Sep. 15—AUSTIN — Starting this month, anglers can voluntarily report red snapper landings on the My Texas Hunt Harvest (MTHH) app as Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) discontinues its iSnapper app.
The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M Corpus Christi previously managed iSnapper app but transferred management to TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division.
Now, anglers will be able to report their red snapper catches from their phone in the same place where they keep their red drum tags, submit voluntary flounder reporting and other information to TPWD.
“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department relies on the most accurate data possible, including reports from iSnapper, to determine the state of the red snapper fishery,” Robin Riechers, Coastal Fisheries Director at TPWD, said in a news release. “The data from the app is used with our creel survey program to estimate red snapper landings and keep the season open for as long as possible while complying with the NMFS quota. Since TPWD uses the data and manages the fisheries, it made the most sense to move the app under our management. We also hope that as more voluntary reporting is submitted, we can continue to increase the utility of the data reported to TPWD.”
Incorporating iSnapper functionality with the MTHH app allows biologists to use voluntary angler reporting in conjunction with routine surveys by staff to manage the fishery.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) red snapper harvest quota, set annually for each gulf state, determines season dates and federal regulation compliance. Once set by NMFS, it’s the individual state’s responsibility to monitor landings and stay within the quota.
The My Texas Hunt Harvest app enables electronic submission of mandatory harvest reports, including alligator gar harvest reporting, and supports digital tagging of harvested deer, turkey and oversized red drum for certain license holders.
Hunting and fishing regulations for the 2023-24 season are available online at outdoorannual.com, or the Outdoor Annual mobile app.
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