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A portion of Barataria Bay has been closed to all fishing, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced this afternoon (May 22). The closure went into effect just before 5:20 p.m.
Click here for the most-current LDWF map of state closures.
This new closure includes the portion of inshore waters from the eastern shore of the oyster-harvesting Area 12 (as set by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals) near Lake Grand Ecaille west to the western shore of the Barataria Waterway as marked by the green buoy line and south of 29 degrees, 23 minutes and 50 seconds north latitude.
All other closures remain in place.
The agency reported that these are precautionary closures “implemented based on the best information the Secretary of the Department receives from field biologists, staff and trajectory models from NOAA.”
LDWF officials said any reports of oil initiate a field survey and immediate seafood testing in the area, with closures made “with the intent to be as safe as possible ….”
