Locations of menhaden vessel harvests 2022
For the third time in three years, conservation groups in Louisiana will attempt to establish a coastwide buffer zone for commercial harvest of menhaden (pogies). Rep. Joe Orgeron has filed HB 576 for the 2023 legislative session which, if passed, would establish a state waters catch limit and a coastwide buffer zone of 1/2 mile. In other words, no harvest of menhaden could take place within a half-mile of the state-defined shoreline. In addition, the buffer zone would be pushed to 1 mile out from August 1st to October 31st to provide protection for spawning red drum.
As we’ve previously documented, large-scale harvesting in the billions of pounds is currently taking place within close distance – sometimes yards – of the shoreline. The nearshore area is where large numbers of red drum, speckled trout, spanish mackerel and numerous other species gather to spawn, and in the process, require pogies as vital nutrition for their spawning biomass. In addition to removing this vital food source, there have been many documented cases of bycatch of thousands of mature redfish.
Louisiana is the ONLY coastal state that does not have a harvest exclusion zone or a harvest limit. Among Gulf states, Texas has a one-half mile buffer and very strict limits in total harvest, Mississippi and Alabama have a one-mile buffer, and Florida does not allow any harvest in state waters.
Previous bills had plenty of support in both the House and Senate, but ran into strong opposition in the Senate Natural Resources Committee, where a trio of legislators – including the Committee Chairman – were able to stifle the bill so it never got to the Governor’s desk prior to the end of the session. With this being an election year, and an overwhelming public support for some moderate restrictions, there is hope among conservationists that the third time might be the charm.
The FFI Gulf Coast Council joins CCA Louisiana, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and numerous other organizations in support of HB576. We strongly encourage our members and everyone else in the fly fishing community to contact their legislators and ask for their approval of HB576.
