The latest numbers released by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shows that Lousiana seafood landings were down by 50 percent between January and October of 2010.
Compared to the annual average, shrimp, oysters and crab landings saw reduction rates of 54 percent, 52 percent and 50 percent respectively. In addition, instead of the average 114.5 million pounds of shrimp that is usually landed, only 53 million pounds were caught during the time period.
However, while the report reflects an obviously poor fishing season, Randy Pausina, LDWF assistant secretary, is quick to point out that no conclusions can be drawn as to what actually caused it, and that additional information will be needed to determine how much of the reduced catch was caused by biological factors versus a decrease in fishing due to fishery closures and shrunken fleets as a result of the oil spill.
