LSUengr

TLDR: Used some info from WizardSleeve and other sources to send an email to a couple friends who are state legislators. This needs to be out of the hands of the LWFC.

I wasn’t able to attend the meeting last Thursday, but as you may have heard, the LWFC voted for an NOI to reduce the Pogie Boat buffer back to ¼ mile. Commission Chairman Kevin Sagrera was basically just a mouthpiece for the pogie coalition. He only has commercial fishing industries best interest in mind. He was the one who directed the staff to redraw the maps along most of the coast to ¼ mile from the agreed upon ½ mile for the NOI.

The economic impact of the recreational fishing industry far outweighs the Pogie industry. The economic impact of recreational fishing is in the billions and the Pogie industry is around $400 million. Yet the LWFC commission is making decisions that prioritize the pogie industry over recreational fishing.

27 pogie boats work from 3 docks (Abbeville LA where Sagrera is from, Empire LA & Moss Point MS), and two companies process the pogie, Omega and Daybrook. Omega is wholly owned by Canadian international aquaculture conglomerate Cooke Aquaculture. Daybrook is owned by Oceana, a South African international aquaculture company. Both have fish and shrimp farms all over the world. Their entire business is to harvest marine forage species (menhaden aka pogie and sardines) and use that as feedstock to farm shrimp and fish. It is far more economical to produce shrimp and fish this way, which is why we are seeing our local shrimpers suffer as foreign farmed shrimp floods the market here.

The pogie industry employs 800 people here in Louisiana (per the Pogie Industry’s numbers) as part of the operation. As large international companies the profits (and taxes paid on the profits) are mostly not realized here in LA but instead in some other country. The only economic benefit they have for Louisiana is the employment. They do not pay a substantial amount of taxes here. Those of us who are for conservation and limits placed on the pogie boats think the value of at most 800 mostly-seasonal jobs they create are not worth a fraction of the damage they cause to our coast.

A 2024 study that thoroughly examined bycatch associated with the Gulf industrial menhaden fishery showed that more than 140 million non-target fish were killed along with menhaden by industrial vessels that year alone, including 22,000 breeding-size redfish (which are illegal to harvest by recreational anglers), 240,000 speckled trout, more than 80 million croaker, 25 million white trout, 5.5 million white shrimp as well as millions of other species like black drum, catfish, sharks, and rays. An additional 8,000 smaller redfish, Louisiana’s only saltwater gamefish, were killed and along with menhaden reduced by the industry into fish oil, fish meal, and other industrial products. The 2024 study also showed that bycatch of speckled trout, redfish, and other species increased in net sets made in water shallower than 22 feet deep. The worst part is they remove over 1 billion lbs of biomass from the marine food web annually. This is the largest handicap we face. Our trout and redfish populations are in decline (hence lower recreational limits, despite recreational catch biomass being at 4 decade lows), the tarpon have disappeared from our coast, and many other fish populations have collapsed (king mackerel for instance have vanished and commercial harvest is 25% of what it used to be 2 decades ago).

Hypothetically if the pogie boats were gone today, as they are gone from TX, AL, and FL, our ecosystem productivity would boom like we've never seen in our lifetimes. Why we continue to be the only state to allow them to damage our fishery is baffling. We are supposed to be the “Sportsman’s Paradise”. Instead our LWFC has made us the Pogie Industry poster child. The buffer should be increased to 1 mile at a minimum, but in reality we should outlaw the entire industry like other Gulf states have done. Even Mississippi was smart enough to at least create a 1 mile buffer zone.

Both of you understand the impact and importance of recreational fishing to our culture, way of life and economy as evidence by your attendance and support at the CCA lege rodeo. The recreational limits have been lowered in this state, yet we continue to allow outside interests to pillage our resources. We need to protect our fish populations. We need the legislature to step in. A bill was attempted in 2022. H.B. 1033, championed by Lafourche Parish Representative Joe Orgeron, had a bipartisan group of 14 co-sponsors in the House. Public support for the measure was overwhelming. So was support in the Louisiana House, which voted on April 27 to approve the measure 75-22. Then the Louisiana’s Senate Natural Resources Committee killed the bill that would have, for the first time, set a catch limit on nearshore industrial menhaden harvest. We need some champions for our recreational fishing industry, who are citizens of this state, to step up and put an end to the pogie lobby controlling the resource.

Hurricane Hole

Built a squaredrop during covid from an old boat trailer I had. We have loved it. Full size bed, galley with sink and cabinets, window unit and awning. Only drawback is no bathroom and shower. We use a solar bag when no showers are available. Coleman stove, toaster oven and coffee pot for cooking. Its been about 15,000 miles so far. Few trips in the south and 2 major trips out west. 3 weeks around CO in 2023 and 4 weeks doing 9 national parks in 6 states out west in 2024. Light weight so get 15-17 mpg pulling it with chevy silverado. We have thoroughly enjoyed it.

VIP
JDs Detailing

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My recommendation is go to Venice

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This. Venice much more consistent this time of year. Reds are in all the passes and river. Weekend before last trout were on the edge of the gulf at the passes. This cool weather and the river getting back below 3' should push them in.

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I am aware that I cannot hunt squirrels from a boat that in under power.

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Only a restriction on WMAs.

Firearms having live ammunition in the chamber and crossbows cocked in the ready position are not allowed in or on vehicles, boats under power, motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, ATCs, WMA check stations, or in camping areas on WMAs.

At the camp now, here thru Sunday. I'm chasing trout and buddies are going to head to East Bay for snapper. Just had a thunderstorm try to sink the boat so up making sure the bilge keeps up.

Work day at the camp in Venice yesterday. Fished for a couple hours around pass a loutre area. Saw 1 teal in areas that would have had a few hundred in years past. Heard 0 shots around camp this morning. Talked to multiple duck boats at landing around 9am that hunted Baptiste. More hunters than teal.

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Was in Venice down river this weekend.

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Same here. Been down the last two weekends in Pass A Loutre WMA. Not a bird to be found. Could be up around Baptiste and Delta, but they aren't south of pilot town.

Commercial and higher density residential portion of harveston
Harveston BR