The Gulf Archives - Page 2 of 4

US delays rule on Gulf of Mexico whale protections by two years

July 15, 2025 — U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration will delay by two years a final rule designating protections for the endangered Rice’s whale in the oil and gas drilling region of the Gulf of Mexico, according to an agreement with environmental groups filed in a federal court.

The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service agreed with green group Natural Resources Defense Council to finalize by July 15, 2027 the geographic area deemed critical for the Rice’s whale survival. The previous deadline had been Tuesday, July 15, of this year.

The agreement filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 3 was seen by Reuters on Monday.

Read the full article at Reuters

LOUISIANA: New Study Debunks Red Drum Crisis Claims: Louisiana’s Gulf Menhaden Fishery Not to Blame

July 14, 2025 — A landmark Louisiana-funded study confirms what decades of fisheries science have long suggested: the Gulf menhaden fishery is not a major contributor to red drum mortality in Louisiana waters.

The comprehensive bycatch assessment, conducted by LGL Ecological Research Associates and administered through the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, found that commercial menhaden harvesters were responsible for just 3.4% of red drum removals by number statewide in 2024. In contrast, 96.6% of removals were from the recreational sector.

These findings come at a time when misinformation about red drum bycatch has fueled public pressure for new restrictions on commercial harvesters. But the data tells a clear story: Louisiana’s menhaden fishery is both sustainable and responsible — and not a threat to red drum populations.

Backed by Independent Science

The study was funded through a $1 million appropriation by the Louisiana Legislature and carried out during the 2024 fishing season. It is the most extensive bycatch study ever conducted in the Gulf menhaden fishery, with data collected from 418 purse seine sets — 3.2% of total effort, exceeding the original sampling goal by more than 50%.

Observers and electronic monitoring systems were used to gather and verify data. The study employed advanced techniques such as Reflex Action Mortality Predictors (RAMP) and 24-hour live holding tanks to assess fish survival.

Read the full article at NOLA.com

LOUISIANA: Gulf menhaden fishery no threat to red drum, study finds

July 10, 2025 — A study of bycatch in the Louisiana menhaden purse seine fishery found that overall non-target fish species comprised 3.59 percent by weight – below the state’s restriction for no more than 5 percent, according to a July 8 report to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission.

Capture of red drum as menhaden bycatch was calculated to account for 3.4 percent of red drum mortality in the state. Menhaden industry advocates welcomed the findings at the commission’s July meeting, saying the detailed data showed 30,142 redfish were taken by the fishery during 2024, “while recreational fishing is responsible for 96.6 percent by number of fish.”

“The study reaffirms what decades of science have consistently shown: Louisiana’s Gulf menhaden fishery is sustainable, selective, and not a threat to red drum populations,” the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition said in a statement after the report’s release.

The study was funded with a $1 million appropriation from the Louisiana state Legislature, and administered by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission. Conducted by researchers with LGL Ecological Research Associates Inc. on board menhaden vessels for seven months during the 2024 fishing season, the study “represents the most detailed assessment of bycatch in the history of the Gulf menhaden fishery,” according to the menhaden coalition.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

LOUISIANA: Louisiana commercial fishers welcome menhaden bycatch study

July 9, 2025 –A new study on bycatch in Louisiana’s commercial menhaden fishery is largely being welcomed by the state’s fishing industry, who claim it shows the fishery “is sustainable, selective, and not a threat to red drum populations.”

“This study should put to rest the misinformation that’s too often circulated about this fishery,” Menhaden Fisheries Coalition spokesperson Bob Vanasse said in a statement. “This independent science reaffirms what we’ve always said: The Gulf menhaden fishery is guided by data, not politics or guesswork.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

LOUISIANA: Meet the Father-Son Duo Keeping Louisiana’s Fishing Heritage Afloat

July 8, 2025 — For many in Louisiana’s menhaden industry, fishing is a family tradition passed down from generation to generation. To see this tradition carried on today, look no further than the Damerons: fourth-generation Ocean Harvesters Captain Michael Dameron and his son Andrew.

For Michael, being the captain of the Ocean Harvesters Fishing Vessel Oyster Bayou is the fulfillment of a childhood dream.

“All I ever wanted to be was a fish boat captain,” Michael says. “I graduated high school on a Saturday night, stepped aboard a boat Sunday morning, and I’ve never looked back.”

Read the full article at NOLA.com

LOUISIANA: Wildlife and Fisheries set to see results of menhaden fishing study, plus other outdoors news

July 7, 2025 — Conservation and environmental groups will finally get the results of the first independent study on bycatch involving the commercial menhaden fishery industry off the Louisiana coast.

The report is a major agenda item during Tuesday’s 9:30 a.m. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting set for state Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters on Quail Drive in Baton Rouge.

The study is part of a settlement forced by Gov. Jeff Landry in 2024. Groups opposed to menhaden fishery operations sought a one-mile “buffer” off the coast. The settlement with the two major foreign-owned fishery companies set a half-mile buffer zone coastwide with at least one area, Grand Isle, maintaining a three-mile ban on the take of menhaden from its beach.

Read the full article at The Advocate

TEXAS: Texas sees soaring interest in oyster license buybacks

July 1, 2025 — The Texas Park & Wildlife Department’s commercial oyster boat license buyback program saw interest this year from 115 license holders looking to sell — more than in all of the program’s previous years combined.

Lisa Halili, vice president of Prestige Oysters, 103 First St. in Dickinson, said the increased interest is because the state has closed the harvest areas where smaller boats could go, meaning operators can’t put their licenses to use anymore.

Halili isn’t among the operators offering to sell back their licenses.

Read the full article at The Daily News

FLORIDA: Florida’s Boater Freedom Act could harm fisheries, impede conservation, critics say

July 1, 2025 — A measure prohibiting vessel searches that stem from safety inspections on the water is among a slew of laws to be enacted in Florida this week.

It halts a long-running practice in which state and local marine law enforcement could stop boaters and board their vessels without probable cause.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says long-standing vessel searches have “unnecessarily created friction” between boaters and law enforcement.

Read the full article at Tampa Bay Times

LOUISIANA: Louisiana’s Pet Food Secret- Economic Power, Local Jobs, and a Global Reach

June 30, 2025 — Premium pet food is a booming industry. What many don’t realize is that one of its key ingredients—Gulf menhaden—starts its journey in Louisiana, supporting jobs, local economies, and coastal communities.

The Local Catch Behind a Global Industry

Menhaden oil and fishmeal are vital to premium pet food formulations, appearing in homes from Baton Rouge to Beijing. But their economic story begins on Louisiana’s working coast. The menhaden fishery generates over $419 million in annual economic output and supports more than 2,000 jobs across 32 parishes.

This makes it one of the largest and most important commercial fisheries in the U.S., yet few consumers understand the role it plays in products they use every day.

Investing in Local Communities

Companies like Westbank Fishing and Daybrook Fisheries and their counterparts from western Louisiana, Omega Protein and Ocean Harvesters, are anchors of Louisiana’s fishing economy. They don’t just catch fish—they invest in the people and places that make the fishery run. In 2023 alone, these two companies contributed roughly $60 million in employee compensation.

“This isn’t just about fishing—it’s about building strong communities,” said Francois Kuttel, President of Westbank Fishing. “From the deckhands on our boats to the families relying on these jobs in Plaquemines and beyond, the menhaden industry is a powerful force for economic stability and local opportunity. We’re proud that what we do here in Louisiana helps feed the world’s pets while supporting the people who call this coast home.”

Read the full article at NOLA.com

Slippery, slimy and seriously fascinating: Why the American eel still baffles science

June 25, 2025 — Eels. Just the name can bring shivers to some. Slippery, slimy and wiggly like snakes.

All true, but some of us think they are amazing creatures. Yes, I confess to being enamored of these slippery devils.

According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, there are more than 800 species of eels in the world, but contrary to popular belief, there is just one species of eel in North America, and that is the American eel.

Some may believe that the lamprey eel fits into this category, but they are very different animals.

A lamprey is a cartilaginous fish, meaning no bones. Their mouths are jawless without teeth and are used to attach to other organisms to suck out their body fluids. Now, that brings shivers to me! They have a series of gill holes instead of slits behind their head in which to breathe. Lampreys are anadromous and migrate from the sea into rivers and lakes to spawn.

Read the full article at Seacoastonline