LCBA Newsletter
LCBA Makes Strides for Public Access at 2017 Lt. Governor's Tourism Summit

LCBA Executive Director Ben Weber and Communications Manager Richard Fischer attended the 2017 Lt. Governor’s Tourism Summit in New Orleans.

Ben and Richard spoke to dozens of representatives from Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureaus and supporting businesses of Louisiana tourism.

We informed and reminded many of these individuals about the discussion over receding public water access. It didn’t take much to convince many of them that any decline in recreational fishing will be bad for their regions and their businesses.

Ben also spoke with Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser regarding the posted waterway issue and how it negatively affects recreational fishing and supporting businesses.
BASS Tournaments Leaving Coastal Louisiana Waters due to Water Access Issues

Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) announced recently that it will no longer allow participants in a nearby Texas tournament to fish in Louisiana waters and it will no longer host tournaments in the Atchafalaya Basin because of Louisiana's "unusual" posted waterway laws.

Click here for the BASS press release.

The BASS decision alone is going to cost our state millions in lost revenue, and BASS leaving coastal Louisiana is just the tip of the iceberg.

Public water-access champion Todd Masson of nola.com and The Times-Picayune wrote this editorial immediately following the BASS announcement, and if you haven't read it yet, you need to.
LCBA Holds Productive Board Meeting

The LCBA held a board meeting recently and had very productive discussions on the direction of our policy, promotion and membership efforts.

We’ve shaped policy at both the state and federal level. We’ve seen many promotional successes, including a 170 percent increase in visits to our website. We’ve seen tremendous membership successes, doubling our membership in the past year for the second year in a row. We’ve also added quite a bit of value to being an LCBA member.

There are many other ways we can supplement our successes, and we look forward to executing those in the near future. Our association is headed in a great direction right now, and that’s all the more motivation for keeping our foot on the gas!

LCBA staff thanks our board for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet.
LCBA Represents Charter Industry in Grand Isle

LCBA staff represented the Louisiana charter-for-hire fleet at several events in Grand Isle recently.

We attended the August Commission meeting on the island. Richard spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting about the August Gulf Council Meeting and how our captains would like our delegation to vote. We would like to thank LCBA member captains Rene Rice and Josh Ellender for attending and participating in the public comments portion of the meeting as well.

LCBA then attended a pair of receptions, including the CCA Legislators’ Rodeo Welcome Reception. We appreciate CCA for inviting the Louisiana Charter Boat Association to participate in their events.
August Gulf Council Meeting Recap

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council met in San Antonio. The Council made progress on the Gulf States’ separate amendments to gain state management of the red snapper fishery. This included progress on LDWF's “Louisiana Plan.” The Council also postponed votes on finalizing the 2018 amberjack season as well as the referendum structures for Amendments 41 and 42. LCBA Communications Manager Richard Fischer spoke and represented the wishes of our captains during the Public Comments portion of this meeting.

For more on each of these topics, click the links below.




Fishing News Links
What's coming up....
Four Captains' Meetings Across Louisiana Coast in September

LCBA, LDWF and Louisiana Sea Grant representatives will be present at four Captains Meetings.

The meetings are geared toward inshore charter-for-hire operators, but offshore charter fishermen are welcome as well.

Captains will be able to ask questions regarding all current issues to the representatives present.

Here are the dates, times and locations of the meetings.

  • Tuesday, Sept. 12 | 6-8 p.m. | Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum (133 Mabel Dr., Madisonville)

  • Wednesday, Sept. 13 | 6-8 p.m. | Council Chambers of the St. Bernard Parish Government Building (8201 West Judge Perez Dr., Chalmette)

  • Thursday, Sept. 14 | 6-8 p.m. | Upstairs Room of the Terrebonne Public Library (151 Library Dr., Houma)

  • Monday, Sept. 18 | 6-8 p.m. | LSU AgCenter Calcasieu Office (7101 Gulf Hwy., Lake Charles)
Louisiana Charter Boat Association | 225-421-9130 | lasaltwater.com