Louisiana Archives - Page 15 of 45

Louisiana fishermen, others in industry can apply for pandemic relief through LDWF

August 10, 2021 — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is now accepting applications for $12.4 million in financial assistance available to Louisiana fishermen and others in the industry who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications opened Monday, August 9. Applications can only be submitted online. To access the application, visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cares-act-assistance.

The application process will be open for a three-week period, according to LDWF. The deadline to submit applications is 11:59 p.m. August 29.

Funding allocation has been structured so that all applications submitted before the deadline will be considered. The funds, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CARES 2.0), will be distributed as direct aid payments by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to those applicants who qualify.

Read the full story at KATC

Jurisdictional question revived in suits over coastal loss

August 6, 2021 — The question of whether lawsuits blaming big oil companies for loss of vulnerable Louisiana coastal wetlands will be tried in state courts, as local parish governments want, or in federal courts, as the oil companies want, has been revived by a federal appeals panel.

Thursday’s ruling at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans was a partial victory for the oil companies and a partial reversal of a decision the same court made a year ago. But a lead attorney for parishes suing the oil companies claimed victory, too, saying the decision effectively means at least 15 of the 42 lawsuits still face state trials — and the remainder could, too, pending more federal court review.

“The decision is in our favor,” lawyer John Carmouche said.

In August 2020, a panel of three 5th Circuit judges upheld federal district judges’ rulings keeping the issue in state court, where coastal parishes’ attorneys want them tried. But the oil companies pressed for reconsideration. Arguments were heard in October, and Judge James Ho, author of the 2020 opinion, wrote Thursday that the district courts should take another look.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

LOUISIANA: $12.4M in COVID-19 relief funds coming from wildlife and fisheries

August 2, 2021 — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will soon begin accepting applications for $12.4 million in financial assistance that will be available to Louisiana fishermen and others in the industry who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications for these funds will open at 8 a.m. Aug. 9.

Applications can only be submitted online. To access the application, visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cares-act-assistance.

The application process will be open for a three-week period, according to LDWF. The deadline to submit applications is 11:59 p.m. Aug. Funding allocation has been structured so that all applications submitted before the deadline will be considered. The funds, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CARES 2.0), will be distributed as direct aid payments by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to those applicants who qualify.

“These federal funds are another step in alleviating some of the financial impacts of the pandemic on our state,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “While we know these funds are not a cure-all, we are grateful for the relief they will provide to our hardworking fishing community.”

LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet agreed with Edwards. “This is more crucial aid for our fishing community. While it will not totally bail out all of those hard workers, it does provide much-needed financial help to them.”

Read the full story at KTBS

Louisiana Fishermen impacted by COVID-19 can soon apply for federal aid

July 30, 2021 — The Louisiana Deparment of Wildlife and Fisheries will soon begin accepting applications for financial assistance that will be available to fishermen and others in the industry who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications for the $12.4 million in financial assistance will open on Monday, August 9 at 8:00 a.m.

The process will be open online only for a three week period.

The deadline to submit an application is August 29 at 11:59 p.m.

Funding allocation has been structured so that all applications submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Officials say the funds are part of Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CARES 2.0) and will be distributed as direct aid payments by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to those who qualify.

Read the full story at KLFY

Louisiana to Begin Accepting Applications For Round 2 of CARES Act Funding in August

July 29, 2021 — Another state is moving forward with distributing the second round of CARES Act funding provided for fisheries relief.

Last week SeafoodNews reported that Massachusetts began sending out applications to distribute their $23.6 million in fisheries relief funding. Now, Louisiana is getting ready to begin accepting applications for the funds, which are part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

Read the full story at Seafood News

LOUISIANA: LDWF will begin accepting applications from commercial fishermen for COVID-19 relief funds on Aug. 9

July 28, 2021 — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will soon begin accepting applications for $12.4 million in financial assistance that will be available to Louisiana fishermen and others in the industry who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications for these funds will open at 8 a.m., Monday, August 9.

Applications can only be submitted online. To access the application, please visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cares-act-assistance. The application process will be open for a three-week period. The deadline to submit applications is 11:59 p.m. August 29. Funding allocation has been structured so that ALL applications submitted before the deadline will be considered. The funds, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CARES 2.0), will be distributed as direct aid payments by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to those applicants who qualify.

Read the full story at WAFB

Video: Cooke subsidiary Omega Protein sinks vessel to create artificial reef

June 18, 2021 — The Defender, a decommissioned vessel previously operated on behalf of Canadian giant Cooke Inc.’s harvesting and fishmeal processing subsidiary Omega Protein, was sunk last week off the coast of Louisiana, Accesswire reported.

The vessel will serve as an artificial reef for the benefit of the Gulf’s diverse marine eco-system, the company said.

The aim of the sinking is for the vessel to become a marine habitat, promoting biodiversity and creating recreational fishing and diving opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico.

Omega Protein has a track record of working with state agencies and non-profit organizations to offer decommissioned vessels to artificial reef programs.

The Defender, previously owned by Ocean Harvesters and operated on behalf of Omega Protein, was donated to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) under its its artificial reef initiative.

Read the full story at IntraFish

Big debate over tiny fish goes unresolved as Louisiana pogie legislation dies

June 16, 2021 — The effort to create a buffer between Louisiana’s coastline and huge menhaden ships fell flat in the 2021 legislative session, dying last week in a House-Senate conference committee.

Sponsored by Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Larose, House Bill 535 initially proposed a half-mile exclusion zone, with wider buffers around some barrier islands. Conservationists and recreational fishers backed the bill, arguing it would provide fragile fish nursery grounds in nearshore habitats more protection from the industry’s 1,500-foot-long nets. Menhaden industry representatives said trawling a half mile farther from the coast could cut their revenue by 20% if captains couldn’t make up that catch elsewhere.

The Senate amended the buffer to an industry-supported quarter mile. Orgeron and the House rejected that June 8, throwing the bill into a conference committee to resolve differences between the two chambers, but the legislative session ended two days later without a report from the committee.

Ben Landry, Omega Protein’s director of public affairs, thinks additional regulation isn’t “biologically necessary,” and that it places undue burden on an industry already navigating natural burdens such as tropical storms and hurricane.

“It’s easy for the environmental groups to say, ‘They can go fish somewhere else.’ That’s really not the case,” Landry said. “User conflicts are inherent, and we try our best to minimize those, but a blanket coastwide ban is not something that we thought … was scientifically supportable.”

Read the full story at NOLA.com

Online sessions to discuss Louisiana’s future in wind energy

June 10, 2021 — Online sessions will take a closer look at how offshore wind energy could become part of Louisiana’s future.

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Wednesday, June 9, that the Governor’s office and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Louisiana Economic Development and the Department of Natural Resources will host Louisiana Wind Week 2021 from June 21-25.

“While Louisiana’s onshore wind resources are limited, Louisiana’s coast is ripe for wind energy development,” said Gov. Edwards. “Thanks to years of oil and gas exploration experience, Louisiana’s existing infrastructure, workforce and business community give us a strategic advantage in developing offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico and all coastal waters of the United States.”

The state says that many Louisiana companies have already leveraged their experience to help design, fabricate and install the nation’s first commercial offshore wind farm at the Block Island project off the coast of Rhode Island.

Read the full story at KATC

Recreational fishers want Louisiana’s biggest commercial fishery to back off nearshore waters

June 7, 2021 — A small silver fish was the topic of a nearly three hour discussion among fishers, environmental advocates and lawmakers at the Louisiana Capitol this week. At issue was House Bill 535, which would not allow menhaden fishing within a quarter mile of Louisiana’s shore.

Menhaden, also called pogies, are small bait fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico to be sold as animal feed, fish oil and bait. It’s the largest commercial fishery in the state by volume. More than 1.1 billion pounds of menhaden were netted in Gulf waters in 2019, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

But recreational fishers say that the boats used to catch the fish are coming too close to shore, and red drum and speckled trout are getting caught in their nets. Rep. Joseph Orgeron (R-Larose) introduced the bill at a Louisiana Senate Committee on Natural Resources meeting Wednesday. He said the legislation keeping menhaden fishers at least a quarter mile from shore was an attempt to compromise between pogie fishers, who want to continue to be able to fish closer to shore, and recreational fishers, who want to push the pogie boats a mile offshore.

Menhaden companies in Louisiana said that about 18% of the fish they catch are within a half mile of the coast. Orgeron’s bill initially proposed a buffer zone similar to Texas, but an amendment added to HB 535 during the committee hearing cut the buffer zone down from a half mile from shore to a quarter mile from shore. Still, companies said they would spend more time and money on fuel trying to catch fish further offshore.

The pogie industry has already shrunk because of economic difficulties, said Ben Landry, the director of public affairs for Omega Protein, one of three menhaden processors in the state. “It’s a little disingenuous to hear, ‘Well, they can just go someplace else and catch those fish, or it won’t hurt them,’” he said. Making up the 18% of catch caught in nearshore waters would be “awfully difficult,” he said.

While discussing the bill Orgeron said that a quarter mile buffer zone equates to 1,300 feet, about the distance from the state Capitol to the Mississippi River levee. Landry said that might seem like a small area. “But if I were looking for legislators this is where I’d go,” he said. “This is where menhaden are.”

Read the full story at the Louisiana Illuminator