Texas Parks and Wildlife halts fishing along Gulf Coast during freeze

Click ahead to see the 21 spots along the Gulf Coast that have been affected. less The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has temporarily closed certain areas of the Texas coast to fishing in order to protect fish stocks, according to a statement. Click ahead to see the 21 spots along the ... more The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has temporarily closed certain areas of the Texas coast to fishing in order to protect fish stocks, according to a statement. Photo: Maxwell Bauserman / Photo: Maxwell Bauserman / Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Texas Parks and Wildlife halts fishing along Gulf Coast during freeze 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has temporarily closed certain areas of the Texas coast to fishing in order to protect fish stocks, according to a statement.

The closure is in effect from 6 a.m. on Jan. 2 to 10 p.m. on Jan. 3.

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"The high mortality that a freeze can cause may deplete fish stocks for years," said Robin Riechers, director of TPWD's Coastal Fisheries Division. "Protection of the surviving fish during the few days when they are especially vulnerable to capture would likely shorten the time period for overall recovery of coastal species, especially spotted sea trout."

Freezes can kill game fish in shallow bay waters and cause fish to group together in deeper, warmer areas. When fish coalesce to escape the cold, they can become "sluggish and prone to capture." It is these areas that TPWD has closed to fishing.

According to a statement from the department, Texas has about 2 million acres of bays and estuaries prone to freezing. One freeze near Brownsville in 1989 killed an estimated 11 million fish.

Anglers and coastal residents are urged to report any freeze-related fish kills or large numbers of cold-stunned fish to TPWD's Law Enforcement Communications office at 281-842-8100 or 512-389-4848.

Click through the slideshow above for a list of areas closed to fishing from Tuesday morning to Wednesday night.

Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns