The commercial fishery for gray triggerfish in Louisiana waters will close at 11:59 p.m. on October 10, 2018, and will remain closed until January 1, 2019.   
 
The decision, made by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet, followed notification by NOAA Fisheries that the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico closed for commercial harvest of gray triggerfish on October 8, 2018, and are to remain closed until January 1, 2019.
 
Regulations for the gray triggerfish fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico include a commercial quota. Based on current commercial gray triggerfish landings, it is projected the 2018 commercial quota of 60,900 pounds was harvested by October 8, 2018.   
 
After the closure, all commercial harvest, possession, purchase, barter, trade, sale or attempts to purchase, barter, trade or sell gray triggerfish is prohibited until January 1, 2019, the date set for the opening of the 2019 season. The prohibition on the sale/purchase of gray triggerfish during the closure does not apply to those that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to the effective date of the closure and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor provided appropriate records in accordance with R.S. 56:306.5 and 56:306.6 are properly maintained.
 
For more information about this closure, contact Jason Adriance at (504) 284-2032 or jadriance@wlf.la.gov.