The following information is not an official copy of the laws in effect and should not be utilized or relied upon as such. It does represent an attempt to present, as a public service, a partial summary of the laws in effect at the time of the compilation of this page. Substantive changes to the law may very well occur following the compilation of this page. For these reasons, the accuracy of the information contained in this page cannot be guaranteed and the reader is cautioned that it is his responsibility to appraise himself of the laws in effect at any given time. These laws include those contained within the Louisiana Revised Statutes, particularly Title 56, the official regulations of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, federal laws, and any local or parish ordinances. Fishing regulations on state Wildlife Management Areas and Refuges may differ from those contained here. Contact the nearest Department office for WMA regulations. Contact your local Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Agent for specific information.
Drum, Black: 16 inches minimum total length. 5 fish per daily bag and possession limit with not more than one exceeding 27 inches.
Drum, Red (Redfish): 16 inches minimum total length. 5 fish per person daily bag limit with not more than one exceeding 27 inches. See note [*] below. Take or possession of red drum in federal waters is prohibited.
Flounder, Southern: 10 fish per person for each consecutive day on the water.
Mullet, Striped: Daily take and possession limit of 100 lbs. per person per day.
Seatrout, Spotted (Speckled Trout): 12 inches minimum total length. 25 fish per person daily bag limit. See note [*] below.
Cobia (ling or lemon fish): 2 fish per person. 33 inches minimum fork length.
Mackerel, King: 2 fish per person, See note [**] below. 24 inches minimum fork length.
Mackerel, Spanish: 15 fish per person, See note [**] below. 12 inches minimum fork length.
Billfish: Recreational tournament operators: A person conducting a tournament involving scorekeeping or awards for Atlantic billfish (whether or not retained), must register with the National Marine Fisheries Service's Southeast Fisheries Science Center: attn: "Tournament Registration", 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, FL 33149. The registration must be in writing, at least four weeks prior to commencement of tournament fishing. A tournament registration form is available upon request from the above address or can be requested by FAX (305-361-4219) or can be down loaded at: http://www.nmfspermits.com/TournamentInstructions.asp.
For purposes of this Section, the following words and phrases have the meaning ascribed to them in this subsection, unless the context clearly shows a different meaning:
Dressed weight: weight of the carcass after it has been gutted, headed and finned.
Carcass Length: curved measure from posterior edge of gill opening to anterior portion of caudal keel.
Lower Jaw Fork Length (LJFL): straight-line length from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the tail.
Curved Fork Length (CFL): tip of upper jaw to fork of tail measured along the contour of the middle of the body.
Trip: a fishing trip, regardless of the number of days duration, that begins with departure from a dock, berth, beach, seawall or ramp and that terminates with return to a dock, berth, beach, seawall or ramp.
Marlin, Blue: 99 inches minimum LJFL.
Marlin, White: 66 inches minimum LJFL.
Sailfish: 57 inches minimum LJFL.
Swordfish: 29 inches carcass minimum length or 33 pounds minimum dressed weight.
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.
Tuna: A federal permit is necessary for the taking of several tuna species; for information contact the National Marine Fisheries Service Permitting Office at 727-570-5326 or visit NMFS Permit Shop. Those interested in fishing in federal waters should contact the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, toll free 1-888-833-1844, 3018 U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619, e-mail: [email protected], webpage: www.gulfcouncil.org/, or your local Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agent, listed above.
Tuna, Yellowfin: 27 inches minimum CFL. 3 fish per person daily bag and possession limit.
Tuna, Bigeye: 27 inches minimum CFL.
Shark: Closed Season- All Louisiana State waters out to the seaward boundary of the Louisiana Territorial Sea shall be closed to the recreational and commercial harvest of all sharks between April 1 and June 30 of each year.
Atlantic Sharpnose: The aggregate daily take and possession limit for recreationally caught sharks within or without Louisiana waters shall be 2 fish per person per day and in possession.
Other Sharks: The aggregate daily take and possession limit for all "Small Coastal", "Large Coastal" and "Pelagic" sharks combined, caught recreationally within or without Louisiana waters, shall be 2 fish per vessel per trip and in possession.
Small Coastal Sharks - Atlantic angel shark, bonnethead shark, Atlantic sharpnose shark, blacknose shark, Caribbean sharpnose shark, finetooth shark, smalltail shark.
Large Coastal Sharks - great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, smooth hammerhead, nurse shark, bignose shark, blacktip shark, bull shark, Caribbean reef shark, dusky shark, galapagos shark, lemon shark, narrowtooth shark, night shark, sandbar shark, silky shark, spinner shark, tiger shark.
Pelagic Sharks - bigeye sixgill shark, sevengill shark, sixgill shark, longfin mako, porbeagle shark, shortfin mako, blue shark, oceanic whitetip shark, bigeye thresher shark, thresher shark.
Prohibited Species - No person shall take, possess, purchase, sell, barter, exchange or attempt to possess, purchase, sell, barter, or exchange any of the following species or parts thereof: basking shark, white shark, bigeye sand tiger shark, sand tiger shark, whale shark, smalltooth sawfish, largetooth sawfish.
Sharks taken under a recreational bag limit shall not be sold, purchased, exchanged, bartered, or attempted to be sold, purchased, exchanged or bartered. 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 mentioned above.
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.
REEF FISH, See note [**] below
Groupers: 5 fish per person per day bag limit in aggregate, all groupers with not more than one Speckled Hind and one Warsaw Grouper per vessel. Size limits also apply to the following species:
Black: 22 inches minimum total length.
Gag: 22 inches minimum total length.
Red: 20 inches minimum total length.
Yellowfin: 20 inches minimum total length.
Scamp: 16 inches minimum total length.
Jewfish: Taking or possessing jewfish is prohibited within or outside the waters of Louisiana.
Nassau: Taking or possessing Nassau grouper is prohibited within or outside the waters of Louisiana.
Snappers:
Snapper, Red: 4 fish per person. 16 inch minimum total length. A federal and state recreational quota for red snapper is in effect. The recreational red snapper season is open from Apr. 21, 2001 through Oct. 31, 2001.
Snapper Bag: 10/person/day in aggregate for the following fish:
Schoolmaster, Cubera, Gray (mangrove), Yellowtail, Dog, & Mahogany: 12 inch minimum total length.
Mutton: 16 inch minimum total length.
Queen, Blackfin, Silk, & Wenchman
Snapper & Misc Reef Fish Bag: 20/person/day in aggregate for the following fish:
Snapper, Lane: 8 inches minimum total length.
Snapper, Vermilion: 10 inches minimum total length.
Triggerfish, Grey: 12 inches minimum total length.
Almaco Jack, Goldface Tilefish, Tilefish, Blackline Tilefish, Anchor Tilefish, & Blueline Tilefish.
Misc Reef Fish:
Amberjack, Greater: 1 fish per person. 28 inches minimum fork length.
Amberjack, Lesser & Banded Rudderfish: 14 inches minimum length and 22 inches maximum fork length. 5 fish per person per day in aggregate.
Hogfish:12 inches minimum fork length. 5 fish per person daily bag limit.
Seabass, Black: 8 inches minimum total length.
All saltwater finfish except tuna, garfish, swordfish and shark possessed by a recreational angler shall have the head and caudal fin intact until set or put on shore. Tuna, garfish, swordfish and shark possessed by a recreational angler shall not be skinned or scaled until set or put on shore.
For the purpose of consumption at sea aboard the harvesting vessel, a person shall have no more than two pounds of finfish parts per person on board the vessel, provided that the vessel is equipped to cook such finfish and such finfish does not exceed applicable bag limits. These provisions shall not apply to bait species.
Saltwater finfish caught or transported by a license holder, while license is in effect, are presumed to have been taken in Louisiana waters.
All regulations regarding these species apply whether caught in fresh or salt water areas.
