The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced that the portion of state outside waters between Calliou Boca and the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island shall reopen to shrimping at 6:00 p.m. on March 26, 2021. The closure area is defined as follows: The eastern boundary line originates…
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…
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is required to make public notice regarding the nonpayment of fees related to oyster leases on both its website and in the official journal of the parish in which the canceled lease is located. As per Louisiana Revised Statute 56:429, any lessee who…
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has scheduled additional required webinars for shrimpers who would like to receive Turtle Excluder Device reimbursement funds. On April 1, 2021, skimmer vessels 40 feet in length and over will be required by federal law to install turtle excluder devices (TEDs). The…
Today, the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission passed a Notice of Intent (NOI) to add four proposed recreational oyster broodstock reefs to Louisiana Administrative Code (LAC) 76:VII.537, which restricts all oyster harvest on reefs listed under that rule. The Department plans to construct all four reefs using oyster cultch material by…
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is lifting the long-standing oyster lease moratorium, which has been in effect since 2002. The moratorium, which halted LDWF’s practice of leasing state-owned water bottoms to private entities for oyster cultivation, was originally instituted by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission at…
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is required to make public notice regarding the nonpayment of fees related to oyster leases on both its website and in the official journal of the parish in which the delinquent lease is located. As per Louisiana Revised Statute 56:429, any lessee who…
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced the 2020 fall shrimp season will close at official sunset on Sunday, January 24, in the following portions of the state inside and outside waters: Lake Pontchartrain, Chef Menteur and Rigolets Passes, Lake Borgne, Mississippi Sound, Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), a…
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will not host its annual Derelict Crab Trap Rodeo volunteer cleanup event in 2021. These events have taken place across coastal Louisiana since 2004, but concerns from increasing COVID-19 cases have led to the decision to cancel the event. The scheduled closures…
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…