LA Saltwater Series
It is a unique approach for a state fishery agency to advocate and work hand-in-hand with the fishing public. LDWF partners with fishermen to tap their knowledge and use their presence on the waters to aid in fisheries management. This partnership between fishery managers and recreational anglers led to the development of the Louisiana Saltwater Series Tournaments. The LA Saltwater Series is a collaboration between the LDWF and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. They sponsor many tournaments with varying formats that all share a common goal to enhance the resource while providing competitive opportunities to anglers.
The tournaments are mostly catch, tag and release tournaments and hope to foster a tag and release culture in today’s fishermen. The number of tagged fish is over 4,600, and they have had 440 recaptures.
LDWF is able to tag more fish than could be feasible themselves by utilizing recreational fishermen to tag their catch. LDWF uses the information to ensure healthy and abundant fish populations. The series has primarily been focusing on redfish, spotted seatrout and tarpon, but other species will soon join the list of tagging targets. Low entry fees and events all around the state make it easy and affordable for anglers to participate. They can enjoy the competition while giving back to the resource that they love.
Another related program is the TAG Louisiana Sportfish Tagging Program. The program enlists anglers and gives them the tools to tag and collect data on redfish and trout. Dedicated taggers are rewarded with a banquet and prizes, as well as maintaining a healthy fishery. Again, this gives scientist a much broader sampling effort than would be available using traditional methods. Other branches of the series are gathering DNA samples from the jaws of tarpon and implanting acoustic telemetry tags in trout in Lake Pontchartrain. The LDWF and the state’s anglers and visitors are taking an active role in preserving and promoting Louisiana’s excellent outdoor opportunities for the present and future generations. View other Louisiana Fishing Tournaments
