Lousiana White Lake Fishing Lottery Applications Available

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 01.25.13

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is now accepting applications for a lottery drawing for fishing permit access to the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area (WCA) between March 15 and Aug. 15, 2013.

A total of 100 permits are available and winning applicants will be notified of their opportunity to purchase a permit for $40. White Lake WCA is located south of Gueydan in Vermilion Parish.

The area open for fishing will be limited to the Florence Canal and Oil Field Location canals off of the Florence Canal. There will be no fishing in any of the WCA’s marsh areas or in the main camp canal or other areas that are marked “NO FISHING.” Successful applicants will be provided a map of the fishing area. Boats used by permitees will be limited to the use of motors with 40 horsepower or less. Additional rules and regulations are outlined in an attachment to the application.

Each completed application must include a non-refundable administrative fee of $5 in the form of a check or money order made payable to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Only one application per person will be accepted and submitting more than one application will be considered grounds for disqualification. Completed applications must be received by LDWF by close of business on Feb. 22, 2013.

Applications may be mailed to: Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Attention: White Lake Fishing, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898. They may also be turned in to Room 422 at the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Headquarters Building, located at 2000 Quail Drive in Baton Rouge. Persons interested in obtaining an application may call the department at 225-765-2812 or download a copy from the department’s Web site at http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/refuge/white-lake-wetlands-conservations-area .

For more information, contact Wayne Sweeney at 337-536-9400 or wsweeney@wlf.la.gov

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.