Recreational anglers can take take home their greater amberjack catches in state and federal waters off the Louisiana coast throughout the remainder 2010 and into the 2011 season, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reported today (Dec. 8).
The agency said the announcement was in response to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration prediction that the quota for the harvest of greater amberjack will not be met this year.
LDWF officials estimate that approximately 14,500 greater amberjack weighing more than 337,000 pounds were harvested in Louisiana in 2009. Each year, recreational anglers in Louisiana land approximately 276,000 pounds of greater amberjack at docks across the state’s coast.
The average size of a greater amberjack landed in Louisiana is more than 20 pounds, with the record weighing in at 139 pounds. The record catch was made by Bill Weldon in South Timablier Block 300 in May 2009.
