife -- and the friendliest people you will find anywhere. Todd3138 and I may beat on you about it when we see you at the next Pond Boss regional gathering!

Unfortunately, it is just a lot cooler here in the summer, we have a lot fewer rattlesnakes, and we get a lot more rain than in Texas.

Ken

More snow in the winter too!

Speaking of rain, what does it mean when the highest amount of rainfall "color" in a storm is red on the chart, but at my house it's a reddish brown on the radar? As long as the 60-90 mph winds (or higher rotating winds) stay away, I'm a happy camper.

Additional point for my Texas friends, remember that you can also contact your local legislative rep and they might start nudging as well. May not work, but worth the effort to revise this rule.


John

Ken, if I ever show up with all my cast iron and knife bag, you better clear a room out. Weather here sometimes makes it hard to always love my area. My family, my great friends, and my piece of dirt in the country are all that keep me here.

Al,

Come on up. I think it got darn near 80 degrees today. We had a little rain, and both ponds are at still at full pool. A high of 81 is forecast for tomorrow, and 79 day after that. It is just getting ready for another mountain rain storm.

We have an empty home nearby that is in an over-55 community. My basement office has a bed, and just outside the office is my fishing/hunting kitchen -- literally with a ton of cast iron pots and pans, lots of knives, sharpeners, etc.

With your beard, you'd look just like the locals, especially if you wear bib overalls, like I do most of the time.

And, we can have tilapia. To get them from somebody out of state, like Rex, we just need a free importation permit.

Oh, and I've never seen a rattlesnake in either Virginia or West Virginia, although they supposedly live in our mountains.

Ken

Consider the odds of first getting pulled over, then fractionally multiply that by the chances a highway patrolman or deputy sherriff would correctly ID a Tilapia. Wonder what the fine is?

ONE Million Dollars (pinky raised to corner of mouth)!!

With some of the troopers I deal with, you may face sanctions for having a hornless buck without tags if they find fish in your truck...

I found these TPWD docs online:

Tilapia 1

Tilapia 2

Apparently Tilapia are being grouped with grass carp. Two way different species.

It doesnt make a ton of sense to me because triploid grass carps require a permit to stock and Mozambiques do not.

I guess this implies that even if you have a carp permit you need an exotic species permit to transport it.

brian

I've emailed Ken Kurzawski for specific details on the proposed changes, and how it affects the private pond owner. Either way, I may need to make a trip to Austin for the August hearings.

Ken, Momma vetoed the bib overalls. Something about the girth to denim ratios. She's a temp anyway.

Allen, with that logic, she would be voting for a denim speedo.

When I go to buy new bibs, I have a hard time finding my size. Most seem to be made for Andre the Giant. All sizes cost the same.

I'm currently in a WV Aquaculture Association meeting. I have again confirmed that tilapia are legal in WV.

Latest info (as of today) on the Tilapia transport situation:


TPWD details page INFO
Public Comments COMMENTS

Those links are dead, and i cant seem to find anything new on TPWD.. did they just drop the whole conversation?

I see overton put tilapia back on his fish stocking page and i dont see any notes that they are delivery only.


brian

bcotton, those links were probably for the August 22nd meeting and removed after that. The results of that meeting are supposed to be announced some time this month.