If you were born after Jan. 1, 1984, and want to operate a motorboat โ and havenโt completed an โapprovedโ boating education course โ then Saturday is your day.
State law requires anyone operating a boat powered by an engine of more than 10 horsepower to carry proof of completion of a safe boating course.
So, Saturday, state Wildlife and Fisheries will staff eight statewide locations for its 12th annual Boating Education Lagniappe Day.
Itโs a no-fee way to earn the boating education certification. Lunch will be provided at some venues, and sponsors have furnished door prizes.
Space is limited and will be filled at each location on a first-come, first-served basis.
You can register at this LDWF website: . Once there, click on the “Find A Course Near You” link.
Be ready for instruction on things like choosing the right boat for you and your adventures (hulls, motors and internal combustion engines) along with legal and equipment requirements. Added to the day-long course are navigation rules and charts, trailering, canoeing and operating personal watercraft.
Successful completion earns โvessel operatorsโ certification.
Boating Lagniappe Day locations include:
- Old Metairie Library, 2350 Metairie Rd., Metairie;
- Ponchatoula Fire Department, 610 E. Pine Street, Ponchatoula;
- LDWF Field Office, 200 Dulles Rd., Lafayette;
- Terrebonne Parish Rifle Range, 2100 Savanne Rd., Houma;
- Moreauville Fire Department, 897 Bayou Des Glaises Street, Moreauville;
- LDWF Field Office, 1025 Tom Watson Road, Lake Charles;
- LDWF Region 1 Office, 9961 U.S. 80, Minden
- Ludwig Marine, 7423 U.S. 165, North Monroe.
Spring shrimp
The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has called a special meeting for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the state Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters, 2000 Quail Drive in Baton Rouge to hear state biologists' data on the spring inshore shrimp season, and to consider an emergency declaration to stop the season earlier than the usual May dates of previous years.
Public comment will be taken and a live audio stream of the meeting can be found on the LDWF website:
The showdown
Itโs going to resembled a stirred-up fire ant mound this coming weekend when 170 high school and Junior Division teams invade Doironโs Landing in Stephensville for the ถถา๕h Youth B.A.S.S. Nation State Championships.
Each team qualified through a series of divisional bass tournaments held in every corner of our state. The big weekend begins 6 p.m. Friday for the annual awards banquet set for the Civic Center in Berwick.
The high school teams will compete for two days with weigh-in scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday. The Junior Division qualifiers fish Saturday only with a 1:30 p.m. weigh-in.
Talking Spanish
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is gathering information for a stock assessment on Spanish mackerel and would ask coastal anglers to help with collection data to better understand your on-the-water experiences with this toothy critter.
To provide comment (a 4 p.m. May 19 deadline), go to the council’s website: , then find the Fisherman Feedback Tool.
If you need more, then email: gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org
Council updates
The latest updates following the Gulf Councilโs April meeting in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Red snapper: The meeting marked new work being done to update private recreational red snapper catch data and calibration ratios for Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. The update stated, โThe Council selected a preferred alternative which will update the calibrations using the most recent years of data. The Council plans to take final action on this issue during its June meeting in a framework action that also considers gray snapper catch limits.โ
Gray (mangrove) snapper: Unveiled was a plan to increase mangrove snapper catch limits after recent data shows the species is โneither overfished nor experiencing overfishing.โ The preferred alternative chosen will set catch limits using a five-year average of projected yield, and plans to take final action at its June meeting along with red snapper data calibration ratios.
Cobia: This is tricky, because the discussion involved the โpotential sale of recreationally caught cobia, which is prohibited by each of the Gulf States.โ A vote removed a proposal to prohibit this activity because as the announcement stated, โdevelopment of a Council document is not expected to further reduce the illegal practice.โ The issue was moved to the Law Enforcement Technical committee for ways to reduce this illegal practice.
Private Angling License: A presentation to continue the federal recreational data collection program, including estimated private recreational catch in federal waters, outlined a effort to work with National Marine Fisheries Service and the Gulf States Marine Fishery Commission โto provide support to the five Gulf state fishery agencies to develop a universal, state managed recreational saltwater angler landing permit.โ
Gag grouper: The latest data shows the species is overfished and experiencing overfishing, that the population proportion of males is less than 2%, and plans are forthcoming to chose preferred alternatives โthat will revise the sector allocation to account for the change in recreational harvest monitoring data.โ The council had stated a โpreferredโ alternative would change allocations to 65% recreational and 35% commercial, but came up with a new approach creating 20% buffer between the recreational annual catch limit and annual catch target โ a reduction in overall allowable catch โ and a recreational season opening Sept. 1. The new alternative for commercials sets an annual catch target 5% below the annual catch limit. A series of public hearings will be announced.
Tripletail: The species was removed โfrom further consideration for inclusion in federal management.โ
Shallow-water grouper: This includes scamp, black, yellowfin and yellowmouth grouper, which are managed under a combined annual catch limit. Data shows scamp and yellowmouth populations โare healthy,โ and recommended new catch moves for these two species. The council also asked for more info on black and yellowfin, and expect to have an annual catch-limit update at its June meeting.
Shrimp: The annual Texas federal closure for 2023 was approved, mostly because Texas wants its season opened after shrimp reach a larger size prior. There also was an update on a new shrimp estimate model being developed for brown, white, and pink shrimp.