A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) enforcement agent was the recipient of a Louisiana Charter Boat Association (LCBA) award at the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting on March 2 in Baton Rouge.
Corporal Blaine Wagner received the second annual Theophile Bourgeois Memorial Award for the law enforcement agent that best exemplifies the LDWF mission, specifically pertaining to promoting professionalism within the Louisiana charter for hire industry.
“Corporal Wagner is deserving of this honor because he makes a concentrated effort to contact a large number of charter guide fishing boats in the areas he works,” said Col. Chad Hebert, head of the LDWF Enforcemenet Division. “He also looks into the finer details to ensure that charter captains are following the regulation set forth in law.”
Corporal Wagner, of Chalmette, primarily patrols the waterways in southeastern Louisiana and has been an agent for over eight years. In 2022, Corporal Wagner wrote approximately a third of the total charter guide violation citations for the state. He was also involved in about half of the charter guide violation cases for the state.
“Led by Col. Hebert’s leadership and Corporal Wagner’s commitment, the LDWF Enforcement Division has done a tremendous job of rooting out many of these illegal charters,” said Richard Fischer, Executive Director of the LCBA. “We look forward to continuing to recognize LDWF Enforcement’s success on this front.”
According to the LCBA, the recipient demonstrates above-and-beyond performance and professionalism in the field, while also demonstrating outstanding conservation of our natural resources and promotion of Louisiana fisheries.
As part of the award, the Louisiana Charter Boat Association gave Corporal Wagner $1,000 for a donation in his name to the charity of his choice, which was the Family Violence Program of St. Bernard. This organization provides emergency services and shelter to individuals when they need it most as well as advocacy, education and outreach services.
The award is named after Theophile Bourgeois who was a charter captain and owner of Bourgeois Charters. His life ended in 2019 during a seaplane crash in which he was credited with saving the lives of two passengers.
