Law enforcement officers with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) seized 50 pounds of catfish and cited two individuals for violating state regulations for commercial catfish harvesting.
In the first incident, agents on patrol in Little Lake Des Allemands spotted an individual engaged in commercial catfish harvesting with hoop nets. When the agents stopped the vessel, they discovered the individual had failed to tag the hoop as required under state law.
In a second incident, officers discovered another individual fishing for catfish with hoop nets in a bayou off the Intracoastal Waterway. An investigation revealed the individual did not have a commercial vessel license or the necessary license to use commercial hoop nets in saltwater south of the Intracoastal Waterway.
The two individuals face fines between USD 250 to USD 500 (EUR 239 to EUR 479) and up to 90 days in jail per offense.
The 50 pounds of catfish seized between the two incidents were returned to the water alive.
Commercial fishers landed 3.5 million pounds of blue catfish in 2023, valued at USD 2 million (EUR 2 million). They also harvested 650,510 pounds of channel catfish valued at USD 504,066 (EUR 482,506) and 223,483 pounds of flathead catfish valued at USD 144,414 (EUR 138,237).
