The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has approved rules that would allow fishermen who stay overnight at Port Eads Marina, located in Plaquemines Parish, to clean their catch on site and transport fileted fish to land-based ports in Louisiana. Catch inspections and certifications, which can only be issued when LDWF staff is on site at Port Eads, would allow for fishermen to possess and transport up to a 3-day daily creel limit.
These new rules were adopted due to the remote nature of the Port Eads Marina, and that the marina is only accessible by water.
When a certifying agent is present, recreational anglers may seek inspection and certification provided the fisherman is in compliance with the following requirements:
1. The fisherman holds and is in possession of all current recreational fishing licenses required.
2. The fisherman is in possession of and can provide a receipt issued by the Port Eads Marina facility that demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the department, an overnight stay at the Port Eads Marina facility.
3. Catches can only be inspected and certified for days on which LDWF staff is present at the facility. Upon landing his or her daily catch at the Port Eads Marina, the fisherman will contact LDWF staff on duty at the marina so that the catch can be inspected to ensure that the species, size and daily creel are within legal limits. Following inspection, fish can be fileted and must be marked with catch certification tags that will be provided by the certifying agent.
4. Once certified, the fishermen will be issued an interview form and bag tags for all bags of fish that correlate with an individual angler’s catch. No active fishing can take place on board a vessel transporting bags of certified catch.
5. The fisherman is only in possession of his or her fish and shall not transport fish taken by another person back to the boat landing.
When a LDWF certifying agent is not present, fishermen should adhere to the state-wide, on the water possession limits.
For more information on the rules and a list of future dates when a certifying agent will be at the marina visit http://www.fishla.org/port-eads-marina-regulations
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 press release inquiries contact Rene LeBreton, rlebreton@wlf.la.gov or 504-286-8745.