Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries to Reopen 2022 Oyster Season in Sister Lake

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will reopen the oyster season in designated portions of the Public Oyster Seed Reservation in Sister Lake to allow harvest for sacking only (3 inches or larger). Recent biological sampling by LDWF has indicated additional resource availability in Sister Lake. This additional opening will allow limited harvest of the resource that is available on the reefs. The following dates were set for the upcoming oyster season:

• The Sister Lake Public Oyster Seed Reservation shall open for sacking only of market size oysters, at one half-hour before sunrise on Monday, March 21, 2022 and close at one-half hour after sunset on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. During the 2021-22 oyster season, the following provisions will be in effect:
  • Any vessel from which any person(s) takes or attempts to take oysters from the public oyster seed reservations described above shall be limited to a daily take not to exceed 25 whole sacks of oysters per vessel. A sack of oysters for the purposes of this Declaration of Emergency shall be defined as the size described in R.S. 56:440. If sacks smaller than the size described in R.S. 56:440 are used, the daily harvest and possession limit shall be based on the number of sacks used, not the size of the sack or other measures.
  • This opening is limited to harvesting only market oysters for direct sale (sacking).
  • If any person on a vessel takes or attempts to take oysters from the public oyster reservation described above, all oysters contained on that vessel will be deemed to have been taken from said seed ground or reservation from the time harvest begins until all oysters are off-loaded dockside.
  • All oysters harvested from public areas, seed grounds or reservations for the purpose of market must be uncontaminated, sealed and not gaping.
  • All oysters harvested from public areas, seed grounds or reservations for the purpose of market sales must measure a minimum of 3 inches from hinge to bill.
  • Market oysters harvested from any public oyster area, seed ground or reservation must be sacked, the number of sacks recorded in a log book, and each sack properly tagged prior to leaving said public oyster area, seed ground, or reservation.
  • All vessels located in public oyster areas, seed grounds or reservations during those times between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour before sunrise must have all oyster scrapers unshackled.
  • The taking of oysters from the public oyster seed grounds or reservations without an oyster seed ground vessel permit shall be a class two violation subject to the penalties provided in RS 56:32 and to the requirements of RS 56:424.1.

The following areas will remain closed for the entire 2021-22 oyster season:

1.         The 2021 Sister Lake Cultch Plant within the following coordinates (see map above):

A.         29 degrees 14 minutes 25.211 seconds
90 degrees 56 minutes 19.177 seconds

B.         29 degrees 14 minutes 3.351 seconds
90 degrees 56 minutes 19.203 seconds

C.         29 degrees 14 minutes 25.075 seconds
90 degrees 55 minutes 34.537 seconds

D.         29 degrees 14 minutes 3.214 seconds
90    degrees 55 minutes 34.626 seconds

2. The public oyster seed grounds and reservations, as described in Louisiana Administrative Code (LAC);76:VII.507, LAC 76:VII.509, LAC 76:VII.511 and LAC 76:VII.513, including all areas east of Mississippi River, the Vermilion/East and West Cote Blanche Bay/Atchafalaya Bay Public Oyster Seed Grounds.

3. Lake Tambour, Lake Chien, Lake Felicity, Deep Lake and Barataria Bay Public Oyster Seed Grounds as described in LAC 76:VII:517.

4. The Little Lake Public Oyster Seed Grounds as described in LAC 76:VII.521.

5. Hackberry Bay, Bay Junop and Bay Gardene Public Oyster Seed Reservations and as described in R.S. 56:434.Oyster harvest on the Sabine Lake Public Oyster Area is prohibited as described in R.S. 56:435.1.

The Secretary of the Department was authorized by the Commission to set closure dates and adjust sack limits and/or sacking-only areas based on biological harvest data or if enforcement issues are encountered. The Secretary is also authorized to take emergency action to reopen areas previously closed if the threat to the resource has ended and to open public areas if substantial oyster resources are located.

Public notice of any opening, delay or closing of a season will be provided at least 72 hours prior to such action, unless such closure is ordered by the Louisiana Department of Health for public concerns.

For 2021-2022 oyster season maps, click here.
 
For more information, contact Carolina Bourque at cbourque@wlf.la.gov or 337-735-8726.