At their Jan. 9 meeting, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted a Notice of Intent (NOI) to modify reef fish harvest regulations. These modifications make adjustments to the recreational red snapper season and secretarial authority related to the season.
The Commission has not yet set the 2020 season for the recreational red snapper season, this NOI is intended to adjust existing rules to incorporate new state authority for red snapper, and recognize the recent seasonal regime for recreational harvest for planning purposes.
The proposed changes would modify the existing rule on the recreational season for red snapper to be open from the Friday before Memorial Day through Dec. 31 or until the annual quota is reached, on a weekends-only basis. A weekend is defined as Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, including the Mondays of Memorial Day and Labor Day; July 4 is also included as an open date. The proposed rule also adds authority for the secretary to modify size limits of recreationally harvested red snapper in line with provisions laid out by NOAA Fisheries regarding the delegation of state management of the recreational red snapper season.
To view the full notice of intent or for species-specific data, please visit here.
Interested persons may submit comments relative to the proposed rule to Jason Adriance, Fisheries Division, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000 or via email to jadriance@wlf.la.gov before Friday, February 21, 2020.
