BUZZBAIT


FOR KAYAK ANGLERS AND BOATERS. PHOTO: COURTESY TWPP


TEXAS WADE PADDLE AND POLE PROTECTS VALUABLE RESOURCES


BOATERS RUNNING ACROSS SHALLOW WATER CAN DAMAGE SENSITIVE SEA GRASS. THIS AERIAL PHOTO SHOWS PROP SCARS CUTTING


THROUGH AQUATIC VEGETATION. PHOTO: COURTESY TWPP


[CONSERVATION]


WATCHDOGS ON THE WATER H


ell hath no fury like a kayak angler scorned. When motor boaters destroyed shallow-water habitat around Corpus Christi, Texas, local


anglers united to stop the environmental carnage. Texas Wade Paddle and Pole (TWPP) is a group of conservation-mind-


ed anglers pressing legislators to create low-impact fishing areas across the saltwater flats of Texas. Will Myers, an advisory board member of the organization says, “TWPP is strictly a word of mouth group. We have experienced outstanding organic growth with no organized promotion.” He credits social media for spreading the word and gathering support. Myers, who has been kayak fishing for 28 years, helped create TWPP


to combat irresponsible boaters who run across sea grass meadows and leave prop scars that destroy essential habitat. The group consists of fishermen who access the flats on foot, in a kayak


or by poling or drifting in a skiff. Myers says that nearly half of their members are kayak fishermen. “Promoting kayak fishing lowers the im- pact and damage to habitat and prevents user conflicts,” he says. “Due to the overall smaller footprint of paddlers and waders, more people can eq- uitably share a given area while using low-impact methods.” The group was instrumental in creating a state-wide sea grass


protection law. “We met with legislators and their staff; talked with lobbyists; informed other organizations, rallied individual support and provided supportive testimony to a critical legislative committee,” says Myers. Now, violators who leave prop scars can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor.


28 …KAYAK ANGLER WINTER 2013


MUSCLE-POWERED ANGLERS COME TOGETHER TO FIGHT FOR THE SACRED SKINNY WATER BY BEN DUCHESNEY


“This type of legislation tends to enrage the powerboat community in Tex-


as,” says Myers, “so we get a lot of pushback. I have received three death threats that I considered serious.” That pushback is evident across online fishing forums. One post on


www.2coolfishing.com reads, “I have just enough of a shitty attitude to get a push started to put a ban on wade fishing.” Another angler opines, “You peo- ple have been pushing this agenda for years on every level, screaming about destruction of habitat that doesn’t occur anywhere near the level you claim.” While the anger is disturbing, Myers welcomes this debate, which he says strengthens the group’s resolve. TWPP was also involved in developing revisions to the language of a fish ha-


rassment law, says Myers. “There had been complaints from law enforcement that the fish harassment law language was too nebulous for them to act upon confidently. As a result, incidents of fish harassment and herding were on the increase.” Myers says the new wording is an improvement. For anglers looking to start a conservation group, Myers recommends main-


taining a rational and reasonable voice and avoiding personal confrontation. “Have facts and figures to back your position and a plan of solutions,” he stresses. “Numbers count, so organizing like-minded people around the issues is im-


portant,” says Myers, “Make connections with people in the media and anyone who has the government’s ear.” Wade Paddle and Pole is always looking to build awareness, promote conser-


vation and persuade better management of the coastal flats and estuaries. www. wadepaddlepole.net.


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