Archive for March, 2020

Tips for Commercial Seafood Harvesters When Handling Seafood During the Coronavirus Pandemic

LDWF, LSU AgCenter, and Louisiana Sea Grant have produced a handout for commercial seafood harvesters to consider when handling seafood. These suggested handling techniques will help provide confidence to seafood buyers at all levels of the supply chain. The handout includes tips covering: What disinfectants may be used Considerations when…

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New Commercial Shrimpers Encouraged to Begin License Application Immediately

shrimp boat in Gulf of Mexico at dusk

Due to the recent office closures to the public, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) encourages new shrimpers to apply for their licenses immediately. LDWF staff are available to process their mailed applications. The department is issuing this reminder so new license applicants will have their licenses in-hand…

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LDWF Offices Closed to the Public Indefinitely Starting March 17

LA Fisheries Forward

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) offices throughout the state will be closed to the public indefinitely beginning Tuesday, March 17. To alleviate any additional public burden, LDWF is providing the public alternatives to process applications via mail, email and online. The summary below provides more information about how…

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Commercial Fishing For Aggregated Large Coastal And Hammerhead Sharks To Close

bull shark illustration

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced today that effective March 14 at 11:30p.m., commercial fishing for large coastal sharks in the aggregated large coastal and hammerhead groups (great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, smooth hammerhead, nurse shark, bull shark, lemon shark, sandbar shark, silky shark, spinner shark, and tiger…

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2020 Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Recreational For-Hire Season Announced

WHAT/WHEN: The 2020 red snapper fishing season for vessels with federal for-hire reef fish permits is 62 days in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). The season for federally permitted for-hire vessels will begin at 12:01 a.m., local time, on June 1, 2020, and will close at 12:01…

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Final Rule to Increase the Annual Catch Target for the Red Snapper For-hire Component

Thu Bui holding caught red snapper

KEY MESSAGE: NOAA Fisheries announces a final rule to maintain a reduced buffer between the recreational for hire component annual catch limit (ACL) and recreational annual catch target (ACT) for Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) red snapper.  The reduced buffer would result in an increased ACT, which determines the length of…

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