Don’t know what the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission did Thursday qualifies as an Easter present, but the 20,000-plus offshore fishermen in our state look at the upcoming recreational red snapper season with a bow tied atop a summertime gift.
How about continuing a three-fish-a-day creel with a continuous red snapper season beginning May 26 — yes, no weekend-only days.
Instead, the season is open every day until Wildlife and Fisheries marine fisheries managers determine, through the real-time LA Creel data system, reaches the new 934,587-pound allocation.
It’s that 934,587 pounds that prompted the wide-open season. The allocation is up from 809,315 pounds held for last year’s weekend-only opportunities, and a number that held up through the end of 2022.
To reach the new allocation, it was a prudent decision to open the coming season to daily catches. Add 125,000 pounds to last year and it makes sense for a full-blown go at a species with enough fish to sustain any increased catch – and, depending on this year’s data, to increase the daily limit to four next year.
Some of this season’s rules remain the same as in past years: there’s a 16-inch minimum size to keep a red snapper, and all fishermen must have in possession valid state and saltwater recreational licenses and a fee-free Recreational Offshore Landing Permit to fish for and/or possess red snapper along with all other reef-fish and most pelagic species.
The ROLP is available on the LDWF website: wlf.louisiana.gov.
If, however, you’re on a charterboat, the individual angler does not need a ROLP, but make sure the charterboat operation and the skipper on state for-hire boats has one.
There are other rules for charterboats operating on federal permits – they’re limited to taking red snapper during the federal for-hire season (it’s different than the state season).
With the approaching season several weeks away, recreational fishermen should acquaint themselves with barotrauma-reducing devices, which, when used properly, allow released red snapper to survive. Information on descending equipment can be found on the LDWF website: wlf.louisiana.gov/page/barotrauma.
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