Charter-for-hire

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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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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LDWF to Hold Public Meetings On Potential Spotted Seatrout Management

two men fishing out of boat on Big Lake

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced dates for public meetings to be held on spotted seatrout management. The most  recent stock assessment   indicated spotted seatrout are overfished and undergoing overfishing and changes are necessary in order to recover the stock.  The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission…

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Summit Spotlight on The Graying of the Fleet With Nicole Lundberg, Keynote Presenter

Speaker addressing crowd at Summit

Nicole Lundberg is heading up the keynote presentation at the 2020 Louisiana Fisheries Forward Summit. The Summit will be held March 11 at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, LA. For registration and info on this free event, visit https://www.lafisheriesforward.org/summit/summit-participant-registration/ Nicole, what is the Keynote topic? We’ll be presenting an interactive…

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Fishing For Lane Snapper In Louisiana and Federal Waters To Close Dec. 13

fishing rods on a boat

The recreational and commercial seasons for lane snapper in Louisiana waters will close at 12:01 a.m. on December 13, 2019, and will remain closed until January 1, 2019. The decision was made by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet, following notification by NOAA Fisheries that the Federal…

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2020 Derelict Crab Trap Cleanup Events; Volunteers Needed

pelicans watching LDWF agent handle trap

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will again host its annual Derelict Crab Trap Rodeo volunteer cleanup events during the month of February. The Derelict Crab Trap Removal Program was initiated by LDWF in 2004 to address the removal of derelict and abandoned crab traps.  Derelict traps increase…

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