The opening dates of the 2016 Louisiana fall shrimp season were announced at the August 4 meeting of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. The Commission set the dates based on information provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists and public comments.

The opening dates for the 2016 Louisiana fall shrimp season are as follows:

·      The portion of state inside waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line westward to the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel Buoy Line to open at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 15

·      The portion of state inside waters from the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel Buoy Line westward to the Louisiana/Texas state line to open at 6 a.m. on Monday, August 22

The Commission granted authority to the Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to delay these opening dates if biological and technical data indicate the need to do so; and, to close any portion of Louisiana’s inside waters to protect small juvenile white shrimp if biological and technical data indicate the need to do so or enforcement problems develop.  The Secretary is further granted the authority to open any area, or reopen any previously closed area, and to open and close special shrimp seasons in any portion of state waters.

For a map detailing these openings, see above.

Tow Time Regulations Reminder
Federal Turtle Excluder Device (TED) regulations require skimmer net fishermen to limit tow times.  Maximum tow times are 55 minutes from April 1 to October 31 and increase to 75 minutes from November 1 to March 31.

Please Report Hangs
The Fishermen’s Gear Compensation Fund is for fishing gear lost within the Louisiana coastal zone due to unreported obstructions.  Only one application is taken for a given location.  Application packets are available, and the known sites are published, on the Department of Natural Resources website at: http://dnr.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=pagebuilder&tmp=home&pid=100, and recent sites are listed in the Louisiana Lagniappe newsletter of LA Sea Grant.  Only commercial fishermen earning more than 50% of their income from fishing are eligible for application.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Marx (337) 373-0032 or [email protected].

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.la.gov. To receive recreational or commercial fishing email and text alerts, signup at http://www.wlf.la.gov/signup.