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Started By
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Is bowfishing hurting Louisiana’s redfish population? A salty debate endures.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 9:14 am
Posted on 7/9/24 at 9:14 am
LINK
quote:
For the fishing guides specializing in it, bowfishing is a harmless good time, not to mention a solid business. They argue there are too few bowfishers in comparison to the overall number of anglers to really make a dent in the redfish population, and contend they are skilled enough to avoid shooting fish that are too small or too large.
But other anglers and conservationists question those assertions, pointing to issues ranging from the methods used to the types of boat motors employed in Louisiana’s fragile marsh. They also note that a redfish that is either too big or too small under Louisiana’s regulations is highly unlikely to survive after being pierced with an arrow and thrown back.
quote:
So far, 731 permits have been issued, including 43 to charter guides and the rest to private anglers, according to the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. That compares to a total of nearly 167,000 full-season saltwater licenses in 2023, though that number does not include various other short-term permits and licenses for special categories of residents, such as seniors. Some previous estimates have put the state's total number of saltwater anglers at around 400,000.
It is unclear if word has sufficiently and accurately spread on the need for the bowfishing permit. Charter boat customers also do not need one, though charter captains do.
quote:
Whether bowfishers are having an outsized effect on redfish numbers is simply not known for now.
The department does not have specific catch data related to bowfishing, but it does have numbers on how many people fish at night, when bowfishing usually occurs. That has amounted to between 7% and 9% in recent years, it says.
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Posted on 7/9/24 at 9:29 am to Major Dutch Schaefer
I had a camp in Leesville for years. Lots of trashed trails thru marsh and pierced unders to be seen at daylight for as long as u was there. I’ll never see it as anything other than “not fair chase for sport fish” . Shining is shining no matter how you slice it. I hope it goes away
Posted on 7/9/24 at 9:39 am to redfish99
Pretty unbelievable to me that they would allow bowfishing for a gamefish.
On the northern part of Lake Eufaula (Al) there are not nearly the big fish there that had been for years. My concern is that novice bowfisherman have been thumping larger bass thinking they were carp under the lights.
Who knows but it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
On the northern part of Lake Eufaula (Al) there are not nearly the big fish there that had been for years. My concern is that novice bowfisherman have been thumping larger bass thinking they were carp under the lights.
Who knows but it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 9:51 am to Major Dutch Schaefer
Very much should be banned. Should have never been allowed in the 1st place.
Once again cause people will not govern themselves when it comes to wildlife. Especially when guides have $$ involved they need to be on fish to get paid.
Once again cause people will not govern themselves when it comes to wildlife. Especially when guides have $$ involved they need to be on fish to get paid.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 9:54 am to Major Dutch Schaefer
Again, let’s focus on everything else but pogey boats. I mean bow fishing certainly isn’t helping and likely results in a ton of waste.
But definitely don’t talk about pogey boats.
But definitely don’t talk about pogey boats.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 10:14 am to elprez00
quote:I can’t upvote this enough.
Again, let’s focus on everything else but pogey boats. I mean bow fishing certainly isn’t helping and likely results in a ton of waste.
But definitely don’t talk about pogey boats.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 10:15 am to Major Dutch Schaefer
Admins can we get a Bowfishing Board? Thanks.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 10:21 am to elprez00
quote:
But definitely don’t talk about pogey boats.
Notice how no one talks about shrimp boats either.
Go through a pile of shrimp bycatch and tell me how many redfish, trout, flounder, etc get raked overboard dead from every drag. Now do that times thousands of shrimp boats.
LA has never actually studied shrimp trawl bycatch of game fish in state waters (because it is such a political hot potato...if you don't have data you can't be criticized for not acting on the data). But the Feds have studied it in Federal waters as it effects Red Snapper. One study in 2005 showed that even if they closed the Red Snapper season totally, the population would continue to decrease because of shrimp trawl bycatch mortality.
So they forced Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRD) on the fleet in 2008, and then improved BRDs in 2018. And even after the new improved BRDs , they estimate that 1 million juvenile Red Snapper get killed in shrimp trawls every year.
The shrimpers argument is that only 5% of those 2-3" Snapper would actually survive to legal retention size anyhow. The rest would get eaten before getting that big.
But the impact on inshore fish in the LA marsh is unknown. But it doesn't take a marine biologist to see a bunch of baby flounder floating behind a shrimp boat and know it's a problem.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 10:22 am to Major Dutch Schaefer
Sure, Bowfishing hurts the redfish population, but not as much as rod and reel fishing does.
Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it should be banned.
With that being said, I wouldn’t mind seeing increased regulations that allow WLF get a better idea of how many fish are getting killed.
Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it should be banned.
With that being said, I wouldn’t mind seeing increased regulations that allow WLF get a better idea of how many fish are getting killed.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 10:24 am to No Colors
quote:
Notice how no one talks about shrimp boats either.
Don’t worry, imported shrimp is going to kill the domestic shrimping industry, so that won’t be a problem in the future.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 10:36 am to Theduckhunter
quote:
Don’t worry, imported shrimp is going to kill the domestic shrimping industry
In 1999 Mississippi granted 1700 commercial shrimp boat licenses. In 2024 it was 244.
In 10 more years the commercial shrimp market will be essentially 100% imported. A portion of the fresh market will linger on as a boat dock sales novelty item supported by a handful of boats in each port selling to tourists and local restaurants.
The casinos in Biloxi buy frozen imported shrimp for their buffets for crying out loud. The same casinos that were built over old torn down shrimp docks.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 10:49 am to No Colors
quote:
Notice how no one talks about shrimp boats either.
True story(not a biden story), afternoon trip on channel with three clients. We get set up and a shrimp boat passes me a asked if we wanted some flounder. Guys give thumbs up and we haul arse to catch up to them, guy swings a toe sack into my boat. Get back to original spot and i count 31 flounder, thankfully it wasn't 41.
Butterflys also catch tons of flounder that are never put back into the water.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 11:45 am to AUTimbo
quote:It happens, I guarantee you. We used to bowfish back in the day. Such wanton waste of native fish species, and there were guys that would absolutely stick a big game fish if they saw it.
My concern is that novice bowfisherman have been thumping larger bass thinking they were carp under the lights.
Who knows but it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Happened on Ross Barnett Reservoir some years back: guy shoots a 10 pounder one night and the dumbass tried to turn it in the next day as the new lake record largemouth with his buddies being the witnesses.
It obviously didn't play out like they thought it would.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 12:52 pm to elprez00
quote:
Again, let’s focus on everything else but pogey boats. I mean bow fishing certainly isn’t helping and likely results in a ton of waste.
But definitely don’t talk about pogey boats.
Agree
Posted on 7/9/24 at 1:39 pm to elprez00
quote:
Again, let’s focus on everything else but pogey boats. I mean bow fishing certainly isn’t helping and likely results in a ton of waste.
But definitely don’t talk about pogey boats.
How about we talk about both? Pogey boats get talked about a lot. Until someone is willing to turn down the money Omega Protein and the like give them, there will never be meaningful legislation.
But we still need to look at other things. recreational fishermen can catch and release undersized fish alive. Bow fishermen may have an issue releasing any undersized fish they shoot that have any real chance of surviving.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 1:50 pm to Major Dutch Schaefer
Let me see, catch 5 a day with my rod and reel or shoot 5 a day. Yep, it's still 5 a day.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 2:49 pm to Major Dutch Schaefer
Imagine if we could spotlight deer in helicopters at night, shooting anything that has 2 white eyes. That’s about what bow fishing is the equivalent to.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 2:57 pm to mtb010
10 per person no min size here in Louisiana. Almost all of the large flounder are going to be females, like 95%.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 3:04 pm to Major Dutch Schaefer
I do get all worked up sitting at the camp and hearing an airboat at night. Hoping they don’t run off my 5 pairs of roosting mergansers off my hunting lease.
I think pogey boats are a bigger issue.
I think pogey boats are a bigger issue.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 3:10 pm to sta4ever
quote:
Imagine if we could spotlight deer in helicopters at night, shooting anything that has 2 white eyes
That would be fun as shite
quote:
That’s about what bow fishing is the equivalent to.
estimated 8 million redfish in Louisiana.estimated 600,000 deer. Not exactly the same
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