re: LDWF Compliance Check of Menhaden Fishing Activities in Terrebonne Finds No Violations

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The issue with the pogie boats is challenging for two primary reasons:

1) The politics of "jobs" in Empire and Abbeville. The senators in those districts will never allow any restrictions on the menhaden boats without a major fight because Omega and Daybrook are one of the only employers left in these places. It would be a serious black eye to these communities if the menhaden industry left. Its also going to be tough for Landry to explain away the loss of these jobs if something were to drive the industry away. In a state where our GDP is shrinking faster than all of our neighbors, no politician wants to be seen as a reason why any jobs are lost.

2) The public's understanding of the true impact of industrial menhaden fishing. Even reading this thread full of folks interested in the matter its clear no one really understands the true impact of the reduction industry. The bycatch study released recently doesnt tell the story, it just feeds the user conflict problem where coastal fishermen and communities see the isolated issues (dead bull reds, cloudy water, disturbed game fish in the area, etc). The BIG issue that no one is talking about is the fact that the industry removes over 1 billion pounds of menhaden from Louisiana waters every year and the impact that has on the marine ecosystem. Menhaden are one of the main building blocks of the food pyramid and when you remove 1 billion pounds annually it reduces the population of every other predator of menhaden from trout to reds to sharks to tarpon and even whales. A very hard bit of science to prove but technology and computer modeling in recent years have allowed the Atlantic states to regulate industrial menhaden with a total ecosystem approach, instead of by maximum sustainable yield approach used in Lousiana. The max sustainable yield approach simply asks "are we reducing the menhaden such that they cannot replace the amount we remove every year?" If the answer is no, then it is not considered overfished and no limits are in place. This is where we are in Louisiana. Removing 1 billion pounds of menhaden annually is not enough to prevent the population from recovering, but it is a huge impact on the rest of the ecosystem that woudl have consumed those billion pounds. Next time you are debating the merits of a 4 per person limit of redfish versus 5, remember that the population of reds would boom if the menhaden boats were banned and our schools of bulls could feed unencumbered on pogies like nature intended. The state is preventing people like you and me from keeping 5 redfish but allowing 2 foreign owned companies with only 400 employees in the state to remove an unlimited amount of biomass. Its totally backwards. The most obvious impact of the last 40 years of menhaden fishing concentraded in our state waters is the missing Tarpon. All of the big tarpon fishermen and women have moved to Mississippi because the fish dont stay in west delta or south marsh island like they used to before the pogie boats. There used to be big tarpon rodeos all the way from Cameron to Abbeville to Empire, not just the Grand Isle Rodeo. Its well known the tarpon schools are here to feed on pogie schools. When the big schools are totally wiped out by a purse sein boat assisted by spotter planes, the tarpon dont stay. That should be the real story told to the public and politicians. We aren't the sportsmans paradise like we used to be.

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Motorboat
Nope, the participation awards are given to guys like you who run their mouth about what they do but actually do nothing but while dressed like clowns and harass people at public events.

As to trolling, I have way too much of a life to live to troll someone like you. However, I will not allow guys like you to lie about things that people supposedly do but actually never did

I do hope you do your owned research as you promised, but I doubt it. You seem to be the lying kind.

As to PACs. We have both a S PAC and other PACS, but since you cannot understand simple statements, and lack any reading comprehension skills, I will not confuse you with the difference. I do agree there are some really bad PACS, but for us, we take no outside money and use our spending power to enhance fishing and hunting for Veterans and Special Need kids. So, if you want to give us a participation award, please do. If you do not want to give us such an award, I suggest you STFU about five groups and 11 people you know nothing about and will never be involved in.

Typical CCA clown who loves being a keyboard bully/coward. Remember you are the one with the reading comprehension problem, not me. Nor do I owe you any explanation of what we do. The thanks from wounded veterans, special needs kids, and homeless are enough for me. Now go loosen up your little shorts that expose your little privates and shine your participation awards.