LCBA NEWSLETTER, June 2017
Come see us at the Louisiana Sportsman Show

LCBA will be representing our captains at the Louisiana Sportsman Show in New Orleans next month.

The show will be July 21-23 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and we will be in booth 707. Our captains are welcome to volunteer to work the booth with us by emailing LCBA Communications Manager Richard Fischer at richard@louisianasaltwater.com

We have a 10' x 10' booth, so please let Richard know which days and times you would be available, and he will coordinate with you. Of course you'd be welcome to promote your charter business, but we'd politely ask that you do so while promoting the charter industry as a whole.

State Legislature: Session Recap


Below is a recap of bills in the recently-completed legislative session that may interest you.

HB 632 - would have raised the state gas tax on motor fuel.

The bill which originally would raise the state gasoline, diesel and special fuels tax by 17 cents was pulled from the House floor because it did not have enough votes to pass. After being amended to 10 cents, it was pulled again because it did not have the votes to pass again.

According to media reports, it is very likely similar legislation will come up at a future session.

HR 178 - directs Louisiana Sea Grant to take input from user groups and look into ways to provide public access to private waterways.

Passed House 93-0.

HCR 113 - urges and requests LDWF to not move forward with Exempted Fishing Permit plan.

Passed House 85-6 and Senate 29-0.

SCR 167 - asks U.S. Congress to pass legislation or adopt policies which would allow Louisiana to manage red snapper out to 200 nautical miles.

Passed both chambers without opposition.


SB 129 - would have allowed property owners to charge landlocked neighbors to traverse their property by water but was amended to no longer allow compensation in any way.

The amended bill merely indemnifies property owners from any damage that occurs on their property.

The amended bill passed both chambers without opposition and has been signed by the Governor.


HB 144 - removes barriers to using public money for restoring private property.

Passed both chambers without opposition and has been signed by the Governor.

HB 156 - limits gear used for oyster harvest on Calcasieu and Sabine Lake to hand tonging.

Passed House 94-1 and Senate 31-3 and has been signed by the Governor.

HB 655 and 562 - would have added sales tax to services; charter trips NOT among the proposed additions.

Considered by House Ways and Means Committee and not passed twice.

SB 192 - would have protected certain LDWF dedicated funds from being skimmed by the Treasurer, which would protect federal matching funds for LDWF.

Never considered by Senate Finance Committee.
FAQ: What's Going On with Red Snapper Management

Every week it appears a different plan is being announced or considered by a different governmental body. Meanwhile, you've got businesses to run and lives to live, and you just can't keep up with it all.

Well, untangling this web for you is what we're here for.

Click here for answers to some frequently asked questions. If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Gulf Council Update

Please let us and the Gulf Council know if you have thoughts on any of these developments.

Members of the Gulf Council are considering final action on measures to rebuild the amberjack stock at the next Gulf Council Meeting in August in San Antonio.

This year’s amberjack season ended March 23 because the Eastern Gulf swallowed up most of the 2017 quota in the early months of the year before most of Louisiana’s charter fleet had much of a chance to get out there. There was also a smaller quota in 2017 because the Eastern Gulf was the greatest contributor to Gulf-wide overharvest in 2016.

Options currently on the table include closing the recreational season from March 1 through May 31, March 1 through June 30 or Jan. 1 through June 30.

Many of our offshore fleet doesn’t fish much in January, February and March, so it doesn’t benefit us much to allow the Eastern Gulf to overharvest during those months.

Therefore, although it’s the most restrictive measure, the only way within the Federal one-size-fits-all management system for Louisiana anglers to have much of a summer amberjack season might be to opt to close it through June 30. This would at least guarantee that amberjack can be harvested in the summer.

Additionally, there are rumblings behind the scenes that members of the Eastern Gulf's charter fleet are pushing the Council to consider a bag limit of one amberjack for every other person on the boat with a max of six for headboats. Remember, it's the Eastern Gulf that got us into this situation by catching more than an estimated 80 percent of the entire Gulf's 2016 allotment of amberjack in just a two month span last year. And now they want the rest of the Gulf to be included in measures to make up for their overharvest. This is yet another glaring example of why Louisiana needs state or regional management. If we had our own quota to manage how we saw fit, it wouldn't matter to us when the Eastern Gulf blows through its quota or what measures it puts on itself to stretch that quota out.

If you have any thoughts on amberjack season or bag limits, please email LCBA at ben@louisianasaltwater.com and send your comments to all 17 voting members of the Gulf Council here.

Click the following links for other Gulf Council developments.

Several LCBA Captains Among Best of Louisiana Outdoors Finalists

The Best of Louisiana Outdoors has announced its finalists!

Click here to check out the finalists in the Best Fishing Guides categories, and click here for links to the finalists in all six categories.

Winners will be announced and awards will be presented at the Louisiana Sportsman Show in the Superdome July 23!

Congratulations to our LCBA captains who are among the finalists!
Guide's Hospitalization a Reminder of Precautions Guides Should Take

LCBA member Tommy Pellegrin nearly lost a finger after doing something as mundane as hooking a shrimp earlier this month.

The shrimp snapped him with its tail, and what was initially just a skin irritation kept getting worse and worse until he went to an urgent care center two days later. He was immediately sent to an orthopedic surgeon for surgery and spent two days in the hospital recovering.

This scary event serves as a reminder that you should always have a pump sprayer with a solution of bleach and water on board (not so much bleach that it gives you a chemical burn but enough to kill anything), as well as a bottle of Betadine. If a wound still hurts after the trip, soak it in Epsom salt. If it continues to worsen, call a doctor or go to the doctor immediately.

And don't worry about Tommy. He's already ready to get back out on the water and full up the cooler for his clients.
Fishing News Links
What we've been up to....
LCBA Supports Our Lake Charles-Area Captains at State Capitol


LCBA Executive Director Ben Weber joined several of our captains from the West / Lake Charles Region at the State Capitol earlier this month to support HB 156.


HB 156 limits gear used for oyster harvest on Calcasieu and Sabine Lake to hand tonging. Many of our captains that fish these areas feel that oyster dredging has destroyed reefs and hurt the fishery considerably.


Our support helped the bill make it through the Committee on Natural Resources. It went on to pass the House 94-1 and the Senate 31-3 and has been signed by the Governor.
Louisiana Sportsmen's Coalition Column runs in Louisiana Sportsman

Louisiana Sportsman is featuring an article from the Louisiana Sportsmen's Coalition in this month's edition.


This column aims to spread the word about the posted waterways issue in Louisiana and hopefully get more people involved in the fight for public access to water that ebbs and flows with the tide.


You can find the June edition of Louisiana Sportsman on newsstands, and you can read the column online by clicking here.


In the wake of the recent dispute in Toledo Bend which resulted in the arrest of one man and the citation of another, there may be no better time to introduce more people to this issue before a similar situation escalates further.
LCBA Talks Keeping and Getting Tourists Fishing with LTCC


LCBA Communications Manager Richard Fischer attended the June Louisiana Tourism Coastal Coalition (LTCC) Meeting in Gray.


The LTCC is comprised of representatives from the various coastal parish tourism departments. Learn more about LTCC at the Visit Louisiana Coast website.


We discussed ways in which LTCC and LCBA can work together to get more tourists fishing with a licensed and insured charter guide!


Both LTCC and LCBA share the goal of generating tourism dollars for Louisiana, and we look forward to what we can accomplish together!
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