Finfish

Commercial Fishing For Aggregated Large Coastal And Hammerhead Sharks Closed

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced today that effective March 10 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…

NOAA Fisheries Continues Weekly For-Hire Reporting Webinars

NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Regional Office will host weekly question and answer webinar sessions to assist participants with program information and compliance. WHEN: The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday evenings starting at 6:30 PM, EST, from March 2 to March 30, 2021. The webinar will continue each Tuesday evening for as…

Multi-Day Trip Possession Limits Modified for Federally Permitted Charter/Headboat Vessels

Fishermen on a charter vessel or headboat who take a trip lasting more than one day, also known as a multi-day trip, can retain a second daily bag or vessel limit as long as they follow specific procedures. This final rule modifies the on-board multi-day possession limit of fish species…

The DESCEND Act of 2020 will go into effect in January 2022

photo of red snapper with barotrauma on descending device

The Direct Enhancement of Snapper Conservation and the Economy through Novel Devices Act of 2020 (DESCEND Act of 2020) was signed into law on January 13, 2021. The new Act will require commercial and recreational vessels (including for-hire) to have a venting tool or descending device rigged and ready to…

NOAA Conducting COVID 19 Impact Surveys

NOAA Fisheries and our partner, the University of Florida, are teaming up on a phone survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on commercial/for-hire fishing operations and on seafood dealers and processors. The phone survey is a follow-up to an earlier on-line survey conducted in July and August on economic…

January 2021 Gulf Council Meeting Summary

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council met virtually from January 25 – 28, 2021. During the meeting, the Council presented Sergeant Scott Dupre of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries with the 2019 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award. The Council also heard a presentation on Deepwater Horizon Open…

Commercial Gillnet Harvest of King Mackerel in Southern Zone-Federal Waters Closed

Commercial gillnet harvest of king mackerel in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico Southern Zone closed at 12 p.m., local time, on January 28, 2021. Commercial king mackerel gillnet harvest will reopen at 6:00 a.m., (local time) on January 18, 2022. The Gulf of Mexico Southern Zone includes federal waters…

Workforce Development Summit Panel Summary

The commercial fishing industry in Louisiana has experienced changes within its demographics. Specifically, issues include aging of the fleet, (i.e., an increase in the average age of fishing vessels over time) and the graying of the fleet (i.e., an increase over time in the average age of fishing workers). While…

Falling Overboard: Number One Killer of Commercial Fishermen

illustrated image of man in water on caution sign

From United States Coast Guard: Its 5:00 in the evening, you walk out to your back deck to take a look at your GPS, and as you go to sit down on your chair your feet come out from under you. The next thing you know you are in the water…

Two New Resources from Oil Spill Science Team

The Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Oil Spill Science team has produced new resources for the public: Oil on the water: Insights into oil spill response—This new publication details some of the cleanup tools and techniques emergency responders use after an oil spill to protect people and natural resources. To…

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