Galveston Judge saves Oyster season
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Dozens of fisherman crowded into the 56th District Court in Galveston Friday morning, worried their livelihoods were in jeopardy.
After Judge Lonnie Cox issued his ruling, some fisherman openly cried. They were tears of happiness and relief.
Oyster fisherman had asked Judge Cox to issue a restraining order against the oyster company S.T.O.R.M and their attempt to seize control of 23,000 acres of Galveston Bay so they could privatize and monopolize the oysters in the Bay.
More than 50 years ago the State of Texas sold the water bottom in the area to the Chambers Liberty County Navigation District, but the documents made it clear the wildlife still belonged
to the people of Texas. That didn’t stop the CLCND from leasing the acreage to S.T.O.R.M. anyway in a backroom deal that did not even allow competition. S.T.O.R.M. is owned by a judge in Chambers County and his politically powerful family. The lease gave them total control over the oyster population.
S.T.O.R.M vowed to keep any fisherman out of the water unless they approved, and the company openly harassed fisherman in the meantime. Judge Cox ordered S.T.O.R.M not to interfere with the fisherman and set a trial for May of 2016.
“These oyster fisherman have made their living in these waters for decades, and the wildlife in the bay belong to the People of Texas”, says Attorney Cris Feldman. “We applaud Judge Cox for protecting these precious resources for the people of Texas.”
The public oyster season begins Sunday November 1st. The court decision guarantees no one will interfere.
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