WHEREAS, Louisiana’s history includes more than a decade of discussion about the potential of saltwater hatcheries to supplement fisheries stocks in the nearshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana Wildlife Federation came out in 2012 in opposition to a proposal to spend $48 million on saltwater fish hatcheries in south Louisiana in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill; and
WHEREAS, while the 2011 proposed saltwater fish hatcheries never came to fruition, there have been subsequent proposals for the construction of saltwater fish hatcheries using public money; and
WHEREAS, studies find that genetic diversity in recovered hatchery-released fish is significantly lower than wild fish; and
WHEREAS, a single female wild trout or redfish is capable of producing millions of eggs in a single spawning season, rendering the potential output of a single hatchery insignificant by comparison; and
WHEREAS, restoring and maintaining Louisiana’s vast natural marsh fish nursery is a more effective and economically viable long-term solution than adding young fish from a hatchery that requires continued expenditures for operation and maintenance.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the Louisiana Wildlife Federation is opposed to the use of public funding to support the development or operation of saltwater fish hatcheries in the state; and
BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED the Louisiana Wildlife Federation supports funding for the improvement of fisheries habitat through coastal restoration work or other projects that provides the foundation for the state’s fisheries.
Adopted by the Louisiana Wildlife Federation in Convention Assembled on March 15, 2025 in Woodworth, Louisiana.