PORT ARANSAS WEATHER

Beach Conditions for Kleberg/Nueces Islands - Mustang Island / Port Aransas

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Blackened Shrimp Pasta

Prep: 10Cook: 20Servings: 4Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound 21-25 shrimp raw, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons cajun seasoning + 1/4 teaspoon, divided
1/2 cup onion chopped
2 cloves garlic grated
1 1/2 cups mini bell peppers sliced
1/3 cup pasta water
1/4 cup dry white wine
15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
8 ounces linguine

Instructions

Rinse shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel and place in a bowl.
Sprinkle one tablespoon of cajun seasoning over the shrimp and gently toss to coat.
Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet then drop in the shrimp and saute 1-2 minutes
per side without overcooking them then remove them from the skillet and reserve.
Reduce heat to low then add onion, bell peppers and grated garlic.
Season it with 1/4 teaspoon cajun seasoning and cook 2-4 minutes or until the onions are soft, stirring
frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Meanwhile, cook pasta one minute less than package directions. The pasta will finish cooking in the
sauce. Scoop out 1/4 cup of pasta water then drain the pasta.
Add the pasta water to the skillet along with the wine, can of diced tomatoes, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce and the other tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. Simmer 5 minutes over medium-low heat until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Adjust for salt and spice level with cajun seasoning.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat it and continue cooking the pasta in the sauce for 2 minutes.
Return the shrimp to the skillet, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve right away with slices of lemon.

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Protecting the Coastal Bend Bays:

Why Fishermen’s Choices Matter

Along the Texas Coastal Bend, the bays and estuaries supported by the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP) are more than pretty backdrops for a day on the water. They are living, working nurseries that keep our fisheries alive and our coastal communities thriving. CBBEP exists to safeguard these systems while still supporting fishing, boating, and a strong local economy.

Nowhere is that balance more visible than in Port Aransas – “The Fishing Capital of Texas.” That title isn’t a trophy we won once and get to keep forever. It depends on healthy bays, strong fish populations, and a community of anglers who are willing to protect the very habitats that make Port A special.

And that starts with how we run our boats in shallow water.

Seagrass: The Foundation of Our Fishery

The Coastal Bend holds a massive share of Texas’ seagrass, much of it in the shallow, clear flats that attract redfish, trout, drum, and flounder.

Seagrass meadows are not “just grass”:

- They are nurseries where juvenile fish, shrimp, and crabs feed and hide from predators.
- Their dense roots and rhizomes stabilize the bottom, preventing erosion and holding the bay in place.
- They help keep the water clearer and more productive, supporting the entire food chain — from baitfish to trophy gamefish.

If you enjoy sight-casting to tailing reds on Lighthouse Lakes, poling over clear grass flats near Shamrock, or drifting the Laguna Madre for specks, you’re already relying on healthy seagrass meadows more than you might realize.

The Hidden Damage of Running Motors in Skinny Water

Modern shallow-draft boats make it tempting to run “just one more shortcut” across a grassy flat. But when a propeller or even a low-running motor plows through seagrass, it cuts a trench into the meadow — a prop scar.

Those scars are more than cosmetic:

- The prop tears up the plants and the buried root system, leaving bare sand or mud behind.
- These bare scars can take years to heal, and heavy scarring can fragment the meadow so much that it never fully recovers.
- As seagrass disappears, so does the habitat complexity that young fish, shrimp, and crabs need to survive — meaning fewer adult fish for anglers later.

When we “power through” shallow grass rather than lifting our motors or choosing a deeper route, we are literally cutting up the nursery that supports our own future catches.

How Habitat Damage Comes Back to Hurt Fishermen

CBBEP and its partners spend years and millions of dollars restoring marshes, deltas, and seagrass habitats — like the Nueces Delta Preserve and the Nueces Bay Marsh Restoration Project — to rebuild the natural foundation that fish and wildlife rely on.

If anglers and guides continue to tear up seagrass in shallow areas, we work against those investments:

- Fewer fish in the future – Less nursery habitat means lower survival of young fish, which eventually shows up as poorer fishing, smaller average sizes, and fewer “hero days” on the water.
- More pressure on remaining spots – As healthy grass beds shrink, more boats crowd into fewer areas, multiplying the damage and the fishing pressure.
- Economic ripple effects – Guides, bait shops, tackle stores, boat dealers, RV parks, hotels, and restaurants all depend on strong, reliable fishing. Damaged habitat undercuts that entire chain.

If we don’t take care of the habitat that supports our fishery, Port Aransas will slowly lose its grip on the title of “Fishing Capital of Texas.”

That title is built on reputation — on consistent, high-quality fishing and healthy bays. If we treat the seagrass and shallow flats like disposable racetracks, we’re quietly eroding the very thing Port A is famous for.

Partnering with CBBEP: “Lift, Drift, Pole, or Troll”

The good news: the solution is simple and completely in our hands.

CBBEP and Texas agencies promote a straightforward message for protecting seagrass: Lift, drift, pole, or troll.

On the water, that looks like this:

- Plan your route using channels
  Use charts, GPS, and markers to stay in deeper, established routes when running at speed. Avoid using shallow grass flats as shortcuts.
- Watch your depth and your wake
  If you see prop wash turning from clear to milky, or you see bottom grass just under the hull, you’re too shallow to be on plane. Trim up, slow down, and reassess.
- Lift and idle or drift when it gets skinny
  In shallow seagrass, trim your motor up or shut it off and drift across. You’ll spook fewer fish and avoid scarring the bottom.
- Pole or carefully use a trolling motor
  Use a push pole or a properly trimmed trolling motor in the shallowest areas. Don’t let the trolling motor dig a trench in the bottom.
- Look behind you
  A long muddy streak stretching away from your boat is a red flag that you just left a scar. Learn from it, mark that area mentally, and avoid repeating the mistake.

Every time an angler chooses to lift, drift, pole, or troll instead of “plowing” through, they keep a little more habitat intact — and that adds up across thousands of fishing trips every year.

Share the Message: Stewardship Is a Community Effort

CBBEP’s mission — to protect and restore the health and productivity of our bays while supporting economic growth and public use — only works if those of us who use the bays see ourselves as partners, not just customers.

That means:

- Guides explaining seagrass etiquette to every client.
- Friends calling out friends (respectfully) when they see someone tearing up a flat.
- Marinas, bait stands, RV parks, and tackle shops posting reminders about shallow-water running and boating smart in the grass.
- Anglers talking about habitat protection on docks, forums, and social media — not just bragging about the day’s catch.

We don’t protect Port Aransas’ reputation with slogans alone. We protect it with choices on the water and a willingness to share the message with everyone who launches a boat here.

The Bottom Line

When we protect seagrass, we protect:

- the bait that draws in gamefish,
- the structure that keeps young fish alive,
- the clarity and productivity of our bays,
- and the future of sport and commercial fishing in the Coastal Bend.

If we want Port Aransas to remain proudly known as “The Fishing Capital of Texas,” then boaters, guides, and the fishing industry must treat seagrass and shallow habitats as priceless infrastructure — not as expendable shortcuts.

Every pass across a flat is a choice:
Cut scars that will haunt our fishery for years, or glide over gently, leaving the meadow — and tomorrow’s catch — intact.

For the sake of our bays, our businesses, our kids, and Port A’s hard-earned title, it’s time for all of us to boat like the future of fishing depends on it – because it does!

Read more about the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program and its work to protect our Texas Coastal Bend bays in this EPA Success Story.