- ANNOUNCER: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding provided by the Toyota Tundra.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Adventure: it's what we share.

- NARRATOR: Coming up on Texas Parks and Wildlife... - The biggest threat that we know of for native crayfish species are invasive crayfish.

- It's pretty large.

- Wow!

Oh man, oh man, oh man!

It's not necessarily about your experience fishing, but your whole experience of what you get being outdoors.

- This is the dish of my childhood-- black drum on a half-shell.

[theme music] ♪ ♪ - NARRATOR: Texas Parks and Wildlife, a television series for all outdoors.

[waves crashing] [seagulls squawking] - NARRATOR: Near the southern tip of Texas in these resacas, remnant wetlands of the Rio Grande, scientists are searching, both for what should be here and what should not.

There is growing concern about an alien crustacean in these waters... - LANCE: It's not supposed to be in Texas, - NARRATOR: ...one that belongs some 8,000 miles away.

- There we go, folks.

- LANCE: It's supposed to be in Australia.

- ANGLER: Monsters.

- NEWSCASTER: Texas Parks and Wildlife warning about a new invasive species.

- An invasive crayfish from Australia, Australian redclaw crawfish are invading the Lone Star State.

- It's quite alarming.

We do not know how it could affect the native fish and crayfish species.

- Not a lot of people pay a whole lot attention to crayfish outside of when they're on their dinner plate.

[upbeat music] - LANCE: So we didn't trap here yesterday.

- JERRY: We're in Brownsville, Texas.

One of the many resacas here in Brownsville.

- Let see if any luck, nope.

Got skunked this time.

Looks like the bait's gone.

Something got in there and got the bait.

- NARRATOR: Researchers from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the University of Texas at Tyler are surveying the ponds around Brownsville to see what lurks in these waters.

- There's some anecdotal reports that the Australian redclaw crayfish has invaded South Texas.

- We're getting reports from the locals saying, "Hey, we got this interesting-looking critter.

What is it?"

And I'll just like wrap around.

- JERRY: Yep.

- ARCHIS: I decided to poke around and find out what is going on with crayfish in Texas.

I found that there's very little research done.

- Okay.

- NARRATOR: Biologists drag nets to see what they can pull up.

- JERRY: Bluegill, gambusia.

- NARRATOR: Mostly they set and check dozens of different traps.

- This site, we deployed about nine minnow traps.

We're looking for Australian redclaw crayfish, or if there's any native crayfish.

I don't know what we're gonna catch today.

- Nothing.

- LANCE: I'm always alarmed when I hear that there are invasive species anywhere.

- Zebra mussels are one of the famous examples of an invasive species that started out as a small population in the Great Lakes and it spread.

Another one you see in the news is silver carp.

The big rivers, they're jumping out and knocking people out of the boat.

You never know when the next zebra mussel or the next kudzu or the next silver carp are gonna come into our environment.

The earlier you can catch the spread of invasive species, the earlier you can do some sort of management to mitigate that effect, which is why Texas Parks and Wildlife is funding this research, for us to figure these questions out about its distribution, its abundance, how successful it may be as an invader.

Does it have the potential to spread?

- NARRATOR: Answering these questions is hands-on work.

- Nothing.

- It is dirty, mucky work, but surprisingly, I usually have a group of students that, that wanna do this work.

- Well, I like being outside.

I think it's interesting to catch all these critters and look at them, and how the invasive species are affecting everything.

I don't know, I just enjoy it.

[laughs] I like all kinds of field work.

- That's heartening for me as a conservation biologist.

We need young people that are interested in getting out and doing this mucky work because it's important.

[upbeat music] - NARRATOR: A few hours to the north, another crew is embracing the dirty work in the interest of crayfish science.

- DUSTY: I'll take this any day over being in the office, just being out here in the field.

- CHRIS: I got a turtle.

- NARRATOR: Archis has brought in experts from Illinois... - ARCHIS: Oh, he's hissing.

- NARRATOR: ...to study crayfish biodiversity.

- CHRIS: No crayfish?

- DUSTY: No crayfish.

- CHRIS: All right.

I'm gonna dig this little burrow out.

There's crayfishes that need water almost all the time, and there are those that need only part of the time.

Burrowers.

- ARCHIS: Woo-hoo.

- CHRIS: Got it.

- DUSTY: We're looking at five of Texas' species of greatest conservation need that are crayfish.

- There's over 400 species of crayfish in the US.

Oh yeah, so incredibly diverse.

Two.

- They've been pretty understudied.

We don't know a lot of habitat information.

Just very basic distributional information.

- You can't protect biodiversity unless it's been described.

Perfect.

[upbeat music] Check him out.

What is that?

That looks a little different.

The biggest threat that we know of for native crayfish species are invasive crayfish coming in to new habitats and actively displacing them.

One of the goals of the project is to assess that threat.

They're here, so that's good.

It's a nice collection for a site this small.

You can't overstate how important crayfish are.

- DUSTY: They are a prey source for fish species, mammal species, birds.

- Everything's interconnected and you start to lose some of those middle pieces in a food web.

It's gonna have an impact somewhere else.

[upbeat music] - LANCE: Crayfish are a keystone species in our lakes and rivers.

[birds chirping] Let's see what we got.

- NARRATOR: Back in Brownsville, traps are yielding crayfish.

- Procambarus clarkii, a red swamp.

It suspected that's what we're gonna get a lot of here.

- NARRATOR: But instead of Australian ones, most are red swamp crayfish.

- They've been introduced through farming, but they're pretty much everywhere.

- They're almost naturalized at this point.

- NARRATOR: While these may not be technically native, they do not pose the same threats to ecosystem balance as Australian redclaws, and redclaw crayfish are here.

- JERRY: Oh, there it is!

- LANCE: Yep, got one.

Look at the size of that thing.

It's very large, has the potential to outcompete our native species.

There he is.

So we're trying to see where they are, how many are there.

So that's larger than any of our native crayfish.

Australian redclaw, see if they're - Now he's blowed 'em out.

- Is that a male?

Given the size, it's definitely a threat.

It's gonna be eating whatever fish it can catch, any crayfish it can get close to.

It's a top predator.

- NARRATOR: While its size and presence here are alarming... - ARCHIS: Apparently, they can get up to two pounds in size, 230 millimeters.

- NARRATOR: ...the numbers caught, at least for now, are encouraging.

- Two specimens on this trip.

From the number of traps that we set out, I was expecting at least 50 to 100.

They're not in as many resacas that I was expecting, so I think that's a good sign.

We're gonna come back a couple more times this year.

We're gonna continue monitoring for this.

- NARRATOR: In the meantime... - LANCE: Also got an invasive apple snail.

- NARRATOR: ...other exotic species encountered send a message.

- LANCE: These are bad too.

They carry a parasite that can potentially cause meningitis.

These are really nasty.

- NARRATOR: Humans introduce invasive species.

- ARCHIS: We did encounter several plecostomus.

That's an invasive species.

- NARRATOR: How did plecostomus, apple snails, and Australian crayfish wind up here?

A likely source for all three is aquarium dumping.

- When it grows too big in the aquarium, and instead of just dispatching it, some folks decide to just let it loose.

Well, it's pretty large.

Now, it is gonna harm the native crayfish species, or other fish species.

- NARRATOR: Just how serious a threat Australian redclaw crayfish pose remains to be seen.

- I'm hoping it's just like a small population, then we'll be able to manage, and hopefully, contain or eradicate.

[upbeat music] - NARRATOR: While invasives are being introduced faster than natural systems can keep up, science and education are our best defense.

If we hope to save our native ecosystems for the future, paying attention to the now is the first step.

- It's actually a pretty crayfish.

I mean, I remember as a kid going to a stream and picking up my first crayfish, and thinking it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

I want my kids to be able to go out and see the same thing that I've seen.

[flag flapping, gentle music] - Right, march!

[marching footsteps] - On my command... fire!

[cannon blast] - At its height, Fort Richardson was the largest military post in the United States.

Had close to a thousand soldiers here.

Fort Richardson was established in 1867.

It was the northernmost of the frontier forts throughout now what is the state of Texas to help protect the western movement of the settlers coming out.

- The fort system was really integral in being able to settle the state.

So without the fort system, we would not have had a state of Texas.

We would not have been able to defend it and be able inhabit it as we do now.

[acoustic music] - ROBERT: This weekend we are hosting our annual living history event, and today we had 26 school buses roll in here.

- I would have a pot in the fire, and I would pour a whole lot of bullets.

- There are some people that get everything they need out of reading textbooks or in the classroom, but I am not one of those people.

- MAN: You have got the basics down.

- ANNIE: We are giving visitors an opportunity to see what life was like back when this fort was operational.

- SOLDIER: Shoulder arms.

- ANNIE: They get to see the soldiers in action and to see what activities might be available to the children who lived in the fort back in the day, it makes that connection to their history.

- WOMAN: Still there, isn't it?

- We are out here on a field trip, out here to learn about the 1800s and how they lived and stuff.

They did not have much technology that we have today, obviously, so they had to put in a little bit more work to do simple tasks.

[groan] - GIRL: Could you imagine having to do that every day?

- It is hard to get out stains.

- SOLDIER: Company, forward, march!

- KORVIN: We got to march across the field with guns.

- SOLDIER: Double quick time, march!

- KORVIN: It would be pretty scary to know that you are basically about to go fight... - SOLDIER: Company, charge!

- KORVIN: ...because I do not want to get shot.

[snare drums] Like doctors and stuff, it was a bit harder for them to work.

- He took care of 50 to 80 troops using this surgical set.

- KORVIN: And it is just crazy how they got through it all with just a little bit of medicine.

[soft acoustic music] - ANNIE: Fort Richardson has some incredible historic buildings here on site, and there are tours available for people who are coming and want to learn a little bit more about it.

- We still have seven of the original historic buildings still standing, two reconstructed buildings, a museum and an interpretive center.

The staff here at Fort Richardson take great pride in protecting and maintaining the integrity of these historic structures.

[soft acoustic music] Fort Richardson has a ton to offer.

It not only has the historical aspect, the park has 57 campsites, all of them have water and electricity.

We do have limited use cabins, nature trails.

We have the historic rumbling springs here in Lost Creek.

We also have a nine-mile multi-use trail that wraps around both municipal lakes, comes out at what we call our north park over there.

We have the historic side of it, lots of hiking, biking, and equestrian.

We have a lot to offer here in Jacksboro, an hour from Fort Worth.

- TIM: You just twirl it back and forth...

When kids come out here, they are stunned.

When I was cooking this morning, they were like, "Is that a real fire?"

Well, yes indeed it is a real fire, and that is real smoke, and that is really hurting your eyes.

Which war?

- KID: I dunno.

- Okay.

They are kind of stunned because a lot of kids, they do not smell bacon cooking on a fire, they don't see horses, they don't see gun smoke from a cannon.

[cannon blast] If history is real from the distance you are from me right now, then it is believable.

- ANNIE: Having that multi-sensory experience just really helps connect people to that history and see why it is valuable and important to conserve that history.

- ROBERT: We were the closest defensive line to Oklahoma, which was Indian Territory.

We were a major contributor in the Red River War campaign.

Fort Richardson was a training post for the World War II campaign, and the battalion that trained here became known as the Lost Battalion.

- TIM: Fort Richardson is really unique.

And to keep it alive just as long as we possibly can, I think it is the best possible way to honor what has gone on out here and all the diverse cultures that have come through here and helped build this place.

- SOLDIER: About, face.

Dismissed.

[marching footsteps] [wind blowing] [waves knocking boat] - Whoa.

- ANGLER: Don't rock the boat.

- ANGLER: Sea legs.

- My name is Andrea Silva and I'm from Dallas, Texas.

- GUIDE: A little bit higher, yep, just like that.

And you kind of maybe come try to pop it back.

Yeah, like that.

- I'm new to Texas, so really coming to the state is super foreign.

- And then release right at your 10 o'clock position, and just hold the rod up, close your face and get goin' again.

- My name is Julio Silva, and when we moved to Texas, I wanted to try something different.

And one of those things were to be outside.

- Reel, reel, reel, reel, reel, reel.

Okay, wait, wait.

- GUIDE: But yeah, this time really try to get like a whip on it.

- And I heard about this group, Stewards of the Wild.

- GUIDE: There you go.

- ANDREA: When I heard that they had a fishing trip, I immediately wanted to sign up.

- There you go, perfect.

- ANDREA: They'll teach you and instruct you how to fish.

- GUIDE: Now take your slack in.

- ANDREA: Essentially, for people who don't know what they're doing.

- JULIO: To me, all of this is new.

This is my first time, first time fishing, first time in a fish boat.

[upbeat music] - KATIE: This weekend is a mentored fishing trip.

It's really incredible to me to see people build their confidence in the outdoors.

Everyone shows up and we teach them how to tie knots, how to get their rod and reel ready, how to identify fish.

- Ah, that was a bad one.

- GUIDE: Be like reel light with your finger on it, you know, you don't have to hold it super tight, and then it'll slip out a little bit easier.

Perfect.

- I was like, "Duck!"

- GUIDE: That was perfect.

- KATIE: We try to give them a lot of options, different ways to fish so they get those experiences and they know what they like, what they don't like.

- ADAM: They get to go on a boat out into the bay.

In the back bays and the estuaries, they can go on a kayak, and then they can wade as well.

[fishing reel buzzing] - Where are you?

Oh, it's a red, hello red.

Whoo.

- ANGLER: What is it?

- KATIE: A red.

- There are barriers to get outside and fish, Where to fish, what to fish with.

- JULIO: Oh, man.

- ADAM: And that can be tough.

- This is a... popping cork?

- Yeah.

- Popping cork.

- Yeah.

- ANDREA: This is the bobber.

- ADAM: Because you can look online and try to find information, but it's really different when it's that connection.

You hear that click?

- Uh huh.

- ADAM: That individual or family of people that are supporting you.

- ANDREA: I'm on a high.

I'm on a super high right now.

Seeing a lot of fish jump, I've gotten a lot of bites.

- ADAM: I really love seeing the transformation of people that come in and they're kind of fresh, and they don't have a lot of experience, but then they see this amazing place and they're really immersed in this social group.

They have a lot of fun.

I love seeing that throughout the weekend.

- ANDREA: I came out here to learn how to fish.

Wow, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man!

I definitely did not know how to cast out before.

- JULIO: Oh, oh, pull hard.

- ANDREA: It's not necessarily about your experience fishing, but your whole experience of what you get being outdoors.

Whoa!

It broke.

- JULIO: It broke.

- Ah!

- JULIO: No!

- Oh, my God, that was a fight.

- JULIO: No!

- ANDREA: Almost.

- JULIO: Definitely learning new things.

Not only fishing, but camping, and riding on a kayak.

Nature is that ability to disconnect from our busy lives, and devices, and being able to enjoy what sometimes we take for granted.

Sometimes you just forget that it's here.

[upbeat music] [birds chirping] [playful music] - Hi, I'm Davis Turner with Huckleberry in Austin, Texas, where we like to focus on Gulf Coast seafood.

Right now, we'll be bringing you one of my favorite dishes.

This is truly the dish of Huckleberry.

This is the dish of my childhood.

It is black drum on a half shell.

♪ ♪ We're gonna go ahead and we have one cast iron.

We're gonna start preheating that while the coals go.

Just keep the cast iron there, let it keep rocking.

And next step is to make our chimichurri.

What we're gonna do here, we have some chopped up parsley, green onions, about a cup of each.

Just toss 'em on in.

We have about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, boom, scallions.

You can also use onions, it really doesn't matter.

A little bit of crushed garlic, about a tablespoon of chopped capers.

We're gonna go some salt.

And then we have some Texas olive oil.

Really any olive oil or any kind of blended oil will work just fine.

So this chimichurri, there's a lot of different variations of it.

It's a great summertime sauce or a year-round sauce.

This sauce, versatile goes on really any types of meats.

Fish, seafood.

All right.

We have this beautiful black drum that we filleted here.

And again, they're on the half shell.

We have left the scales.

We've left everything on the backside, and all you need to do just salt it.

Salt it high, and salt it evenly.

I even salt the backside.

Once we have this, we're gonna go ahead and add a little bit of oil.

I also do the backside just so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Just need a little bit.

And we'll do the same to the top.

So, we have our hot cast iron, we have our hot coals.

You don't want to cook it on direct heat.

We're gonna set it right to the side of the coals and we're gonna start one fillet at a time.

We're gonna put that meatier side closer to the fire.

Gonna take our hot preheated cast iron, just set it right on top of the fish.

And from here, take a maybe eight to 10 coals, set 'em right on top of the cast iron.

Just set your timer about 10 minutes.

Then you can take the lid off, start looking, and it's gonna be pretty close to being done.

♪ ♪ Again, this dish is so easy.

It's a dish of my childhood.

♪ ♪ There's nothing like going fishing all day, coming home, fillet the first fish, get the grill going, throw it on there, cover it up.

By the time you're done cleaning up all the fish, it's just a good old fashioned backyard driveway hangout.

All right, it's time.

And here is our black drum.

It's looking great, it's looking ready.

We're looking pretty.

We have a little bit of our chimichurri, we're just gonna top it on top.

We're gonna give it a little squeeze of our lemon.

And this is our backyard black drum on the half shell.

Enjoy.

[upbeat music] - NARRATOR: To celebrate 40 years of our television series, we are taking a trip back in time to look at some of our earliest episodes.

♪ ♪ - People are always asking me, what's the best time of the day to go fishing?

What's the best phase of the moon?

Well, Ron Harper of Houston has written a computer program that gives us the ultimate answer.

Ron, how long have people been using the moon phase to determine when their fishing trips would be best?

- Fishing by moon phases is something that's been handed down from since... From generation to generation, to generation.

And it's just like planting potatoes.

I mean, in East Texas, my dad to this day, he always plants potatoes when the moon is approaching a new moon.

And this is something that has gotten down to us from caveman days.

I don't know if they had potatoes back then, but.. - Tell me what the fishing is gonna be like today in Lake Austin.

- Okay.

Okay, now we enter in the postal name for the state and you just type in Austin.

You actually don't have to type in the whole thing.

And what it does, it just computes the solar lunar times for you from 1900 through the year 2010.

Okay, this afternoon there is a major feeding time that starts about 11 o'clock today.

Lasts 'til three o'clock this afternoon, there were minor feeding periods at daylight and dark.

So what I try to do is have the majors from my fishing trips come in between daylight and noontime and between three o'clock and dark.

- PAUL: I got one of your discs, but I didn't get the guarantee that goes with it.

- Guarantee for what?

You're gonna get an Oklahoma guarantee.

- What's that?

- If it breaks in two, you get both parts.

[Paul laughing] [gentle music] [wind blowing] [crickets chirp] [water trickling] [birds singing] [water trickling] [wind blowing] [birds chirping] [birds chirping] [water trickling] [water trickling] [water trickling] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] [wind blowing] This series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding provided by the Toyota Tundra.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Adventure: it's what we share.