| December 4, 2024 (Wednesday) LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
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| January 7, 2025 (Tuesday) LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
February 6, 2025 LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
| March 6, 2025 LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
April 3, 2025 LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
| May 1, 2025 LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
June 5, 2025 LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
| July 8, 2024 (Tuesday) LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
August 7, 2025 LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
| September 4, 2025 LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
October 2, 2024 DWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
| November 6, 2025 LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
December 4, 2025 LDWF Headquarters Joe L. Herring Room 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission
The Commission is charged with the control and supervision of the wildlife of the state, including all aquatic life. The Commission operates as a policy-making and budgetary control board, with no administrative function. The Commission receives and reviews biological, socioeconomic, and other technical data and management recommendations from LDWF, gathers public input, and ultimately votes on which actions will best achieve long-term management goals. In general, the Commission is charged with setting seasons, times, places, size limits, quotas, daily take, and possession limits based upon biological data and setting fees for nonresident recreational fishing licenses, among other authorities.
Upcoming Meetings
The Commission meets the first Thursday of every month. Unless otherwise noted, Commission meetings begin at 9:30 am. Commission meetings are open to the public. A live audio/video stream of each meeting is also available via Zoom for those who are not able to attend in person.
Commissioners
The commission consists of seven members appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. Six of the members serve for overlapping terms of six years, and one serves for a term concurrent with that of the governor. Three members, from coastal parishes, represent the commercial fishing and fur industries. The other four, from the state at large, represent interests other than the commercial fishing and fur industries.
Chair: Mr. Brandon DeCuir
Baton Rouge, LA
At-Large Member
Terms ends April 30, 2025
DeCuir is a lifelong Louisiana resident. He and his wife Sharlene have one son, Brandon, Jr. DeCuir is an attorney and partner for DeCuir, Clark, and Adams L.L.P in Baton Rouge. He is a member of the Coastal Conservation Association and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. He is counsel to the Board and member of the Louisiana March of Dimes, member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and Baton Rouge Bar Association, and a past member of the Louisiana Tax Institute.
Reason for serving: "The Louisiana outdoors offers so many incredible experiences to our citizens and visitors of our state. I look forward to being a part of preserving some of my favorite pastimes for those who come after me. Louisiana is the Sportsman’s Paradise, and being afforded the opportunity to serve on this Commission to preserve hunting and fishing both recreationally and commercially is an awesome responsibility and I’m excited to serve."
Vice-Chair: Mr. Harlie E. “Gene” Reynolds
Dubberly, LA
At-large appointee
Term ends 3/19/2027
Reynolds is a lifelong resident of Louisiana and currently resides in Dubberly. He is married to Martha Nell Moore Reynolds, and they have two children and two grandchildren. The Shreveport native is a retired educator and is a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 10.
Reynolds served on the Natural Resources and Environment; Education; Insurance; Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development; and Commerce committees while in the Legislature. He is also a member of the Louisiana Coastal Conservation Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, Minden Lions Club, Minden Civitans, and Louisiana Retired Teachers Association.
Reason for serving: “The ‘Sportsman’s Paradise’ has been a part of my life since I was a boy. I look forward to learning how that tradition can be continued for future generations. I have been passionate about the natural resources of our state my entire life and look forward to another opportunity to serve the people of our state."
Mr. Andy Brister
Lake Providence, LA
At-large appointee
Term ends on 12/31/2028
A Lake Providence native, Kenneth A. “Andy” Brister is a lifelong fisherman and hunter along the Mississippi River. He has experience in deer management programs and has worked with several wildlife habitat efforts. Brister has served on the Lake Providence Watershed Council, which consists of representatives from the Departments of Environmental Quality, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Wildlife and Fisheries. Serving on the Watershed Council has provided Andy with a training ground for understanding freshwater resources and its conservation. Andy is the owner of Brister Law Firm and serves as an Assistant District Attorney in Lake Providence. Andy is married to the Honorable Laurie Reis Brister, a District Court Judge for the Louisiana 6th Judicial District. Andy and Laurie have two children, Allison, an event planner living in Ruston, and Jacob, an attorney working in Monroe.
Reason for serving: “I have been a lifelong hunter and fisherman and have loved every minute of it. Being part of a governmental team dedicated to maintaining the experiences I have had is a dream position for me. I thank Gov. Jon Bel Edwards for providing me with a chance to make a difference in making Louisiana’s Sportsman’s Paradise even better.”
Andy Brister
318 Morgan Street
Lake Providence, LA 71254
Phone: 318-559-5800
Email: andy.brister@gmail.com
Mr. Kevin Sagrera
Abbeville, LA
Commercial fishing and fur industry representative
Terms ends February 2028
Sagrera is a lifelong Louisiana resident. He and his wife Wendi have two children, Jacob and Logan.
He is the owner of Abbigator, Inc., has served on the Vermillion Parish Police Jury and the Louisiana Fur and Alligator Advisory Council, and is a graduate of the LSU Agriculture Leadership Program.
Reason for serving: “Our family has been a part of Louisiana’s fur industry since the 1930s. But my love for the resource extends beyond the fur and alligator industry; hunting and fishing have been a part of my family since I was a boy. I look forward to giving back to the state that has given us so much and to help preserve our state’s resources for future generations."
Mr. Andrew Blanchard
Houma, LA
Commercial fishing and fur industry representative
Terms ends June, 2026
Andrew Blanchard, a lifelong Louisiana resident, is president of Pearl Inc., a seafood processing plant in Chauvin.
The Terrebonne Parish native has served on the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force, Louisiana Shrimp Association, Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, American Shrimp Processors Association, Terrebonne Parish Port Commission, and many others.
Reason for serving: “I look forward to serving the state I love. Our state’s natural resources have not only provided business opportunities for me and my family but have provided a lifetime of fishing and hunting memories. I am thankful that I have been asked to be a part of a commission with such a long history. The conservation of our state’s natural resources and habitats are crucial to the generations behind us.”
Mr. Nathan Wall
Springfield, LA
Commercial fishing and fur representative
Term: Concurrent with Governor
Louisiana's ecosystem has been a source of life for my family over multiple generations. We have always lived off the land; trapping fur and alligators, hunting, shrimping, crabbing, and fishing have been a substantial part of our family operations and recreation. In the mid-80s, we entered the alligator farming industry and became part of the largest, most successful conservation story in the world. Serving on the commission provides an opportunity to represent Louisiana in maximizing the state’s abundant resources while keeping conservation at the forefront for all aspects of wildlife and fisheries. My desire is to enhance the opportunities for the current and future generations of Louisiana to be introduced to the outdoors and learn to love all the Sportsman’s Paradise has to offer.
26858 Highway 1037
Springfield, LA 70462
225.937.0228
nathan@wallsgatorfarm.com
Mr. Jonathan Walker
Baton Rouge, LA
At-large appointee
Term ends June 6, 2030
Born and raised in Shreveport, Jonathan Walker currently resides in Baton Rouge. He and his wife Lauren have three children; Davis, Emily, and Miller. Jonathan graduated from LSU with an MBA in Finance and works in Commercial Real Estate at Maestri-Murrell, Inc. He is on the board of the Baton Rouge Growth Coalition, a longtime member of CCA, and a former Baton Rouge chairman for Delta Waterfowl. He and his family enjoy all types of hunting and in-shore fishing.
Reason for serving: "I grew up in my uncle’s duck blind and still chase waterfowl anytime I can get away. I’m excited to be tasked with protecting our State’s legacy of abundant wildlife so that our citizens can enjoy the resources that God has given us, both now and in the future."
History
While Louisiana's first wildlife conservation law was passed in 1857, and many regulations regarding oysters were passed in the late 1800s, it was not until 1909 that a formal body was appointed and given the task of overseeing wildlife and fisheries conservation in the state. In 1909, Governor John Parker, an avid conservationist and friend and hunting partner of President Theodore Roosevelt, convinced the Louisiana Legislature to create the Louisiana Board of Commissioners for the Protection of Birds, Game, and Fish. One year later, in 1910, the Louisiana Oyster Commission (which had been created in 1902) merged with the Board of Commissioners to form the Louisiana Department of Conservation.
Act 127 of 1912 constitutionally created the Conservation Commission of Louisiana as a department of Louisiana's state government, with the mission of providing for the protection of the state's birds, fish, shellfish, wild quadrupeds, forestry, and mineral resources.
Act 105 of 1918 changed the name of the agency back to the Department of Conservation and directed that it be controlled by an officer known as the Commissioner of Conservation, who would be appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate, for a term of four years.
The Department of Conservation continued in the role of lead agency in charge of wildlife and fisheries conservation until the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was officially created on December 11, 1944, in accordance with the terms of a Constitutional Amendment approved by the people of Louisiana on November 7, 1944. This amendment separated the former Department of Conservation into three independent state agencies: the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Louisiana Forestry Commission, and a new Department of Conservation.
Initially, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was directed by a Commissioner, who was appointed by the Governor. Governor Jimmie H. Davis appointed John G. Appel as the first Commissioner of the Department.
In 1952, another Constitutional Amendment changed the name of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and also established a commission of seven members to oversee and direct the activities of the agency. For day-to-day management and administration, the Commission was directed to appoint (hire) a Director of the Commission.
This confusing terminology, with a commission (board) managing the Commission (agency), continued until 1974, when the new Louisiana Constitution was completed and approved by voters. All of the old sections and amendments regarding normal functioning and administration of the agency were removed from the Constitution, retaining only the language regarding the composition and appointment of the seven-member Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, as follows:
Section 7.
(A) Members; Terms. The control and supervision of the wildlife of the state, including all aquatic life, is vested in the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. The commission shall be in the executive branch and shall consist of seven members appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. Six members shall serve overlapping terms of six years, and one member shall serve a term concurrent with that of the governor. Three members shall be electors of the coastal parishes and representatives of the commercial fishing and fur industries, and four shall be electors from the state at large other than representatives of the commercial fishing and fur industries, as provided by law. No member who has served six years or more shall be eligible for reappointment.
(B) Duties; Compensation. The functions, duties, and responsibilities of the commission, and the compensation of its members, shall be provided by law.
The Louisiana Legislature subsequently created the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries as part of Act 720 of 1975, the Executive Reorganization Act, which legislated the establishment of 20 cabinet level state agencies. The name and administrative structure of LDWF were codified in R.S. 36: §601-609, and §610 details (43) commissions and preserves that were transferred into the new department.
While Act 720 changed the role of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission from administration to policy-making, the make-up of the Commission remains essentially the same today as when it was first conceived back in 1952: six members with 6-year terms plus one member whose term runs concurrently with the Governor. Three of the seven members are to be representatives of the commercial fishing and fur industries from the coastal parishes, and four members are "other than representatives of the commercial fishing and fur industries" from the state at-large.