Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Calling all Grass Carp permittees in Texas

TPW is looking to amend the Grass Carp permit.


https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/fee..._medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery



Time to comment is NOW.

§57.116. Special Provisions — Triploid Grass Carp. section "(g) Stocking in private ponds. (3) states:

(3) A permit[Permits] for stocking of triploid grass carp into private ponds is[are] specific to the pond or ponds for which it is issued [on a property, transferrable with the sale of the property, and shall not expire or require renewal] and shall remain valid for a period of 18 months from the date of issuance [provided that the ponds are not modified in any way that could result in increased risk of escape, release, or discharge of controlled exotic species into public water]. All stocking must take place within the period of permit validity established by this paragraph."

This is the section I have disagreement with. Every Fisheries Biologist I have talked with recommends ladder stocking. This ladder stocking should take several years (up to 5 years), not 18 months. If in fact there is "No Cost" according to your assessment, TPW should be the entity to record and hold the remaining Permitted stocking license during the ladder stocking period, not the pond owner, and not the person selling the fish. Remember, your own site recommends 10 Grass Carp per acre with over 50% vegetation. If all the fish are introduced at the same time large swings in vegetation will happen. Total stocking of the permitted fish has never been the stated Goal of the program. Ladder stocking is the right way to stock fish of all species. Grass Carp are no different. This is a lazy way to control permits. TPW should be ashamed of this possible change as it is short sighted at best. Ladder stocking and the permit should be for up to five years as recommended by fisheries biologists.

I recommend TPW issue the correct number of Permitted Fish for vegetation control (5 or 10 per acre depending on vegetation percentages) and then TPW should be the ones to maintain the record of the fish stocked per year during the ladder stocking. And again, since it has already been determined to be a no cost issue to record the stocking, no cost can be passed on to the pond owner or fish supplier.


This is what I sent to TPW about the grass Carp stocking permit changes.

Anyone in Texas who wishes to send anything like this may use what I wrote and modify it as they see fit and send it to TPW. Time is running out.

Well said, Brian. I have a permit & wanted to stock maybe two-thirds at first to see how they do, then add the remainder if necessary. Under the 18 month rule I'd be forced to put them all in right away. I'll write them.

I got my new grass carp permit this week, and this is the relevant part after the GC permit changes:

"Permit is valid for 36 months from the date of issuance, or until all grass carp authorized by the permit have been purchased/stocked, whichever occurs first. Permit holder may purchase fewer carp than total quantity permitted; remaining quantity may be purchased prior to the permit expiration date of 36 months from the date of issuance but cannot be purchased/stocked after the permit expires."

So, I got a permit for 97, and am front loading the first batch this year. 40 to be exact. What means for me is that I'll skip next year, and then stock again in 2025. Unless coontail starts crawling up the banks, I'll stock maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the initial stocking. Yes, I will be leaving permit money on the table if I don't purchase all 97, but is a muddy pond down the road worth losing a few dollars? My understanding is that if you get less than the maximum number of GC(based on pond acreage), then the 3 year limit actually lets you renew a permit earlier if needed.

Melissa Schimdt is the new permit coordinator, and she's very easy to work with. Just have all the requirements covered, fencing, percentage of weeds, etc. The online form is much better than the previous paper forms, and it keeps your permit history on your account.

Thanks for the update!