The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) is moving forward with a proposal to reduce the size of buffer zones for menhaden fishing near the state’s beaches, a move praised by the industry and criticized by environmental groups.
The LWFC voted to shrink the buffer zones around Louisiana beaches to a quarter-mile, removing a prior half-mile buffer zone that was put in place in 2024. The decision followed a clash between the menhaden fishing industry and environmentalists in 2023 after net spills lead to hundreds of thousands of dead fish washing up on shore.
The LWFC’s decision was immediately criticized by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), calling it “disappointing for anglers, conservationists, and those who care about Louisiana’s coastal ecosystems and habitat.”
“In 2024, anglers, conservationists, and the menhaden industry reached a compromise to establish modest protections for Louisiana’s shallow coastal waters by setting a half-mile buffer off most Louisiana beaches,” TRCP Director of Fisheries Chris Macaluso said. “What happened today is nothing less than the industry and their political allies backing out of that deal.”
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, which represents the commercial menhaden fishing industry, called the LWFC’s decision a balanced proposal that put science first. According to the coalition, the new buffer zone adjustments reduce the size from a half mile to a quarter mile, but also adds new protections in sensitive areas and ends up increasing the amount of protected areas by 4.5 percent.
“In short, while opponents focus on places where buffers shrink, additional protections are added elsewhere and the net result is more protected area overall, with improved clarity via coordinates for earlier enhanced buffers,” the coalition said.
The menhaden fishery has been criticized for its potential impact on the state’s red drum fishery, but a recent study found total bycatch in the fishery is roughly 3.6 percent by weight and that the industry’s gear types result in high survival rates of any red drum caught as bycatch.
