Captain Chris Martin of Bay Flats Lodge in Seadrift was pleased to take part in the recent release of trout into the San Antonio Bay-Matagorda Bay complex. On July 8 and 13, Texas Parks and Wildlife Coastal Hatcheries released 288,925 trout fingerlings into the bay. Bay Flats Lodge guides have been volunteering guides and services to TPW hatcheries for the past two years to catch the brood stock.

This was the first time that the Coastal Hatcheries program has released fingerlings into the San Antonio-Matagorda Bay complex – the beginning of a long term commitment to enhancing the fishery in the area.

Survival rate is variable, based upon several factors: holding capacity of the location, food availability, predators, the handling/stress of the stocking, etc. Handling/stress is the only variable that differentiates hatchery fish from wild fish that are already present in the ecosystem. There is some initial mortality, but once the fingerlings are fully acclimated to the environment, they have just as much chance of surviving as any natural fish.