Record Series Reviews
Revised Records Series Review
Series Title: Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission
Agency: Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries Division
Obsolete record series? No
Ongoing record series? Yes
Annual accumulation: unknown
Agency holdings:
Retained by the agency permanently, according to the retention
schedule. Current holdings are 1989-[ongoing], comprising 10 cubic
ft. These are kept at the agency headquarters in Austin, with
copies also kept at individual committee/subcommittee members'
offices at various field labs.
Description:
This series contains minutes of the meetings of the Gulf States
Marine Fisheries Commission, contractual agreements between the
Council and TPWD, and copies of management plans/research reports.
Dates covered are 1989-[ongoing]. Some of the minutes are annotated.
The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission is an organization
of the five gulf states (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana,
and Texas) created by the Gulf State Marine Fisheries Compact
under public law 81-66 and signed by the governors of these states
on July 16, 1949 (including Texas). Its purpose is to promote
the better utilization of the fisheries, marine shell and anadromous,
of the seaboard of the Gulf of Mexico by the development of a
joint program for the promotion and protection of such fisheries
and the prevention of the physical waste of the fisheries from
any cause. The Commission is headquartered in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Purpose: These record the actions of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries
Commission and Texas' involvement.
Agency program:
In 1879, the 16th 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.," existing 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). 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 their duties.
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 Parks and Wildlife Department is governed by the Parks and
Wildlife Commission, initially composed of three members, currently
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 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, Resource Protection, Communications,
Law Enforcement, Infrastructure, Administrative Resources, and
Human Resources. Administration of the agency is by an executive
director.
The Coastal Fisheries Division manages the marine fishery resources
of Texas' four million acres of saltwater, including the bays
and estuaries and out to nine nautical miles in the Gulf of Mexico.
These management strategies are designed to sustain fisheries
harvest at levels necessary to ensure replenishable stocks of
important species and provide balanced food webs within the marine
ecosystems. The division conducts monitoring programs year round
to gather technical data to assess population levels and develop
fishing regulations. The division operates three hatchery facilities
to enhance populations of several species of game fish, through
increasing abundance of the fish and offsetting impacts of natural
catastrophes.
V.T.C.A., Parks and Wildlife Code, Title 2
Arrangement: Chronologically by date, then alphabetically by
topic.
Access constraints: None
Use constraints: None
Indexes or finding aids required for/or an aid to access? No
Problems: None
Known related records in other agencies: Minutes, correspondence,
and management reports and research findings are at the headquarters
of the commission, which is located in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Previous destructions: Destruction requests on file in the Archives
and Information Services Division of the Library and Archives
Commission were checked for the Parks and Wildlife Department
and none were found for this series or for equivalent or related
series.
Publications based on records:
The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission publishes results
of research and final management plans/reports. Some titles published
by the Commission include: The black drum fishery of the Gulf
of Mexico, United States : a regional management plan, 1993
or SEAMAP environmental and biological atlas of the Gulf of
Mexico, 1988.
Series data from agency schedule:
Title: Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission
Series item number: none
Agency item number: V.34.0.9
Archival code: none
Retention: PM
Archival holdings:
None in the Archives and Information Services Division of the
Library and Archives Commission.
Texas Documents Collection holdings:
Some titles published by the Commission housed in the Documents
Collection include: The black drum fishery of the Gulf of Mexico,
United States : a regional management plan, 1993 or SEAMAP
environmental and biological atlas of the Gulf of Mexico,
1988. Other titles are present at the library of the Texas Natural
Resource Conservation Commission.
Gaps: No records present prior to 1989.
Appraisal decision:
This series was reviewed because it contains a commission's minutes
and has a permanent retention period. This commission has a headquarters
in Mississippi and, according to TPWD, correspondence, minutes,
and the original management plans and research materials and reports
are kept there. Additionally, they publish management plans and
research reports resulting from their records. The Gulf and Marine
Fisheries Commission confirmed through correspondence to TPWD
that they do maintain the record copy of all of their records,
so the ones at TPWD are copies and do not have archival value.
Since the materials TPWD holds are only convenience copies, this
series can be removed from the schedule.
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Revised Records Series Review
Series Title: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
Agency: Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries
Division
Obsolete record series? No
Ongoing record series? Yes
Annual accumulation: about 1 cubic ft.
Agency holdings:
Retained by the agency permanently, according to
the retention schedule. Current holdings are 1976-[ongoing], comprising
about 25 cubic ft., with 10 of those in storage at the San Marcos
state fish hatchery. The remainder of the files are kept at the
agency's headquarters in Austin, with copies of some materials
also kept at individual committee/subcommittee member's offices
at various field labs.
Description:
This series contains minutes of the meetings of
the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. Dates covered are
1976-[ongoing]. Some of the minutes are annotated.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is
one of the eight regional fishery management councils which was
established by the federal Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management
Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery plans that are designed
to manage fishery resources from the outer limits of the states'
jurisdiction out to 200 miles in the Gulf of Mexico. The offshore
Gulf waters of the Gulf states (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, and Texas) are managed by the Council. These states,
the National Marine Fisheries Service, the fishing industry, consumer,
recreational and environmental organizations and other interested
persons participate in the development of fishery management plans.
The Council is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. It meets several
times a year.
Purpose:
These record the actions of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council and Texas' involvement.
Agency program:
In 1879, the 16th 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.,"
existing 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).
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 their duties.
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 Parks and Wildlife Department is governed by
the Parks and Wildlife Commission, initially composed of three
members, currently 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 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,
Resource Protection, Communications, Law Enforcement, Infrastructure,
Administrative Resources, and Human Resources. Administration
of the agency is by an executive director.
The Coastal Fisheries Division manages the marine
fishery resources of Texas' four million acres of saltwater, including
the bays and estuaries and out to nine nautical miles in the Gulf
of Mexico. These management strategies are designed to sustain
fisheries harvest at levels necessary to ensure replenishable
stocks of important species and provide balanced food webs within
the marine ecosystems. The division conducts monitoring programs
year round to gather technical data to assess population levels
and develop fishing regulations. The division operates three hatchery
facilities to enhance populations of several species of game fish,
through increasing abundance of the fish and offsetting impacts
of natural catastrophes.
V.T.C.A., Parks and Wildlife Code, Title 2
Arrangement: Chronologically
Access constraints: None
Use constraints: None
Indexes or finding aids required for/or an aid to
access? No
Gaps: None, this council was created in 1976.
Problems: None
Known related records in other agencies:
Minutes, copies of correspondence and original management
plans/research reports can be found at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council office in Tampa, Florida.
Previous destructions:
Destruction requests on file in the Archives and
Information Services Division of the Library and Archives Commission
were checked for the Parks and Wildlife Department and none were
found for this series or for equivalent or related series.
Publications based on records:
The Council publishes results of research and the
final management plans, some titles include: Environmental
impact statement and fishery management plan for reef fish resources
of the Gulf of Mexico, 1979 and The reef fish fishery of
the Gulf of Mexico, 1981.
Series data from agency schedule:
Title: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
Series item number: none
Agency item number: V.34.0.8
Archival code: none
Retention: PM
Archival holdings: None in the Archives and Information
Services Division of the Library and Archives Commission.
Texas Documents Collection holdings:
One title published by the Council was located in
the Documents Collection holdings: Environmental impact statement
and fishery management plan for reef fish resources of the Gulf
of Mexico, 1979. A few other titles are present at the library
of the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.
Appraisal decision:
This series was reviewed because it contains a council's
minutes and has a permanent retention period. This council has
a headquarters in Tampa, Florida, and, according to TPWD, correspondence,
minutes, and the original management plans and research materials
and reports are kept there. Additionally, they publish management
plans and research reports resulting from their records. The Gulf
of Mexico Fishery Management Council confirmed through correspondence
to TPWD that they maintain the record copy of all of their records,
so the ones at TPWD are copies and do not have archival value.
Since the materials TPWD holds are only convenience copies, this
series can be removed from the schedule.
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