Louisiana WFC Repeals Hunting Closure in Portion of Orleans Parish, Effective Sept. 1

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 08.06.13

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has approved the repeal of a ban on all hunting in a portion of Orleans Parish that had been in effect since 1991. The prohibition was enacted by the LWFC to aid the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) during establishment of the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, the largest urban wildlife refuge in the United States.

The move, recommended by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and approved during the Commission’s Aug. 1 meeting, will provide for youth waterfowl hunting opportunities on the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, as well as continued feral hog control on the NWR by the Service to reduce wildlife habitat damage on the refuge.

The Commission’s action effects that portion of Orleans Parish east of the Jefferson-Orleans Parish line, northward to the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain, northeast along the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain to South Point, east-southeast along the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain to Chef Pass, the southern shoreline of Chef Pass eastward to the western shoreline of the Intra-Coastal Waterway, the western shoreline of the Intra-Coastal Waterway southward to the Industrial Canal, the Industrial Canal south to the Mississippi River, and the Mississippi River to the Orleans-Jefferson Parish line. The action will become effective Sept. 1, 2013. Public comment on the action can be submitted to Tommy Tuma, Biologist Director, Habitat Stewardship Branch of Wildlife Division, until November 7, 2013.

For more information, contact Tommy Tuma, LDWF Wildlife Division, at 225-765-2349 or ttuma@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.