LDWF and DHH Issue Additional Closures to Fishing and Oyster Harvesting Areas in the Territorial Seas near Marsh Island Due to Reports of Oil

Release Date: 05/18/2010

Officials Continue Aggressive Testing; Seafood on the Market Safe

The Louisiana departments of Health and Hospitals (DHH), and Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced today the closure of recreational and commercial fishing activities, and oyster harvesting near Marsh Island and in harvesting bed Area 28 due to confirmed reports of oil associated with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

LDWF Secretary Robert Barham announced the following closure to recreational and commercial fishing activities effective sunset today, May 18, 2010, due to confirmed reports of oil. LDWF staff documented oil on the Marsh Island beach, east of Southwest Pass.

Territorial Sea Closure

All state outside waters extending seaward of the inside/outside shrimp line from South Point of Marsh Island at 91 degrees 45 minutes 48 seconds west longitude westward to the eastern shore of Freshwater Bayou at 92 degrees 18 minutes 27 seconds west longitude.

All other closures remain in place. For a map detailing these closures click here.

Oyster Harvesting Closure

DHH Secretary Alan Levine and State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry signed the closure order for Area 28, which will take effect at sunset today, Tuesday, May 18. Area 28, which is south of Vermillion Bay, is west of the Mississippi River in Iberia Parish.

Areas 2 through 4, 8, 14, 15 and 17 also are closed. Areas 5, 6, 7, 9 and 13 were recently reopened.

Closures will remain in effect until officials have determined that environmental conditions are within the requirements specified by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program.

Additional Testing

LDWF and DHH continue to work together to assess closures in order to maintain the safety of Louisiana seafood.

DHH officials have also been working closely with other local, state and federal agencies to monitor the oil plume that continues to grow off of the Louisiana coastline for its potential impacts on oyster harvesting areas. Meanwhile, employees with DHH's Office of Public Health Molluscan Shellfish Program have continued regular testing of 8 million acres of coastal waters along the Louisiana shoreline.

In addition, DHH scientists and engineers are conducting enhanced testing of oyster meat taken from the closed beds to monitor the presence of oil, called hydrocarbon testing. Additional testing is also being conducted in unaffected oyster beds. These tests will create a baseline, which will be used to ensure the safety of oysters once the incident clears in order to reopen beds. Oysters being harvested in open areas are considered safe.

The public is encouraged to call a toll-free hotline, 1-800-256-2775, to report the presence of oil or an oil sheen.

Officials with LDWF and DHH are working closely the Governor's Office for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness as the situation develops. For more information related to the oil spill, visit www.emergency.louisiana.gov. Connect at www.facebook.com/GOHSEP and on Twitter at #GOHSEP. Also find more about DHH at www.dhh.louisiana.gov.

For more information please contact Laura Deslatte at ldeslatte@wlf.la.gov or 225.765.2335 or 225.610.2363.

Updated Closure

Current revisions to the closure, described below, will be effective on May 18, 2010 at 6 p.m. eastern time (5 p.m. central time).

All commercial and recreational fishing including catch and release is prohibited in the closed area; however, transit through the area is allowed.

Click here to see more information.

The Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana announced today new dates for this year’s 101-day Statewide Tournament and Anglers’ Rodeo (STAR), the state’s richest and longest competitive fishing event. The new dates are necessary due to the ongoing offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We are moving forward with STAR but with the new dates of July 1 through October 3,” said STAR Director Sam Barbera. “The competition will be for three full months and we are offering the same caliber of prizes as in the previous 15 years of STAR, thanks to our sponsors. They are understanding and supportive”

Barbera said CCA is revising some STAR rules to accommodate the new dates for competition. STAR has traditionally opened on Memorial Day weekend and ended on Labor Day. If necessary, Barbera said CCA could modify the new STAR dates as the oil spill situation changes.

CCA Louisiana Executive Director David Cresson urged members to renew their CCA membership and register for STAR.

"The oil spill presents a serious situation for CCA, as it does for thousands of other people, businesses and organizations along our coast," said Cresson. "The CCA STAR tournament is one of the most highly anticipated fishing events in Louisiana, and in an effort to continue that important angling tradition; we are adjusting the dates to deal with this development. CCA will continue to be the driving force in marine conservation and this tournament is an important part of that effort."

As of Wednesday morning large areas of the Louisiana coast remained open for recreational fishing. Cresson said the new STAR dates will give CCA tournament officials plenty of time to continue evaluating the situation.

As a nonprofit organization, CCA Louisiana depends on membership dues, STAR entry fees, donations and money raised at its chapter banquets to operate. CCA Louisiana is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the state and has been the leader in fisheries management and conservation issues since 1983. Visit www.CCALouisiana.com for more information.

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Cocahoe's Sneak Preview Party



Click here for slideshow of the party!

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"We are wrapping up the final renovations on Cocahoes. It should be complete in the next week or two.

We have obtained our certificate of occupancy from the fire marshal, all of our permits and licenses except the liquor license, and will be undergoing our health inspection this week hopefully.

We have requested assistance from Senator Dan Morrish in expediting our liquor license, and his office feels certain they will be effective. I hope to hear something this week about when we can expect to receive it.

We have been working diligently on finalizing our menu...tasting and testing various recipes and are quite excited with its outcome. The pizza is fabulous and Sharon is narrowing down our "special sauce" for the po-boys. We have a wonderful burger planned...very juicy!! We will also have hot dogs, hot wings with a variety of sauces, and nachos. I may even play with mass producing my home made salsa for chips and salsa along with a few other trial items.

The "old restaurant" and kitchen have been converted into a sports bar for patrons 18 years and older and we will have live entertainment weekly. I have spoken with Brad Brinkley and he has agreed to return on Sunday evenings just as before. We will have a pool table and juke box, as well as video poker and a dance floor. What fun it will be!!!

The "old bar" has been converted into a limited convenience store but will primarily serves as a cafe / coffee shop. It will be open daily around 5:00 am for breakfast serving breakfast sandwiches and muffins / danishes, and will serve the full menu for lunch and dinner. I have begun the process replacing the fuel tanks / pumps and have made arrangements for block and crushed ice sales.

Finally, we hope to be open in the next 2-3 weeks, and have planned our official "grand opening" celebration Saturday, July 3rd. We have scheduled Wade Richard to play an outdoor concert on the point starting around 3:00. Steelshot will play around 6:00 on the point, and Jamie Bergeron will play from 10:30 - 2:00 am. We plan to have boiled crawfish as well, along with all of our other menu items.

I will try to keep you all up to date with our progress and future plans. We appreciate all the support from our friends and family and look forward to a long and healthy future at Cocahoes."

-David Hebert

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Here are a few sneak preview photos from Cocahoe's:

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Kentucky Derby Party
Hosted by Payton & Mary Lou Covington

The hats were gorgeous and a great time was had by all!!

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Spring Fling 2010
The Spring fling, given by Brennan & Rene Freeland and Jason & Kathleen Stringer was a lot of fun. Have a look at the photos, and BE THERE next year!

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SALTWATER RECREATIONAL REGULATIONS
2010 Recreational Fishing Regulations
(As posted by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries)

Recreational Shrimping Information

Recreational Trawling: Recreational shrimping seasons follow the same seasonal framework as commercial open and closed seasons. See specific regulations for Wildlife Management Areas regarding access, limits, and seasons.

Recreational Cast net: See specific regulations for Wildlife Management Areas regarding access, limits, and seasons.

Recreational Oyster Harvest Information

Recreational harvest on public oyster grounds is limited by the same seasonal framework as commercial open and closed seasons. Se the Commercial Saltwater Seasons page for further information. Oyster harvest is not allowed from un-leased water bottoms outside of the public oyster grounds. See specific regulations for Wildlife Management Areas regarding access, limits, and seasons. Harvest from leased water bottoms is only allowed with the written permission of the lease holder, from waters that are designated as open for shellfish harvest by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Molluscan Shellfish Program.

Recreational Saltwater Finfish Regulations Summary

This is a brief synopsis of the creel, size, and other limits for recreational harvest of saltwater finfish. For more specific information, see the annual Louisiana Recreational Fishing Regulations pamphlet.

STATE CREEL AND SIZE LIMITS

Unless otherwise established, there are no size limits on species not listed and unless otherwise noted, possession limits for saltwater fish are the same as the daily bag limit.

NOTICE TO OFFSHORE FISHERMEN

Louisiana recreational and commercial anglers fishing offshore beyond the Louisiana boundary are in federal waters and are subject to rules and regulations that may differ from those in state waters. To ensure that you are in compliance with federal regulations, you should contact the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council at (813) 348-1630, toll free 1-888-833-1844 (write 2203 N. Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607 for informational pamphlet, e-mail: gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org; website: www.gulfcouncil.org ). All persons possessing fish in Louisiana waters must be in possession of applicable basic or saltwater license.

Contact your local Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Agent for specific information: Baton Rouge (225) 765-2999, Minden (318) 371-3049, Monroe (318) 362-2417, Alexandria (318) 487-5634, Ferriday (318) 757-3072, Lake Charles (337) 491-2580, Opelousas (337) 948-0257, Slidell/New Orleans (504) 284-2023, New Iberia (337) 373-0032, or Thibodaux (985) 447-0821.

COMMON COASTAL SPECIES

Drum, Black:16 inches minimum total length. Five fish per person daily bag limit and possession limit with not more than one exceeding 27 inches.

Drum, Red (Redfish):16 inches minimum total length. Five fish per person daily bag limit with not more than one exceeding 27 inches. See note* at the end of this section. 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. EXCEPT: 15 fish daily take and possession limit, with no more than two spotted seatrout exceeding 25 inches total length, regardless of where taken, in a defined area of Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes in southwestern Louisiana.

Within the area described here, of the daily take and possession limit of 15 spotted seatrout, no person shall possess, regardless of where taken, more than two spotted seatrout exceeding 25 inches total length, which are considered part of the daily bag and possession limit. These regulations apply to the area of the state, including coastal territorial waters, south of Interstate 10 from its junction at the Texas-Louisiana boundary eastward to its junction with Louisiana Highway 171, south to Highway 14, and then 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 and 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.

Cobia (ling or lemon fish): Two fish per person. 33 inches minimum fork length.

Mackerel, King: Two fish per person. 24 inches minimum fork length. See note** at the end of this section.

Mackerel, Spanish: 15 fish per person. 12 inches minimum fork length. See note** at the end of this section.

All regulations regarding these species apply whether caught in fresh or salt water areas.

*For Red Drum (Redfish), and Spotted Seatrout (Speckled Trout): 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 thewater, unless that recreational saltwater angler is aboard a trawler engaged in commercial fishing for a consecutive period of longer than 25 hours.

**Two day limit allowed in possession only on charter vessels and headboats on multi day trips, if the vessels have two licensed operators as required by the U.S. Coast Guard for trips more than 12 hours, and if each angler has in possession a receipt issued on behalf of the vessel verifying the length of the trip. For a full set of regulations, see here.

For regulations of highly migratory species and reef fish, see here.