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Recreational Red Snapper Season Closes for LA Anglers
To provide more fishing opportunities for red snapper fishermen throughout the summer months, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Madison Sheahan has signed an emergency declaration to close the recreational red snapper season in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana at 11:59 p.m. on July 7, 2024, until 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 12, 2024.
The season is scheduled to reopen on July 12 as a weekends-only season. Weekends are defined as Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, including Labor Day. The final day of the 2024 Red Snapper Season will be Monday, September 2, 2024, after which it will close until further notice.
The 2024 season has been highly successful, with anglers catching more red snapper than since tighter regulations were put in place. Anglers are now enjoying a daily creel limit of four fish per person and size limits, with a minimum total length of 16 inches.
Data from LA Creel, one of the most trusted systems for counting fish, indicates that red snapper harvest rates were higher than anticipated, necessitating a season modification to maximize fishing opportunities for anglers.
LDWF Assistant Secretary of Fisheries Ryan Montegut stated that the department’s swift decision-making directly benefits from managing the fishery. “LDWF’s ability to actively manage red snapper allows us to quickly adjust the season to continue providing quality fishing opportunities throughout the summer,” said Montegut. “The season modification demonstrates the flexibility that state management provides to Louisiana, a luxury not available to all other Gulf states.”
“With the transition to weekends only, we expect the red snapper season to continue well into August and possibly beyond Labor Day.”
Latest estimates for private recreational red snapper landings through June 16, 2024, indicate that 513,444 pounds, or 54.9% of Louisiana’s 2024 annual private recreational allocation of 934,587 pounds, have been harvested during the 2024 red snapper season from April 15 to June 16.
For more information on the 2024 red snapper season and detailed landing estimates, visit https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/red-snapper.
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