The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission set the 2020-2021 oyster season based on the annual oyster stock assessment provided by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists and comments received from members of the public, including the oyster industry. The following dates were set for the upcoming oyster season:…
Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane on August 27, 2020. NOAA Fisheries has determined that catastrophic conditions exist in the following Texas counties and Louisiana Parishes: Orange, Jefferson, Chambers, Harris, and Galveston Counties, and Saint Tammany, Orleans, Saint Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, Saint Charles, Lafourche, Terrebonne,…
Recreational harvest of gray triggerfish in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) will reopen at 12:01 am, local time, on September 1, 2020, and close at 12:01 am, local time, on October 26, 2020. Recreational harvest will reopen in the Gulf for the 2021 fishing season at 12:01 am,…
All Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries offices will be closed Wednesday and Thursday as part of an order by the Division of Administration closing all state agencies due to the threat associated with Hurricane Laura.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries main office in Baton Rouge will be closed Monday due to the threat associated with Hurricanes Marco and Laura. The closings of state agencies were ordered by the Division of Administration. LDWF offices along with other state offices in the following parishes will…
Since 2004, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), together with individual volunteers and organizations, has successfully removed and disposed of over 45,000 abandoned and derelict crab traps. The removal of these crab traps is especially important to boating safety and crab harvesting efforts. Last year, LDWF, Lake Pontchartrain…
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission set the opening dates for the fall inshore shrimp season based on information provided by biologists from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), input from the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force, and public comments. Season openings are as follows: From the Mississippi/Louisiana state…
Marine Safety Information Bulletin: Recent accidents within the commercial fishing industry’s trawling fleet highlight the need for extra attention to be paid to overhead rigging. Overhead rigging on trawling vessels includes the system of blocks, shackles, cables and ropes used in the hauling of nets and deployment of outriggers. An…
NOAA Fisheries has published a final rule to modify reporting requirements for the owners or operators of vessels with Charter Vessel/Headboat federal permits for Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) reef fish or Gulf coastal migratory pelagics. WHEN THE RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT: The final rule will be effective on January 5,…
NOAA Fisheries announces federal waters from 9 to 200 nautical miles off Texas will open to shrimp trawling beginning 30 minutes after official sunset, local time, on July 15, 2020, corresponding to the time Texas opens its waters to shrimp trawling. WHY THIS IS HAPPENING: The waters off Texas are closed to shrimp…