LDWF News

Slidell Partners Bubby Lamy and Sidney Cantelli Take Home Top Prize
 
(Mar. 11, 2014) - The Louisiana Saltwater Series Redfish Tournament opened its 2014 season on Saturday at Boudreaux's Marina in Cocodrie, La.  Participating anglers brought in 108 fish to be tagged and released as part of the Department's flourishing Louisiana Cooperative Marine Fish Tagging Program.
 
Taking home over $4,000 and a first place finish were Bubby Lamy and Sidney Cantelli of Slidell, La., with a two-fish total weight of 16.78 pounds.
 
"We had a great time fishing the opening tournament," said Lamy.  "We had our first big fish within the first 30 minutes of our first stop.  We had to grind it out to get our second big fish, taking up most of the morning."
 
Five young anglers participated on Saturday in the youth-exclusive division, with one younger angler, Noah Crane, traveling all the way from Sandwich, Ill. to compete.  He hooked a 7.75 pound redfish, earning him the title of Top Finishing Youth and loads of bragging rights and stories to bring home to Illinois.  
 
Lamy and Cantelli are no strangers to the series, but this is their first time to finish at the top of the ranks.  Of the twenty-eight participating teams, top finishers included: Barnie and Steve White, second place; Jimmy Matherne and Kevin Davis, third place; Hugh and Zack LeBeouf, fourth place; Chad and Kevin Harvey, fifth place; Paul Smith and Kyle Mitternight, sixth place.  Joel Porretto and Nathan Lepre took home the smallest fish prize.
 
Sponsors for the 2014 series include Shimano, King Cooker, SeaTow New Orleans, Bomber Baits, Cabela's, Standard Mapping, Frabill, Work Sharp Knife Sharpeners and Coors Light.  A special thanks to Front 2 Back Boat Service for providing a meal to all of the competitiors.  
 
The LASS is hosted annually by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, the tournament's non-profit partner.  The LWFF was formed to provide a means for individuals and corporations to become partners with the Department and Commission in the challenge of conserving Louisiana's wildlife and fish resources.
 
Visit www.lasaltwaterseries.com for the 2014 schedule, registration and additional details.  The tournament's next stop is Calcasieu Point Landing in Lake Charles on April 5.
 
The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources.  For more information, visit us atwww.wlf.louisiana.gov, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.
 
For press inquiries, contact Ashley Wethey at awethey@wlf.la.gov or (225) 721-0489.
 

March 10, 2014 -- The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is accepting applications for an experimental spring/summer feral hog trapping season on select wildlife management areas around the state.
 
The experimental season will run from May 1 to Aug. 31, 2014, on the following WMAs: Boeuf, Clear Creek, Jackson-Bienville, Manchac, Pearl River, Richard K. Yancey, Sherburne, Thistlethwaite and West Bay.
 
Applications will be accepted through April 4, 2014 and forms can be obtained via the LDWF website at http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/lottery-hunts . For those without web access, call 225-765-2346 to obtain an application. A non-refundable $5 administrative fee must be submitted with each application.
 
Lottery rules:

• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Each selected applicant will be assigned to a specific unit on the WMA for the entire trapping period.
• Traps will be corral type traps only. No snares will be allowed.
• No live transport will be allowed.
• Access allowances and restrictions will vary by area and by unit assigned, and will be specified on a permit issued to selected applicants.
• Each selected applicant must attend a mandatory class prior to any activity on the WMA. This class will be scheduled by LDWF prior to the WMA feral hog trapping season and the selected applicants will be notified.
• Selected applicant must possess a basic hunting license and WMA permit to participate.

The purpose of the experimental season is to reduce the feral hog numbers on the WMAs selected and subsequently reduce habitat destruction. Damage to wildlife management areas and private property in recent years has increased as the feral hog population in Louisiana has increased. Hog harvest by hunters on WMAs during fall-winter hunting seasons has not been successful in keeping hog populations under control.
 
To view a complete list of state WMAs, visit http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/wma .
 
For more information: contact Steve Smith at 225-765-2359 ssmith@wlf.la.gov .

March 10, 2014 – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced today that the reward has been increased to $20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for shooting the two whooping cranes found in Jefferson Davis Parish on Feb. 7.

Anyone with information on this incident can contact LDWF’s Enforcement Division by calling 1-800-442-2511 or using the tip411 program.

To use the tip411 program, citizens can text LADWF and their tip to 847411 or download the "LADWF Tips" iPhone and Android app from the Apple App Store or Google Play free of charge.  CitizenObserver, the tip411 provider, uses technology that removes all identifying information before LDWF receives the text so that LDWF cannot identify the sender.

Organizations contributing to the reward fund include the Humane Society of the U.S., Dr. Ben Burton, the Louisiana Operation Game Thief Program, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, Sara Simmonds, the Animal Welfare Institute, Operation Migration, Lake Charles Area Sportsmen, the International Crane Foundation, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Audubon Nature Institute, Zoo New England, King White, Lowry Park Zoo, Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park, San Antonio Zoo, Joe Brooks and anonymous donors.

The whooping cranes were found near the corner of Compton Road and Radio Tower Road just north of Roanoke, about five miles north of Interstate 10. One bird was already dead when found and the second crane was transported to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge, operated on and subsequently had to be euthanized when it failed to respond to recovery efforts.

LDWF has been working to restore a wild whooping crane population in Louisiana. Fifty juvenile cranes, brought to Louisiana in four separate cohort groups, have been released at LDWF’s White Lake property near Gueydan since 2011. Prior to this incident, 33 of those birds were alive and well on the landscape in central and southwest Louisiana.  Some have been lost to predators, some to naturally occurring health problems, and five in total have been confirmed as killed or wounded by firearms.

To learn more about LDWF’s whooping crane re-population project, visit http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/wildlife/whooping-cranes.

For more information, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or aeinck@wlf.la.gov.

(March 10, 2014)  On February 15^th more than 100 volunteers and 16 boats gathered at Toby Voisin’s oyster dock on Bayou Dularge for the annual Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Derelict Crab Trap Rodeo.   The volunteers, LDWF staff, and members of the commercial fishing industry assisted in retriveing more than 1,000 abandoned crab traps.

LDWF initiated the volunteer-based Derelict Crab Trap Removal Program in 2004 to address removal of derelict and abandoned crab traps.  The program is funded in part by the sale of Louisiana commercial crab fishing licenses. Since the program began volunteers have assisted in  removing more than 24,000 traps. Removal of these traps is imperative since they increase ghost-fishing mortality of blue crabs and other species captured incidentally, interfere with other commercial fishing gear types, create navigation hazards, and reduce visual appeal of the environment. 

Volunteers received free hats, t-shirts, and lunch along with a number of door prizes provided by generous supporters.  A special congratulations to Marty Authement of Dularge and Eric Hanson of Port Sulphur, who won fabulous prizes for finding the famed “golden crabs” among the derelict traps.

LDWF would like to thank the following organizations for their generous donations and contributions for the event and their commitment to conserve Louisiana’s marine resources; Audubon Nature Institute; Coastal Conservation Association-Louisiana; Home Depot; Raising Canes; Songy’s Sporting Goods; and Walmart.  Also, a special thanks to student volunteers from Louisiana State University and Nicholls State University; Drs. Quenton Fontenot and Allyse Ferrara of NSU; Joe Malbrough with LUMCON; and Louisiana Sea Grant.

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb, or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.

Media inquiries contact Ashley Roth, aroth@wlf.la.gov or 504-286-4162.

To sign up for LDWF Alerts sent as text messages and emails directly to your mobile device click  here.

(March 10)— Beginning next month, Louisiana oyster harvesters will have a two-week opportunity to move oysters from the public oyster seed grounds located southwest of Point Au Fer and the South Point area and transplant them to their private leases for later harvest. This is located in Oyster Harvest Areas 24 and 25.

This oyster transplant program, which will run from April 1 to April 14, 2014, is for the purposes of moving live oysters from the restricted areas of the public seed grounds to private oyster leases. It is a joint initiative of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

The two state agencies allow such transplants on a permit-only basis. Permit applications will be accepted from March 7 to March 14, 2014 at DHH’s Baton Rouge headquarters, located at 628 N. 4th Street.

The oysters that are transplanted must remain in approved waters for a minimum of 15 days. In addition, leases on which shellfish have been transplanted may not be utilized for direct market harvesting during this period. Shellfish taken for transplanting purposes shall not be laid down within 500 feet of any adjoining lease where shellfish may be taken for sale as food during the active period of the transplant.

The transplant permit fee is $100 and a performance bond of $5,000 must accompany the transplant application. Oyster fishermen who are granted permits will be allowed to transplant between April 1, 2014 and April 14, 2014 only.

Each transplant vessel must be under the direct supervision of a commissioned officer. All costs associated with the commissioned officer are the responsibility of the person securing the permit. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

Oyster fishermen who receive permits will be allowed to transplant oysters taken from the public oyster seed grounds southwest of Point Au Fer and the South Point area to only two leases in an approved bedding area, each pre-approved by DHH. A map detailing the area of the public oyster seed grounds available for transplanting activities can be found here.  A map identifying the lease where the transplanted oysters will be bedded must accompany each permit application.
 
Those interested in applying for a transplant permit should contact Gordon LeBlanc with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Molluscan Shellfish Program at (225) 342-7539 or (225) 342-7540. Applications for transplant permits may be obtained between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, 628 N. 4th Street Baton Rouge, LA, 70821.

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb, or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.

Media inquiries contact Ashley Roth, aroth@wlf.la.gov or 504-286-4162.

To sign up for LDWF Alerts sent as text messages and emails directly to your mobile device click  here.

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March 7, 2014 - The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) today adopted amended notices of intent for the upcoming hunting seasons based on recommendations by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

If approved, beginning with the 2014-2015 small game season, hunters would be allowed a three-day possession limit for rabbit, squirrel and quail. The daily harvest limit would remain eight for rabbits and squirrels, and 10 daily for quail.

In additional action taken, the Commission amended the 2014-2015 deer season dates for Area 5 to close the still hunt season on the second Sunday in January, instead of the fourth Sunday in December. The still hunt season would remain “bucks only” unless “either sex” season is in progress.

To view the full, amended notice of intent, visit the LDWF website at http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/action-items . Public comment will be accepted at the LWFC monthly meetings through April 3. Comments will also be accepted by mail sent to Steve Smith, Wildlife Division, Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries, P.O. Box 9800, Baton Rouge, LA, 70898-9000 or via email to ssmith@wlf.la.gov.

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.

For more information, contact Steve Smith @ 225-765-2359 or ssmith@wlf.la.gov.  

The Hunting and Fishing Advisory Education Council will meet Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters building located at 2000 Quail Drive in Baton Rouge.  The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting in the Louisiana Room is as follows:

1. Roll Call
    
2. Approval of Minutes of Oct. 29, 2013
    
3. Welcome and Opening Comments
    
4. Office of Fisheries Report: Red Snapper Management
    
5. Enforcement Division Report
    
6. Office of Management and Finance: Annual Report
    
7. Pre-Session Legislative Update
    
8. Set Next Meeting Date
    
9. Receive Public Comments
    
10. Adjournment

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb, or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.
 
For more information, contact Bo Boehringer at 225-765-5115 or bboehringer@wlf.la.gov.
 
 
 

(Mar. 4, 2014) – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Assistant Secretary of the Office of Fisheries, Randy Pausina, received the Jerry Stone Conservationist of the Year Award from the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana.

“It is with great humility that I accept this award on behalf of the Department’s Office of Fisheries,” said Pausina.  “Without the hard work and enthusiasm of our employees and the leadership of our Secretary and Commission, we would have not been able to achieve such significant accomplishments as an agency.”

Executive Director of  CCA Louisiana, David Cresson, was on hand to present the award and acknowledge Pausina and the Department for many of their recent successes.

Under Pausina’s guidance, LDWF’s Artificial Reef Program has undergone significant expansion, and as a result led to more than a dozen inshore artificial reefs in the past seven years, including the recently constructed Williams Boulevard reef in Kenner on Lake Pontchartrain. 

The Department’s Louisiana Marine Sport Fish Tagging Program, another of Pausina’s visions, continues to flourish, with a Tag Louisiana website and mobile application to be made available this spring. 

Along with Secretary Robert Barham and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Pausina has led to the charge to implement a Louisiana state snapper season, proving management at the state level is the most efficient option, using science and data rather than special interests to dictate fisheries management.

The award, presented by CCA Louisiana for over 19 years, was re-named three years ago after one of its founding members and former Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission member, the late Dr. Jerry Stone, who helped spearhead the conservation movement in Louisiana.  The award recognizes leadership in the area of marine conservation.

Among the past recipients of this honor are then-Congressman and current Governor Bobby Jindal, LDWF Secretary Robert Barham, Senator David Vitter, Congressman Billy Cassidy, Congressman Charles Boustany and Senator Gerald Long.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant resources.  For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.

For press inquiries, please contact Ashley Wethey at awethey@wlf.la.gov or (255) 721-8733.

PHOTO CAPTION Left to right: Executive Director of CCA Louisiana, David Cresson; Assistant Secretary of LDWF, Randy Pausina, CCA Habitat Chairman , John Walther

(Mar. 6, 2014) – The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted a Notice of Intent to modify the dates of the commercial netting season on False River, Lake Bruin and Lake Providence.
 
The proposed action will begin the season on October 1 through the last day of February.  Currently, the season does not begin until November 1.
 
Commercial anglers have reported that the month of October is an excellent period for harvest.  By adjusting the commercial netting season dates, the Department hopes to increase commercial angler participation and harvest of fish including buffalo, carp and freshwater drum.
 
To view the full notice, please visit http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/action-items.
 
Interested persons may submit related comments regarding the proposed rule through June 4, 2014, to Mike Wood, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Office of Fisheries, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000 or via email at comment@wlf.la.gov.
 
LDWF is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources.  For more information, visit us at www.wlf.la.gov and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.
 
For press inquiries, contact Ashley Wethey at awethey@wlf.la.gov or (225) 721-0489.

(Mar. 6, 2014) – The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted a Notice of Intent to increase the possession limit for black bass up to three times the daily limit in areas below the saltwater line: http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/fishing/saltwater-freshwater-line-0.
 
This amendment is designed to allow fishermen to transport bass to the boat launch after being at a remote camp or on the water for multiple days at a time.  An angler would be allowed to transport two times the daily creel limit if out for two consecutive days or three times the daily limit if out for three consecutive days. 
 
Anglers would only be covered under this provision if they comply with the following:

• Anglers must hold and be in possession of a basic recreational fishing license.
• Anglers must be in possession of a receipt from a boat launch located south of the saltwater line that verifies the angler has been on the water for multiple consecutive days.
• Fish must be kept whole or whole gutted, and each day’s catch must be packaged separately.  Packages must be labeled with the angler’s name, fishing license number, date caught, species of fish and number of fish.
• Anglers must only be in possession of his or her own fish.
• Anglers must not actively fish while transporting more than their daily creel limit.

This provision would only apply in areas south of the saltwater line.
 
To view the full notice, please visit http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/action-items.
 
Interested persons may submit related comments regarding the proposed rule through June 4, 2014, to Mike Wood, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Office of Fisheries, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000 or via email at comment@wlf.la.gov.
 
LDWF is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources.  For more information, visit us at www.wlf.la.gov and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.
 
For press inquiries, contact Ashley Wethey at awethey@wlf.la.gov or (225) 721-0489.