$122
million
The dockside value
of Louisiana’s
2015 shrimp
harvest.
Legal Gear
You may only use trawls, butterfly nets, skimmer nets, and cast nets to harvest
shrimp during open seasons in Louisiana’s waters.
Turtle Excluder Devices
State and federal law require all shrimpers fishing with powered or
mechanically-retrieved otter trawls (except test nets with headrope lengths of
12 feet or less) to equip them with turtle excluder devices (TEDs), which allow
incidentally captured turtles to escape the nets.
In lieu of TEDs, shrimpers fishing with test trawls and skimmer and butterfly
nets must limit their tow times to 75 minutes from November 1 through
March 31 and 55 minutes from April 1 through October 31 to reduce potential
impacts on sea turtles.
Go to
go.usa.gov/xKJ74 for the latest TED regulations and guidelines for
complying with them. Email
Michael.Barnette@noaa.gov or call
727.551.5794
with any TED-related questions.
Bycatch Reduction Requirements
When fishing in federal waters, shrimp trawlers must install bycatch reduction
devices (BRDs) in each trawl to reduce catch of non-targeted species. Go to
go.usa.gov/xKJ7k for more information. Email
Steve.Branstetter@noaa.gov or
call
727.824.5305 with any BRD-related questions.
Restricted and Closed Areas
Some areas, including wildlife refuges, wildlife management areas (WMAs), and
habitat conservation areas, may be closed to certain gear types, methods, and/
or times of day and may have different possession limits. Some are closed to
shrimping altogether. These restrictions and closures help protect developing
shrimp populations and reduce conflicts among users. See
www.wlf.louisiana.
gov/fishing/commercial-shrimp for details.
Shrimper/Crab Trap Interactions
If you catch an unserviceable crab trap, you must keep it on your vessel and
properly dispose of it onshore. If you catch a serviceable crab trap without a float,
return it to the water with a common float (a white, plastic, one-gallon or larger
bleach bottle).
Shrimp Excise Tax
Louisiana collects an excise tax on all saltwater shrimp harvested from state
waters as well as all shrimp imported into the state. Taxes apply as follows:
• 15 cents per barrel of 210 pounds of head-on,
unpeeled shrimp
• 15 cents per barrel of 125 pounds of headless,
unpeeled shrimp
• 15 cents per barrel of 75 pounds of headless,
peeled shrimp
The first wholesale/retail seafood dealer who receives the shrimp must pay this
tax. For imported shrimp brought to cold storage, the dealer storing, brokering, or
distributing the shrimp must pay the tax.
Taxes are deposited in Louisiana’s Conservation Fund and support LDWF’s Law
Enforcement Division and its operations.
Live Bait Shrimp
To commercially harvest shrimp for live bait, you must have a Special Bait Dealer
Permit, which allows you to harvest shrimp for bait at any time. The requirements
for this permit include:
• A permit application and fee
• $1,000 cash bond, which must be forfeited if anyone associated with the
permit violates any of the permit requirements or any commercial fishing
laws and regulations
• Background check for previous wildlife or fisheries violations
• Inspection of live bait holding facilities (onshore and on vessel)
• Proper signage on the vessel identifying that the vessel is working under the
bait permit
• Public notice that live bait is available
• Use of an approved, fully operational vessel monitoring system onboard the
vessel if harvesting bait shrimp at night
• Recordkeeping and reporting
You may only use the following gear under this permit:
•
One trawl no more than 25 feet along the cork line and 33 feet along the
lead line
• Two skimmer nets with individual
nets no more than 16 feet measured
horizontally, 12 feet measured
vertically, or 20 feet measure diagonally
For more information, visit
www.wlf.
louisiana.gov/permit/special-bait-dealerpermit.
13
80
million
The dockside value
of Louisiana’s
2015 shrimp
harvest.
Legal Gear
You may only use trawls, butterfly nets, skimmer nets, and cast nets to harvest
shrimp during open seasons in Louisiana’s waters.
Turtle Excluder Devices
State and federal law require all shrimpers fishing with powered or
mechanically-retrieved otter trawls (except test nets with headrope lengths of
12 feet or less) to equip them with turtle excluder devices (TEDs), which allow
incidentally captured turtles to escape the nets.
In lieu of TEDs, shrimpers fishing with test trawls and skimmer and butterfly
nets must limit their tow times to 75 minutes from November 1 through
March 31 and 55 minutes from April 1 through October 31 to reduce potential
impacts on sea turtles.
Go to
go.usa.gov/xKJ74 for the latest TED regulations and guidelines for
complying with them. Email
Michael.Barnette@noaa.gov or call
727.551.5794
with any TED-related questions.
Bycatch Reduction Requirements
When fishing in federal waters, shrimp trawlers must install bycatch reduction
devices (BRDs) in each trawl to reduce catch of non-targeted species. Go to
go.usa.gov/xKJ7k for more information. Email
Steve.Branstetter@noaa.gov or
call
727.824.5305 with any BRD-related questions.
Restricted and Closed Areas
Some areas, including wildlife refuges, wildlife management areas (WMAs), and
habitat conservation areas, may be closed to certain gear types, methods, and/
or times of day and may have different possession limits. Some are closed to
shrimping altogether. These restrictions and closures help protect developing
shrimp populations and reduce conflicts among users. See
www.wlf.louisiana.
gov/fishing/commercial-shrimp for details.
Shrimper/Crab Trap Interactions
If you catch an unserviceable crab trap, you must keep it on your vessel and
properly dispose of it onshore. If you catch a serviceable crab trap without a float,
return it to the water with a common float (a white, plastic, one-gallon or larger
bleach bottle).
Shrimp Excise Tax
Louisiana collects an excise tax on all saltwater shrimp harvested from state
waters as well as all shrimp imported into the state. Taxes apply as follows:
• 15 cents per barrel of 210 pounds of head-on,
unpeeled shrimp
• 15 cents per barrel of 125 pounds of headless,
unpeeled shrimp
• 15 cents per barrel of 75 pounds of headless,
peeled shrimp
The first wholesale/retail seafood dealer who receives the shrimp must pay this
tax. For imported shrimp brought to cold storage, the dealer storing, brokering, or
distributing the shrimp must pay the tax.
Taxes are deposited in Louisiana’s Conservation Fund and support LDWF’s Law
Enforcement Division and its operations.
Live Bait Shrimp
To commercially harvest shrimp for live bait, you must have a Special Bait Dealer
Permit, which allows you to harvest shrimp for bait at any time. The requirements
for this permit include:
• A permit application and fee
• $1,000 cash bond, which must be forfeited if anyone associated with the
permit violates any of the permit requirements or any commercial fishing
laws and regulations
• Background check for previous wildlife or fisheries violations
• Inspection of live bait holding facilities (onshore and on vessel)
• Proper signage on the vessel identifying that the vessel is working under the
bait permit
• Public notice that live bait is available
• Use of an approved, fully operational vessel monitoring system onboard the
vessel if harvesting bait shrimp at night
• Recordkeeping and reporting
You may only use the following gear under this permit:
•
One trawl no more than 25 feet along the cork line and 33 feet along the
lead line
• Two skimmer nets with individual
nets no more than 16 feet measured
horizontally, 12 feet measured
vertically, or 20 feet measure diagonally
For more information, visit
www.wlf.
louisiana.gov/permit/special-bait-dealerpermit.
13
80