Agenda for Commission Meeting in Louisiana

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 11.29.12

The next regular Commission Meeting will be held at 9:30 AM on Thursday, December 6, 2012, at the WaddillOutdoor Education Center, 4142 North Flannery Rd, Baton Rouge, LA 70814.

The following items will be discussed:

1. Roll Call

2. Approval of Minutes of November 1, 2012

3. Commission Special Announcements/Personal Privilege

4. To Hear Enforcement & Aviation Reports/November

5. Presentation of the Shikar Safari Club International Agent of the Year Award

6. To Receive an Update on the Whooping Crane Project

7. To Receive and Consider a Notice of Intent to Modify Existing Rules for the Commercial Harvest of Large Coastal Sharks

8. To Receive an Update on the July Reef Fish Harvest Regulations Notice of Intent

9. To Receive and Consider a Declaration of Emergency to Close Shrimping in Portions of State Outside Waters

10. To Receive a Presentation on Fish Assemblages on Artificial Reefs

11. Set April Commission Meeting Date

12. Receive Public Comments

13. Adjournment

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.