State season closes out at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1
The fall red snapper season closes in state waters Jan. 1 at 12:01 a.m., the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced.
The season has applied to all waters claimed by the state, which LDWF officials contend reaches roughly the 10-mile mark. Federal officials do not recognize state sovereignty past 3 nautical miles, but state enforcement agents have only been enforcing state regulations.
The state fall red snapper season opened on Nov. 20 to allow anglers a final opportunity to harvest the remaining 88,823 pounds of red snapper that went unharvested earlier in the year.
This late-year season offered anglers an additional 41 days of fishing in 2015.
And LDWF biologists collected valuable catch data that will allow better management of the species going forward, the agency said.
“Thanks to LA Creel we are able to monitor red snapper landings in near real time, allowing Louisiana anglers to maximize their catch”, outgoing LDWF Secretary Robert Barham said in the news release.
Dates for the 2016 state red snapper season dates are scheduled to be discussed at the January Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting.
