HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has been blessed with an
1-2 abundance of unique natural resources, including a plentiful array
1-3 of streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes that provide countless
1-4 opportunities for entertainment and recreation such as boating,
1-5 various water sports, and sport fishing; and
1-6 WHEREAS, In addition to being an exciting and fulfilling
1-7 activity for anglers young and old, sport fishing is also an
1-8 economic boon for local communities and the state as a whole; over
1-9 two million people annually fish in the freshwater bodies of Texas,
1-10 spending almost $2 billion per year on fishing related goods and
1-11 services and sustaining over 50,000 full-time jobs; and
1-12 WHEREAS, Over the past several years, a bird known as the
1-13 double-crested cormorant, also referred to as the "water turkey,"
1-14 the "sky rat," and the "fire ant with wings," has flocked to Texas
1-15 in growing numbers to winter in the warmer climate; its feeding
1-16 habits and increasing numbers are decimating sport fish populations
1-17 in many areas, especially where fish are stocked on a regular
1-18 basis, and the exploding population of this pest is also decimating
1-19 fish raised by commercial aquaculture facilities; and
1-20 WHEREAS, Although the economic losses suffered by aquaculture
1-21 facilities are more immediate and easier to quantify, the sport
1-22 fishing industry is an enterprise that is also suffering
1-23 economically; of the limited number of studies that have been
1-24 conducted regarding the feeding habits of cormorants, the research
2-1 in Texas does not specifically address the problems occurring in
2-2 many stocked lakes and ponds and therefore does not measure the
2-3 detrimental economic effects of the bird; now, therefore, be it
2-4 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-5 hereby request the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to
2-6 include the economic impact of the cormorant on sport fishing in
2-7 its ongoing evaluation of the double-crested cormorant and that the
2-8 agency create a contingency plan for addressing site-specific
2-9 cormorant problems in sport fishing areas; and, be it further
2-10 RESOLVED, That the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
2-11 consider the removal of the double-crested cormorant from the
2-12 protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act if the national
2-13 economic losses warrant severe control methods to keep the
2-14 cormorant population at a manageable level within a given region;
2-15 and, be it further
2-16 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
2-17 copy of this resolution to the director of the United States Fish
2-18 and Wildlife Service.
Clark
Cook
Ellis
Crownover
Berman
Davis of Harris
Homer
Hope
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 23 was adopted by the House on
March 23, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 23 was adopted by the Senate on May
10, 1999, by a viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor