Commercial Fishing For Large Sharks In Louisiana Remains Closed
PRESS RELEASE
Commercial fishing for large coastal sharks, as defined by Louisiana rule (L.A.C. 76:VII.357), will remain closed in Louisiana waters until 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1, 2009.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will consider the potential for modifying rules for commercial harvest of these species in Louisiana state waters after the promulgation of rules in adjacent federal waters. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has closed the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico until Amendment 2 of the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan is adopted by NMFS.
Louisiana has a continuing closed season for harvest of all sharks in state waters for the months of April through June. This closure would extend that closure, to allow time for the promulgation of rules in federal waters adjacent to Louisiana state waters, and for the commission to consider modification of existing rules in Louisiana state waters.
During the closed season, all commercial harvest, possession, purchase, exchange, barter, trade, sale or attempt to purchase, exchange, barter, trade or sell large coastal sharks or their fins is prohibited.
The large coastal shark group is composed of the great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, smooth hammerhead, nurse shark, blacktip shark, bull shark, lemon shark, sandbar shark, silky shark, spinner shark and tiger shark.
The small coastal shark and the pelagic shark seasons will open on July 1. The small coastal shark group is composed of the Bonnethead shark, Atlantic sharpnose shark, blacknose shark and finetooth shark. The pelagic shark group is composed of the porbeagle shark, shortfin mako, blue shark, oceanic whitetip shark and thresher shark.
There is no allowable harvest at any time for all prohibited species, which include Basking shark, white shark, bigeye sand tiger, sand tiger, whale shark, smalltooth sawfish, largetooth sawfish, Atlantic angel shark, Caribbean sharpnose shark, smalltail shark, bignose shark, Caribbean reef shark, dusky shark, Galapagos shark, narrowtooth shark, night shark, bigeye sixgill shark, bigeye thresher shark, longfin mako, sevengill shark and sixgill shark.
