AUSTIN – In response to the devastating flood events of the past two summers, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is partnering with Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited (GRTU) to help conserve Guadalupe Bass, the official state fish, in its namesake river.
Shortly after the 2025 flood, TPWD’s Inland Fisheries Division began conducting surveys on the Guadalupe River to assess flood effects on Guadalupe Bass populations and their habitats and develop conservation strategies.
GRTU’s “Mend the River” fundraiser events raised $20,000 donated to the TPWD Inland Fisheries Division to improve and expand facilities at the Division’s Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center (HOHFSC) for production and stocking of Guadalupe Bass and other native species.
HOHFSC has raised and stocked over four million Guadalupe Bass back into the Guadalupe River headwaters since the 1990s to conserve the species and ensure fishable populations continue to exist for current and future generations of Texans.
“These facility improvements are critical for expanding our capacity to recover Texas fishes like the Guadalupe Bass,” said Nate Smith, research biologist at HOHFSC. “We plan to continue Guadalupe Bass restoration stocking in the upper Guadalupe River and throughout the Hill Country.”
Facility upgrades will also allow future propagation work with other Texas species of greatest conservation need, including the state-threatened Blue Sucker.
“Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited’s longstanding partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife is something that the chapter holds in highest regard,” said Chris Johnson, Texas State Council and Conservation Chair for GRTU. “The opportunity to invest in the future of our state’s fish and to support the facilities and personnel that ensure their survival, is truly an honor. Texas is blessed with an exceptional assemblage of native fish and as a chapter, we are grateful to play a part in their conservation.”
TPWD subsequently partnered with multiple organizations to host three restoration workshops for over 100 flood affected riverside landowners, encouraging the establishment of best management practices that will benefit riparian and aquatic habitats. These partners also coordinated the growth of 23,000 riparian grasses and sedges and purchase of 6,400 pounds of native seed for no-cost distribution to landowners. Inland Fisheries staff have also organized volunteer plantings events along the Kerrville riverside trail network, where over 100 volunteers installed nearly 2000 live stakes of several tree species.
TPWD and multiple partners will continue Guadalupe Bass conservation efforts. For information on fishing for Guadalupe Bass, visit the Guadalupe Bass section on the TPWD website. Details and information on HOHFSC can be found on the HOHFSC website and readers can learn more about GRTU with a visit to their webpage.
