We need your help this week

For nearly twenty years the travel department at Tailwaters has sent thousands of anglers down to southeast Louisiana on redfish trips. The Woodland Plantation is a home away from home – and close personal relationships with the fly-fishing guide community have been a significant part of the fabric of our travel company since day #1.

We are before you today to share a very meaningful and time sensitive rally cry to help protect this incredible resource.

As many can attest from first-hand experience, while the redfish fishery is SE Louisiana is still by far the greatest on earth, there is no denying its decline in recent years. Redfish in this part of the world have a lot to contend with. Channelization of the Mississippi, coastal erosion, oil and gas production activities, bycatch from commercial menhaden harvests, and overfishing by recreational anglers are just a few of the survival challenges for a red drum along Louisiana’s gulf coast. Gratefully, there has been a sea-change in the attitudes of the charter captain / guide community down there with respect to becoming much more active protecting their fishery. Leading the charge are well-known fly-fishing guides and our old friends, Captain(s) Ty Hibbs, Shane Mayfield and Dave Best.

While other efforts are being made to address all these calamities facing redfish, the order of the day to cause immediate change is to modify the harvest limits and regulations by recreational anglers. Amazingly, the harvest limits and regulations for redfish have not changed since the 1988. There is no question this has had a tremendous impact on the health of fishery and is simply not sustainable. Now is the time to make some changes.

here is what is happening

This summer the Louisiana Wildlife Fisheries Commission adopted a NOTICE OF INTENT (NOI) to dramatically reduce the harvest limits of red drum by recreational anglers in Louisiana. While this alone was a historic win, this NOI must first be approved by the State Legislature in order to become law. The LWF Commission is presenting its recommendations along with public commits to the Louisiana Legislative Oversight Committee NEXT WEEK in hopes of approval. NOW IS THE TIME YOU CAN HELP ensure that these much-needed conservation measures come to fruition.

what you can do today:

Opportunities like this do not come around very often – especially in Louisiana! We are calling on all anglers, conservationists, and anyone who cares about preserving the natural world to step up and ACT NOW by taking less than five minutes of your day to participate in this crucial process – TODAY! The LWF Commission is accepting public comments regarding the proposed NOI. The comment period ENDS ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3rd. The more folks we can get to bombard them in support of the harvest changes the more influence the LWF Commission will have at the legislative level.

SUBMIT COMMENTS TO THE LOUISIANA WILDLIFE FISHERIES COMMISSION:
Please send an email to Mr. Jason Adriance with LWF in support of the NOI. Here are the email addresses to send this email: jadriance@wlf.la.gov with cc: comments@wlf.la.gov

Simply state your support of the NOI‘s proposed harvest limit modifications along with your history visiting the region. Below you can view more guidance on what to include in your comment submittal.

SIGN LETTER FROM THE AMERICAN SALTWATER GUIDES ASSOCIATION:
Mr. Tony Fredrick, Vice President and Policy Director for the ASGA, has a simple online letter you can sign and submit in support of the NOI: https://saltwaterguidesassociation.com/louisiana-redfish/
This will take three minutes and will be tremendously impactful.

CALL OR WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN:
Even if you are not a Louisiana native, calling or writing your local congressman or representative with support of the Notice of Intent can have an impact.

EXAMPLE OF COMMENT TO LWF COMMISSION

SEND THE FOLLOWING TO: jadriance@wlf.la.gov with cc: comments@wlf.la.gov

Dear Mr. Adriance,

I am writing to express my strong support for the recent decision made by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to lower the size and creel limit of redfish in order to rebuild the redfish stock as fast as possible. As a concerned citizen and an advocate for sustainable fishing practices, I believe that this measure is crucial for the long-term health and prosperity of Louisiana’s marine ecosystem.

The declining redfish population in Louisiana's waters has been a matter of growing concern among conservationists, anglers, and local communities alike. It is evident that urgent action is needed to protect and rebuild this vital fishery. By implementing a lower redfish limit, we can effectively reduce fishing pressure and provide these valuable species with an opportunity to rebound and thrive once again.

I commend the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for taking this proactive step, recognizing the significance of maintaining a balanced and sustainable ecosystem. As a responsible constituent, I am proud to see you taking the lead in safeguarding our natural resources for future generations.

Please do everything in your power to ensure that this measure receives the necessary backing and resources to be implemented effectively. Moreover, I encourage you to collaborate with other lawmakers and relevant stakeholders to promote similar conservation efforts both locally and nationally. Protecting Louisiana's marine resources is not only vital for preserving the unique ecosystem and recreational opportunities but also plays a crucial role in sustaining the livelihoods of many fishermen and their families who depend on a healthy fishery.

Thank you for your attention to this pressing matter. I trust that you will take my concerns into account and support initiatives that lead to the restoration and rejuvenation of our redfish population.

I look forward to hearing about these successful efforts to promote a sustainable and thriving redfish fishery in South Louisiana at the coming meetings. Good luck.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Your Email Address]
[Your Phone Number]

TO LEARN MORE

You can learn more about the Notice of Intent, recommended harvest limit changes, the state of the union of the Louisiana redfish, and the science behind the NOI recommendations with the following resources as well as in the YouTube video at the bottom of this post:

LWF NOTICE OF INTENT: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Commission_Action_Items/Red-Drum-Size-and-Bag-NOI-072023.pdf

ASGA CALL TO ACTION: https://saltwaterguidesassociation.com/louisiana-redfish/

PROPOSED NEW HARVEST LIMITS:

• 18-24 INCH SLOT
• 3 FISH TOTAL
• NO OVER-SLOTS CAN BE KEPT
• GUIDES CANNOT KEEP PERSONAL LIMIT
• GUIDES ARE ALLOWED TO FISH AS THEY ARE NOW.

We also encourage you to subscribe and listen to The Redfish Podcast hosted and produced by Captain Ty Hibbs with contributions from Shane Mayfield and Dave Best. In addition to being a highly entertaining listen presented by three of the region’s greatest fly-fishing guides, this podcast goes into great detail discussing these policy issues.

We want to highlight a huge shout out to these guys for their leadership and efforts to change management fisheries policy in Louisiana. Ty has especially stepped up by rallying the fly-fishing community / industry and attending all the LWF Commission meetings as an advocate for these changes. Anyone who cares about redfish owes Ty a huge debt of gratitude for his passionate efforts.

thank you & act now!

Again, the LWF Commission will be presenting to the Louisiana Legislature on Tuesday, October 3rd. It is impossible to overstate how important the public comments are to influencing the lawmakers.
Thank you in advance for your attention and quick action. If you have any questions or would simply live to visit on the matter, don't hesitate to reach out to David Leake at the shop: david@tailwatersflyfishing.com