Notice of Intent to Require Reporting of Commercial Menhaden Harvest

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At the September 1, 2022 meeting, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) passed a notice of intent to create regulations requiring monthly reporting from the commercial menhaden reduction fishery. The proposed rule is mandated by Act 759 of the 2022 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.

Act 759 requires the LWFC to enact regulations that mandate detailed reporting at the individual set level by the commercial menhaden reduction fishery and that those data be provided by the industry to the LDWF monthly, beginning with the 2023 commercial menhaden season. LDWF is further mandated by the Act to report annually to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment beginning on February 10, 2024. The proposed rule, as well as the Act, stipulates that confidential data, per current state regulations pertaining to fisheries data, may not be reported publicly.

Interested persons may submit comments relative to the proposed rule to Jason Adriance, Fisheries Division, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000 or via email to [email protected] prior to noon on Thursday, November 3, 2022. The full notice of intent can be found here.