Tag Archives: Louisiana Shrimp Task Force
Shrimp scurry from Hurricane Francine storm surge, filling fishing nets of struggling shrimpers
Hurricane Francine closed in on Terrebonne and Lafourche with 100 mph winds Sept. 11. As the storm pushed tidal waters toward land, shrimp scurried for inland waters. Shrimpers took advantage of the migration, dropping nets and pulling in thousands of pounds in a short timeframe. The hauls were great, but the low prices meant what would have been a drop in the bucket, instead fell in an empty pail. “We did good last night and the night before,” Jonathan Guidry said. “The shrimp was jumpin’ all over. They had some land nets on side of us. They was startin’ to pick up every 10 minutes, and they had maybe 120 to 130 pounds every 10 to 30 minutes.” Guidry said with all the flood gates closed, he thinks the shrimp were funneled through the Bubba Dove lock gate as they sought safety from the storm. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:11
Shrimpers and environmentalists oppose growth of LNG export facilities
LNG export facilities are heralded as good things to come and economic game changers, but there are still fishermen and environmentalists who fight the massive industry. They went before the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force on Wednesday. Many local commercial fishers and environmentalists remain firmly against the LNG facilities and they took their fight to the task force. Fisherman Travis Dardar said in Cameron they are surrounded. He said he lives within four hundred feet of Venture Global. “The areas I’ve got marked in red are where we fish. They built on top of all our fishing grounds out here. The little red ‘X’ on this side is where I live. Now conveniently, Cameron has no zoning, so they don’t have to buy us out. They can absolutely build around us,” Dardar said. >click to read< 08:50
Hurricane Ida: A Bad Time on the Bayou
Hurricane Ida struck the heart of Louisiana’s seafood industry as a Category 4 hurricane, wiping out homes, boats, trucks, plants and icehouses…. ‘This is just a bad time to be on the bayou it seems,’ said Venice shrimper Acy Cooper, a member of the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force. ‘Before the storm we were being hit hard by Covid. Covid is still here, but now we have to face the difficulties brought on by Ida,’ he said, adding that he has been fortunate compared to those to the east of him. ‘Here in Venice, we lost three or four shrimp boats, but over in Chauvin and Dulac, it’s more like half that fleet. People have lost their homes, their boats. They don’t have power, gas or food. These are people that aren’t going to ask for anything, but let me tell you they need it, and they need it now.’ Click to read >Pt.1< and >Pt.2< 18:55
Louisiana Shrimp Task Force calls special meeting to discuss Bonnet Carre Spillway openings, Friday, 10 am
The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force has called a special meeting to discuss the issues facing the industry due to the spillway openings. The Bonnet Carre Spillway has opened twice so far this year to relieve pressure from the Mississippi River, affecting salinity levels. The task force will meet in the Terrebonne Council meeting room, 8026 Main Street in Houma, at 10 a.m. on Friday. The meeting is open to the public. Individuals can also register to stream the meeting at this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8594745354536655629. (link)12:50
Louisiana Shrimpers seek more federal protection
Speaking during the Louisiana Shrimp Association meeting at the American Legion Hall in Houma, shrimpers said import tariffs aren’t enough to protect their business. And foreign companies should not be able to sell shrimp in the U.S. if they are using banned antibiotics. “We’re being treated differently than other businesses that are in the same situation we’re in,” said Dean Blanchard, owner of Dean Blanchard Seafood Inc. in Grand Isle. “We’re comparable to rice farmers and sugar-cane farmers.” When these farmers, many of them in Louisiana, couldn’t compete with imports, they received help, Blanchard said. The federal government provides them subsidies. He added that they would be out of business if they had to work as hard as shrimpers. >click to read<12:30
Shrimp Task Force discusses penalties for fishing out of season
State officials and district attorneys continue to hammer out stricter penalties for shrimpers. 
At its meeting today in Houma, the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force continued discussions on its plans to get legislation passed to strengthen the penalties for violators. Currently, shrimpers face fines, revocation of gear licenses, community service and potential jail time if accused of multiple violations. Officials said the issue with the current penalties is that an owner of a vessel with multiple violations can use another licensed captain who does not have violations out on the same boat. Read the rest here 10:58
Louisiana Shrimp Task Force approves money to assess sustainability
The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force approved spending $10,000 for a fishery sustainability pre-assessment to be done in the state. A pre-assessment is the first step in a fishery being certified environmentally sustainable and conforms to a set of internationally recognized standards. In a Fishery Improvement Plan, a pre-assessment is done on the fishery to gauge where the fishery stands relative to a certification standard. In this instance, the Marine Stewardship and Conversation program standards. Read the rest here 10:49
Louisiana shrimpers applaud new Turtle Extruder Law
Today is a monumental day for our shrimp industry and will show the world that Louisiana fishermen and processors have always been concerned with the successful management of our shrimp fishery,” said Mark Abraham, chairman of the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force, an advisory panel that includes representatives from the industry and state agencies that regulate it. “The Shrimp Task Force applauds Governor Jindal and our state legislators who worked with us to pass this legislation.” Read the rest here 21:07
Louisiana Shrimp Task Force voted 7-0 in favor of federal rules requiring the use of turtle excluder devices
A key industry panel wants Louisiana lawmakers to repeal a 1987 law that prohibits state fisheries agents from enforcing federal rules designed to protect sea turtles by outfitting shrimpers’ nets with special escape hatches for threatened and endangered turtles. Louisiana’s shrimp industry has long been criticized by environmental groups,,, Read the rest here 08:09
Four issues facing Louisiana shrimpers this season
After perhaps the most turbulent decade in recent memory for Louisiana’s seafood industry, Lance Nacio has not lost the eternal optimism that pervades shrimpers row each spring. Read more here houmatoday 20:57
The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force Crab trap proposal advances
The task force, a 19-member panel in charge of studying and monitoring the shrimp industry and making recommendations to the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and other state agencies, approved the measure at its Tuesday meeting in Houma. @houmatoday
