The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has approved stricter catch limits for redfish in state waters in an effort to preserve the population of the popular fish.
Commissioner Joe McPherson says sportsmen back their plan of reducing the catch limit from five redfish per day per angler to three. The new policy would also increase the minimum size of an allowable catch to 18 inches and sets the maximum size of an allowable catch at 24 inches.
“There’s a recognition the redfish population is in trouble--that there’s diminished fishing success,” McPherson said.
Biologists suggested a limit of four redfish caught per day per angler, but McPherson says a catch limit of three would speed up the recovery of the redfish population from 30 years to ten years.
“It was almost unanimous that they wanted even more restrictions and a faster recovery period because of the distress that redfish are in,” McPherson said.
The plan will undergo a public comment period, which continues until October 25. McPherson says the catch limit changes could go into effect in early December unless a state legislative oversight committee puts the plan on hold.
“If the legislature is in agreement, if they don’t get too much pushback, and they get a lot of people telling them why they need to let this proposal go forward, then there won’t be an oversight hearing and it will go into effect,” McPherson said.
