Fin Fish Species Overview

There is a closed season for the harvest of Gray Triggerfish from June 1 through July 31.

Red snapper season opened in Louisiana STATE waters on Friday, March 20, 2015, at 12:01 a.m. and will remain open seven days per week until further notice.

Non-charter recreational anglers and charter captains must obtain a Recreational Offshore Landing Permit to posses snapper.

No harvest of red snapper, greater amberjack or grouper of any species is allowed for the captain and crew of vessel under charter (their creel limit/bag limit is zero).

All recreational anglers, including those not normally required to have a fishing license, must obtain a Recreational Offshore Landing Permit to posses tunas, billfish, swordfish, amberjacks, groupers, cobia, wahoo, hinds, dolphin and snappers.

All recreational anglers, including those not normally required to have a fishing license, and charter captains must obtain Recreational Offshore Landing Permit to possess grouper.

There is a closed season for the recreational harvest of gag from January 1 through June 30. A closed season for the recreational harvest of black, red, yellowfin and yellowmouth groupers as well as rock hind, red hind and scamp has also been established from Feb. 1 - March 31 of each year. Size, bag and possession limits have been removed for rock hind, red hind, misty grouper, black sea bass, dog snapper, mahogany snapper, schoolmaster, blackline and anchor tilefish.

Other seasons and rules are currently in place in Federal waters off of Louisiana. Please check those rules at www.gulfcouncil.org under “Fishing Regulations.”

All recreational anglers, including those not normally required to have a fishing license, and charter captains must obtain a Recreational Offshore Landing Permit to possess tuna.

Anglers fishing for tunas within or outside Louisiana state waters are subject to both state and federal laws, rules and regulations. Federal regulations regarding the recreational harvest of tunas change often, especially for bluefin tuna. Prior to angling for or harvest of tuna, be aware of the most current federal regulations for fishing or harvest, including sizes, bag limits and closed seasons. For updates on tuna quota monitoring and tuna retention limit adjustments, anglers may call the Atlantic Tunas Information Line at 888-872-8862. The “Atlantic Tunas Regulations Brochure” is available at http://hmspermits.noaa.gov/ library.asp and announcements of changes may be accessed via the web at http:// hmspermits.noaa.gov/news.asp.

Permanent Louisiana regulations on tuna harvest may be superseded by seasonal changes within the federal regulatory system. See websites referenced above for current federal regulations.

Bluefin Tuna

All bluefin tuna must be reported within 24 hours of landing to NMFS by calling 888-872- 8862 or visiting www.hmspermits.noaa.gov. For further information about angling category permits call the NMFS HMS Division at 888-872-8862 or 301-713-2347.

All recreational anglers, including those not normally required to have a fishing license, and charter captains must obtain a Recreational Offshore Landing Permit to possess swordfish.

Recreational fishing vessels shall not possess more than five swordfish per vessel per trip. Swordfish taken under a recreational bag limit shall not be sold, purchased, exchanged, bartered, or attempted to be sold, purchased, exchanged or bartered. No person aboard any vessel shall transfer or cause the transfer of swordfish between vessels on state or federal waters.

All recreational anglers, including those not normally required to have a fishing license, and charter captains must obtain a Recreational Offshore Landing Permit to possess billfish.

12” minimum total length, 25 fish per person daily bag limit. EXCEPT: 15 fish daily bag and possession limit, with no more than two spotted seatrout exceeding 25” total length, regardless of where taken in a defined area of Cameron and Calcasieu parishes located in southwestern Louisiana. The defined area, including coastal territorial waters, is as follows: south of Interstate 10 from its junction at the Texas-Louisiana boundary eastward to its junction with Louisiana Highway 171, south to Highway 14, south to Holmwood, and then south on Highway 27 through Gibbstown, south to Louisiana Highway 82 at Creole and south on Highway 82 to Oak Grove, then due south to the western shore of the Mermentau River, following this shoreline south to the junction with the Gulf of Mexico, and then due south to the limit of the state territorial sea.

CLOSED SEASON

All Louisiana state waters seaward to the gulfward boundary of the Louisiana Territorial Sea shall be closed to the recreational and commercial harvest and possession of all sharks between April 1 and June 30 of each year.

Small Coastal Sharks

• Atlantic sharpnose shark; bonnethead shark; blacknose shark; finetooth shark

Large Coastal Sharks

• Blacktip shark; nurse shark; smooth hammerhead; bull shark; sandbar shark*; spinner shark; great hammerhead; scalloped hammerhead; tiger shark; lemon shark; silky shark*

*NOTE: Recreational harvest of sandbar and silky sharks (ridgeback sharks) is not allowed.

Pelagic Sharks

• Blue shark; porbeagle shark; thresher shark; oceanic whitetip shark; shortfin mako NOTE: A person subject to a bag limit shall not possess at any time, regardless of the number of trips or the duration of a trip, any shark in excess of the bag limits. The practice of “finning,” that is, removing only the fins and returning the remainder of the shark to the sea, is prohibited within and without Louisiana waters. Notwithstanding other provisions of this part, a person may fish for, but not retain, white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) with rod and reel only under a catch and- release program, provided the person releases and returns such fish to the sea immediately with a minimum of injury.

Prohibited Sharks

• The following is a list of shark species that are prohibited:
  • Atlantic angel shark, sand tiger shark, dusky shark, bigeye sand tiger shark, sixgill shark, largetooth sawfish, bigeye thresher shark, smalltooth sawfish, narrowtooth shark, Caribbean reef shark, white shark, Caribbean sharpnose shark, basking shark, sevengill shark, Galapagos shark, bigeye sixgill shark, smalltail shark, longfin mako, bignose shark, whale shark and night shark. No sandbar or silky sharks may be retained under a recreational bag limit.

A HMS Permit is required for all owners/ operator of vessels in the Gulf of Mexico fishing for and/or retaining the HMS regulated species of tunas, billfishes, swordfish and sharks. The Atlantic HMS Permits will be valid from the date of issuance through the end of the calendar year. The permit fee is $25.

An Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat Permit is required for all charter or headboat fishing for and/or retaining regulated Atlantic HMS in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The HMS Charter/Headboat Permit will be valid from the date of issuance through through the end of the calendar year. The permit fee is $20.

For information about contact the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Permitting Office at 1-888-872-8862 or 727-824-5399 or visit the NMFS Permit Shop at www.hmspermits.noaa.gov. For complete HMS regulations, contact the HMS Management Division at 301-713- 2347 or visit the website at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/information.

Two days’ bag limit allowed in possession off of the water, not while fishing or in a boat.

Recreational saltwater anglers may possess a two day’s bag limit on land; however, no person shall be in possession of over the daily bag limit in any one day or while fishing or while on the water, unless that recreational saltwater angler is aboard a trawler engaged in commercial fishing for a consecutive period of longer than 25 hours.

Take or Possession of red drum in federal waters is prohibited.

Not currently regulated by LDWF.