Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Inland Fisheries Division:

An Inventory of Parks and Wildlife Department Inland Fisheries Division Records at the Texas State Archives, 1937-1995, bulk 1953-1986

Agency History

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is responsible for the management and conservation of the state's wildlife and fish resources; provision of outdoor recreational opportunities to the public; acquisition, development, and operation of wildlife management areas, fish hatcheries, state parks, historic sites, and other public lands; conservation education and outreach; cultural and historical interpretation; and the regulation of fishing, hunting, and boating activities. The Department is composed of ten major divisions which carry out the functions and duties of the agency: Wildlife, State Parks, Coastal Fisheries, Inland Fisheries, Communications, Law Enforcement, Infrastructure, Administrative Resources, Legal, Information Technology, and Human Resources. An Executive Director, selected by the Parks and Wildlife Commission, administers the department. In 2005, the agency employed the full-time equivalent of 3,038 people.

The Parks and Wildlife Department is governed by the Parks and Wildlife Commission, initially composed of three members, increased to six members in 1972, and as of 1983, nine members, appointed by the Governor with approval of the Senate. Members serve six-year overlapping terms. The Commission chairperson is appointed biennially by the Governor. The Commission meets quarterly or more often as needed. Its chief responsibility is to adopt policies and rules to carry out the programs of the Parks and Wildlife Department.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) had its beginnings in 1879 when the 16th Texas Legislature authorized the Governor to appoint a fish commissioner to ensure compliance with an Act for the preservation of fish, and to build fish ways and fish ladders (Chapter 92, 16th Legislature, Regular Session). In 1881, the Office of the Fish Commissioner was established (Chapter 78, 17th Legislature, Regular Session). It was created for the "propagation and preservation of fish and to build fish-ways and fish-ladders…," and existed through 1885. The commissioner was appointed to a two-year term by the Governor, with the approval of the Senate.

In 1895, the Office of the Fish and Oyster Commissioner was created by House Bill 55, 24th Legislature, Regular Session, with the commissioner appointed by the Governor as before. The duties included the protection of fish, turtles and terrapin of the bays and coastal waters of the state, protection of natural oyster beds and reefs, and the protection of the location of private beds. The Commissioner had the authority to appoint Deputy Commissioners to assist in carrying out the duties of the office. In 1907, protection of wild birds and wild game was added to the responsibilities of that office, which became the Office of the Game, Fish and Oyster Commissioner (House Bill 379, 30th Legislature, Regular Session). This Commissioner appointed Deputy Game Commissioners to assist in carrying out the duties of the office.

The single commissioner was replaced by a six-member commission in 1929 and the agency became the Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission (Senate Bill 83, 41st Legislature, Regular Session). The commissioners were appointed to six year terms by the Governor with the approval of the Senate, and were selected from different sections of the state. The chair was appointed by the Governor. Duties of the commission included administering the state's laws relating to game and fish; preventing pollution of streams; issuing hunting, trapping, and fishing licenses; collecting fees, taxes, and fines; conducting research; and proclaiming and enforcing open seasons and bag limits on game and fish. The commission also operated fish hatcheries and sanctuaries, administered game and hunting preserves, supervised oyster beds in the state, controlled and exterminated predatory animals and fish, and educated the public in the preservation of wildlife and fish and game resources of the state. It had the authority to create rules and regulations as necessary to carry out its duties. The name was changed to the Texas Game and Fish Commission in 1951 and the size of the board was increased to nine members (Senate Bill 463, 52 Legislature, Regular Session).

The Texas State Parks Board was created in 1923 (Senate Bill 73, 38th Legislature, First Called Session) to investigate prospective park sites in the state and report to the Legislature with recommendations, and to solicit and accept donations of land for state park purposes. The State Parks Board was initially composed of five members, appointed by the Governor with the approval of the Senate to six-year terms, and they were to be state officers. The number of board members increased to six in 1937 (Senate Bill 484, 45th Legislature, Regular Session). This board was to begin locating sites for the establishment of the state parks system. It directed and managed state parks, except the historical parks which were managed by the State Board of Control and/or several separate commissions. The Parks Board was charged with locating, designating, and marking historic grounds, battlegrounds, and other historic sites in the state, and erecting markers and monuments at such sites. The board also had the authority to create rules and regulations as necessary to carry out its duties. The primary function of the board between 1923 and 1933 was to acquire lands for parks through donations. In 1933, federal funds became available for state park development and the board worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the National Park Service for the development of better park sites for a state parks system. The CCC provided labor during the 1930s to improve state park lands and facilities. In 1949, the state historical parks were transferred to the State Parks Board, except for the San Jacinto Battlefield, the Battleship Texas, and the Fannin Battlefield, which were still controlled by their respective commissions--the San Jacinto Battlefield Commission, the Battleship Texas Commission, and the Fannin Battlefield Commission (House Bill 120, 51st Legislature, Regular Session). Jurisdiction over the Fannin and San Jacinto Battlefields was transferred to TPWD in 1965 (House Bill 102, 59th Legislature, Regular Session). Battleship Texas was transferred to TPWD in 1983 (House Bill 586, 68th Legislature, Regular Session).

In 1963, the State Parks Board and the Game and Fish Commission were merged to form the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife (House Bill 21, 58th Legislature, Regular Session). In 1967, the Historic Structures and Sites Act was passed by the 60th Legislature, House Bill 58, Regular Session, charging the Parks and Wildlife Department with stewardship of the state's cultural heritage sites. In 1983, the Legislature passed the 1983 Wildlife Conservation Act (Senate Bill 94, 68th Legislature, Regular Session), which gave the agency the authority to manage fish and wildlife resources in all Texas counties. Prior to this act county commissioner courts set game and fish laws in many counties, and other counties had veto power over Department regulations. In 1985, the legislature granted the agency authority over shrimp and oysters (Senate Bill 609, 69th Legislature, Regular Session).

The Inland Fisheries Division manages the freshwater fishery resources of the state, which consist of 626 public impoundments and 80,000 miles of rivers and streams covering 1.7 million acres. The division activities include fisheries management and research, fish production, angler education and information, fishing access projects, and aquatic habitat management. Today the TPWD operates the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center which includes a fish hatchery, and four other hatcheries statewide.

(Sources: Enabling legislation numerous years; V.T.C.A., Parks and Wildlife Code, Title 2;Guide to Texas State Agencies, various editions; and from information found in Texas Parks and Wildlife records.)

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Scope and Content of the Records

The Inland Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) manages the freshwater fishery resources of the state. This series contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, creel surveys, work plans on watershed development and flood prevention measures, site surveys and maps, development plans, federal aid reports, reports by TPWD biologists and other staff, reports by other entities (state agencies, university staff, etc.), surveys of fish populations, vegetation surveys, fisheries surveys, fisheries management plans, publications, clippings, monthly bulletins, fisheries investigations, studies, operating procedures, manuals, hatchery plans and budgets, maps, specifications, culture plans and production guidelines for several species, photographs, slides, negatives and a 3.5 inch floppy disk. The files document activities at particular lakes, reservoirs, a few freshwater tributaries, and state fish hatcheries, dating 1937-1995, bulk dating 1953-1986.

The bulk of the records consist of progress or performance reports and job completion reports prepared using federal grant money provided under the Dingell-Johnson Act. The project reports are created by TPWD staff and sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The report topics vary, but generally concern the management and study of fish in a particular lake or region. A few files concern a particular river or tributary, such as the Brazos River. Report objectives were largely to determine the need for changes in fish harvest regulations, stocking, population control, vegetation control, pollution control, contract fishing, and facility development.

The state fish hatchery files document a variety of functions at the fish hatcheries, with the bulk focusing on operations at the Tyler State Fish Hatchery including construction of additions, fish propagation, fish distribution, culture planning for several game fish species, record fish catches, and some information on the overall operation of the fish hatchery. Photographic media includes views of the buildings, grounds, ponds, breeding pens, and work activities at several state fish hatcheries; shots of fish catches; a few images of staff; and construction of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in 1994-1995.

This series was removed from the overall TPWD finding aid due to the electronic file size limitations imposed by the online finding aid web site (TARO). If you are reading this electronically, click on the following link to access the overall finding aid, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department records. If you are reading this in paper in the Archives search room, the finding aid, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department records, is found in the first divider within the same binder.

To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room (Room 100). Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).

Technical Requirements

Some of the maps and blueprints are too large to photocopy.

Researchers are required to use gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials.

The Archives may not have the correct software to read the floppy disk, contact State Archives staff for more information.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item and cite the series), Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Inland Fisheries Division records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession numbers: 2000/150, 2006/394, 2007/030

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on May 10, 2000; August 24 and October 4, 2006.

Processing Information

Laura K. Saegert, June 2006, January 2007

Appraisal Information

The lake information project files were appraised by the State Archives staff as archival on October 18, 1999 as part of an agency-wide appraisal of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (series in the report listed as lake information files and river and streams studies). The state fish hatchery files were appraised by the State Archives staff as archival on September 20, 2006. For more information about the appraisals of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's records, see the appraisal reports done by State Archives staff on file in the search room of the Archives and Information Services Division or online at http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/appraisal/parks.html.

Other Formats for the Records

The agency is maintaining some of the lake information project file data electronically in the electronic lake information files series.

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Detailed Description of the Records

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