Louisiana DFW: Fall Shrimp Season to in Majority of Waters East of the Mississippi

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 01.15.13

Today, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced fall shrimp season will close in all state inside waters east of the Mississippi River, except for the open waters of Breton and Chandeleur Sounds, at sunset this Friday, January 18.

The Department took action in December to extend the fall shrimp season in these waters, but current sampling by LDWF fisheries biologists indicates that average white shrimp size in these waters is smaller than 100 count per pound. This action protects these small, white shrimp and provides increased opportunity for growth to larger, more valuable sizes.

Effective with this closure, shrimping will only be allowed in:

Open waters of Breton and Chandeleur Sounds as described by the double-rig line in R.S. 56:491(A), and
All state outside beyond three nautical miles from the northwest shore of Caillou Boca westward to Freshwater Bayou Canal, and
All state outside waters east of the northwest shore of Caillou Boca as well as state outside waters west of Freshwater Bayou Canal

The shrimping industry is the most valuable commercial fishery in Louisiana, averaging over 8,700 licensed recreational and commercial shrimpers annually over the past five years.

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.