Rockport Marine Laboratory

In 1907 Governor Thomas M. Campbell appointed R. H. Wood the first commissioner over the Rockport area and charged him with revising the wildlife laws and drafting game, fish and oyster conservation laws. In the 1960s the state joined the Federal Aid to Commercial Fisheries program, and the 1983 Wildlife Conservation Act let the department manage fish and wildlife in every county without review by county commissioners. By the late 1980s the department managed fish in more than 600 reservoirs, 16,000 miles of streams and 370 miles of coastline.

What the plaque says

Rockport Marine Laboratory In 1935, Rockport Marine Lab was set up aboard the houseboat "Vivian" in Rockport Harbor to assist the Texas Game, Fish and Oyster Commission with fisheries management. In 1947, a permanent lab was built on the harbor, a state of the art facility including a public aquarium. When the commission merged into the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., the lab began support of its Coastal Fisheries Division in long-term management of fisheries populations to ensure sustainable stocks of finfish, shellfish and other marine life important to commerce and recreation. The lab's research over the years has helped make Texas a national leader in marine fisheries management. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836-2011

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Jackson Family Maritime Companies — steps away
• San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad in Rockport, The — 0.2 mi
• First National Bank of Rockport — 0.3 mi
• Aransas County — 0.3 mi