Closure affects inside waters from Atchafalaya River westward to the Louisiana/Texas line
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recently announced the closure of the 2013 spring inshore shrimp season in state inside waters from the Atchafalaya River westward to the Texas state line.Specifically, state inside waters from the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island as delineated by the River Channel Buoy Line westward to the western shore of Freshwater Bayou will close one-half hour after sunset on Saturday, July 6.
State inside waters from the western shore of Freshwater Bayou westward to the Texas state line will close at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9.
Data collected by LDWF biologists indicated increased quantity, distribution and percentages of small, juvenile white shrimp in these waters. The decision to close the area was made in an effort to protect these shrimp and allow them to grow to more marketable sizes.
All remaining state inside and outside waters, except for portions of the Terrebonne Basin, will remain open to shrimp harvesting until further notice, with the exception of those areas still closed to recreational and commercial fishing due to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Maps of the areas still closed to recreational and commercial fishing are posted to the LDWF website at www.wlf.louisiana.gov/oilspill.
