Louisiana DWF Stocks Red River

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 11.25.13

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, in cooperation with the Red River Waterway Commission, recently stocked the Red River with over 28,000 Florida strain largemouth bass fingerlings.

This endeavor is a renewal of cooperative stocking efforts between the two agencies. The RRWC has agreed to a five-year plan to stock $50,000 worth of bass fingerlings annually into the five pools of the Red River.

The fingerlings were evenly distributed amongst the five pools of the river in order to improve fishing opportunities for the recreational angler. The fish range in size between 4 and 7 inches.

“These fish should have a huge impact on recreational fishing,” explained LDWF Secretary Robert Barham. “A few years from now, some of these fish will grow to be 10 pounds or more.”

The fish were purchased by the Red River Waterway Commission from the American Sportfish Hatchery. The Department will assist with releasing 12,000 more fish by the end of the year, including a stocking on December 5 in Avoyelles Parish.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.

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.