Hey Ike, you may have already looked at this page, but I for one have found the legal issues page on this site extremely helpful. State Tilapia Regulations is the link to the page with texas, says permit is required. I have not read the linked page as it has changed, but I know for me and learning about tilapia legal issues in california, being able to read the law itself, rather than just going off of hear say (even from fish and game officials, who may not really know the law other than their guesses) is a huge benefit. The law itself is the authority, not what someone else guesses it is. I had read on one site that said tilapia were illegal in ca only to read the law and see for myself, that only certain species are actually illegal.

Hopefully, if a permit is required for texas, it is not a large fee directed toward commercial enterprise.