| After three years and multiple attempts at compromise, a threat to impose strict regulations on the commercial menhaden fishing industry by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission finally resulted in concrete action that both the industry and recreational anglers can accept.
The two sides were given one last opportunity to sit down and hash out a deal after a lengthy back and forth discussion at the Commission’s regular February meeting (Feb. 1, 2024). Before that meeting, the Commission was considering a Notice of Intent (NOI) that would have imposed new regulations on the industry that included a 1-mile coastwide buffer, a 3-mile buffer around Holly Beach and Rutherford Beach in Southwest Louisiana and adding new reporting and clean-up requirements in case of an intentional or unintentional spill. Yesterday, in a special meeting of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, the original NOI was amended to recognize the compromise worked out by the commercial menhaden fishing industry and recreational anglers. The new NOI calls for a ½ mile coastwide buffer, a one-mile buffer around Holly Beach and Rutherford Beach in southwest Louisiana, and keeps the 3-mile buffer around the Grand Isle area. It also imposes new reporting and clean-up regulations for intentional and unintentional fish spills or equipment malfunctions. These new reporting rules are a hold over from the original NOI. The amended NOI was unanimously approved by the Commission. They also voted to allow the new regulations to go into effect immediately to ensure the industry begins following the new rules when the 2024 commercial menhaden fishing season begins on April 15. This new NOI isn’t all that Louisiana Wildlife Federation had hoped for, but is definitely a step in the right direction and we support this compromise moving forward. We are anxious to see the results of the by-catch study that is scheduled to begin with the start of the 2024 menhaden season. Once completed and analyzed, this study will inform future regulatory decisions to ensure the viability of the commercial menhaden fishery and to protect game fish species for recreational use.
Watch the Special Meeting of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission on the amended Menhaden NIO. |
