News

National Hunting and Fishing Day to be Held Sept. 23, LDWF Announces

Image: National Hunting and Fishing Day

Louisiana’s National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) will be held Saturday (Sept. 23) at four locations across the state, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced. Waddill Wildlife Refuge in Baton Rouge, Woodworth Shooting Range in Woodworth, the Tom Merrill Recreation Area at Bodcau Wildlife Management Area (WMA)…

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LWFC Adopts Notice of Intent Extending the Modified Gear Use for the Special Bait Dealer’s Permit

closeup on colorful fishing nets

Today, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted a notice of intent (NOI) to amend the existing permit rules to extend the sunset for the Special Bait Dealer’s Permit current gear requirements to December 31, 2026.  The Special Bait Dealer’s Permit was designed to provide live bait to the recreational…

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Recreational Greater Amberjack State, Federal Fishing Season to Close August 25

greater amberjack

The federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a closure for the recreational Greater Amberjack fishery because catch limits established by the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council have been met. The 2023 recreational season for the harvest of greater amberjack in the federal and state waters of…

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The LWFC Amends Notice of Intent Modifying Spotted Seatrout Size And Bag Limits

four men fishing from inshore charter boat

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) amended the Notice of Intent (NOI) to change spotted seatrout size and bag limits.  The commission proposes to amend the original Notice of Intent to a minimum size limit of 13 inches and establish a maximum size limit of 20 inches with an allowance for…

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LDWF Plans Six Crab Trap Closures Along Louisiana Coast for 2024

People returning derlict crab traps

At today’s meeting, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) adopted a Notice of Intent (NOI) allowing the removal of derelict crab traps along Louisiana’s coast in 2024 from the six following described areas: The first closure will occur in the Pontchartrain Basin, between southern Lake Borgne and the eastern…

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LDWF Announces Opening Date for the Fall Inshore Shrimp Season

Image: Inshore Waters shrimp season map

Today, 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…

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LDWF grants permit for pilot project to test stocking of hatchery-raised red drum

Close up of redfish face

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is providing a special permit to transport and stock approximately 10,000 red drum fingerlings in the Calcasieu Lake estuary as part of a pilot project to investigate the biological and ecological efficacy of stocking with hatchery-raised fish. The fish are expected to…

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LDWF Increasing Red Snapper Daily Creel Limit to Four Fish

red snapper

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Robert Shadoin signed a declaration of emergency to increase the daily creel limit for recreationally harvested red snapper from three to four fish effective Monday, July 17, 2023 thereby maximizing the allowable bag limit delegated to Louisiana under state management. The increase…

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Louisiana Private Recreational Red Snapper Landing Estimates Through June 25, 2023

red snapper

Today, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) released the latest private recreational red snapper landing estimates through June 25, 2023. LA Creel, LDWF’s near real-time landings data collection program, indicates that 191,965 pounds, or 20.5 percent, of Louisiana’s 2023 annual private recreational allocation of 934,587 pounds have been…

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LWF Commission Adopted a Notice of Intent to Modify Red Drum Size and Bag Limits

Close up of redfish face

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) adopted a Notice of Intent (NOI) to change the red drum size limit from a 16-inch minimum size limit and a 27-inch maximum size limit to an 18-inch minimum size limit total length and a 24-inch maximum size limit total length. The red…

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