The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has released an online web-based survey to gather public input on Red Drum (redfish) management options.
LDWF is exploring management options for redfish, which based on recent studies, is in jeopardy of being overfished. The survey is an additional effort to collect public input on management options.
LDWF’s most recent assessment of Red Drum back in December showed that while the spawning stock is still above limits, too few fish are surviving to join the offshore spawning population and that requires management changes. The juvenile portion of the Red Drum stock is measured through an “escapement” rate. Escapement is the percentage of redfish that pass through the fishery (only recreational, there is no commercial fishery for Red Drum in Louisiana) from inshore waters as juveniles and make it into the spawning stock offshore. The established escapement rate limit for management is 30%; Louisiana’s escapement rate is currently 20%, indicating too few redfish are surviving to make it offshore to spawn.
You can read more about the assessment, and what the FFI-GCC considers the best conservation-minded solution by going to our December 7th blog posting.
LDWF has compiled several management options. You can learn about these, as well as more details on the current status of redfish at this site:
https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/hot-topic-red-drum
Go here to take the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TPKVLY2
Your participation in this survey is confidential. If you have any questions or comments regarding the survey, please direct them to Jack Isaacs at 225-765-2605 or jisaacs@wlf.la.gov.
