Today, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced the season for the recreational harvest of gray triggerfish will close in Louisiana waters on January 16, 2018 and remain closed through February 28, 2018. The recreational season will open as originally scheduled on January 1, 2018 and run through January 15, 2018 and then resume on March 1, 2018. NOAA Fisheries announced that new regulations are being enacted to help rebuild the gray triggerfish stock. NOAA Fisheries requested that Louisiana state waters also remain closed for that period. The changes to the recreational season include an additional recreational fixed closed season from January 1 through the end of February of each year along with the currently established June 1 to July 31 fixed closed season.
Further changes enacted by NOAA Fisheries include size and bag limit changes which will also take effect in federal waters on January 16. These changes include an increase in the recreational minimum size to 15 inches fork length and a reduction in the recreational bag limit to 1 gray triggerfish per angler per day within the 20-reef fish aggregate bag limit (species within the 20-reef fish aggregate are vermillion snapper, lane snapper, almaco jack, gray triggerfish, and tilefishes). Commercial trip limits have also changed to 16 gray triggerfish per trip. These additional changes to gray triggerfish regulations will be addressed at a future Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet was authorized by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission in previously promulgated rules (LAC 76.VII.335.G.5) to change or modify the opening and closing dates for any recreational reef fish season in Louisiana waters when notified of a modification to a season by NOAA Fisheries.
For more information, contact Jason Adriance at (504) 284-2032 or jadriance@wlf.la.gov.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.la.gov. To receive email alerts, signup at http://www.wlf.la.gov/signup.