Louisiana’s coast has always demanded balance. Our working waters support thousands of families and drive more than $419 million in annual economic output. At the same time, our state is home to some of America’s most productive coastal ecosystems. Decisions about how we protect these waters must be rooted in science, grounded in local experience, and shaped through compromise.
That is why the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission’s new Notice of Intent (NOI) to adjust menhaden buffer zones deserves to be understood for what it truly is: a science-guided compromise that strengthens protections in the most sensitive parts of our coast while refining rules in areas where fishing has historically occurred and can continue safely without harming the resource.
Science at the Center of the Commission’s Work
The Commission directed the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) staff to conduct a rigorous analysis of existing buffer areas and identify where protections should be strengthened and where historic fishing access could be responsibly restored.
The result is a plan that actually expands the buffer zone by more than 4 percent, from 264 to 276 square miles, while refining boundaries to make them more enforceable and more aligned with ecological needs.
Under the NOI:
- Protections increase around the Chandeleur Islands and Isle Dernieres.
- Technical upgrades, including GPS coordinates, clarified language, and reorganized zones, make enforcement clearer.
- Open-water access is restored in historic fishing areas where science shows minimal environmental risk.
This is precision regulation that expands protections where they matter most and relies on data, not politics, to determine where fishing can occur responsibly.
Addressing Concerns with Facts, Not Fear
Some organizations have argued that any adjustment to nearshore buffers represents a step backward. But Louisiana’s own data tells a different story.
The state’s $1 million taxpayer funded bycatch study shows that:
- Red drum harvested by the menhaden fishery accounts for only 3.4 percent of all red drum landings in Louisiana.
- Total bycatch across all species remains below the 5 percent statutory cap established by the Legislature.
- Areas reopened under the new NOI show no measurable impact on red drum recruitment or population health.
Louisiana can protect its most sensitive fisheries and support one of its most important working-water industries at the same time.
A Fleet That Has Already Modernized for Today’s Challenges
Louisiana’s menhaden industry has spent the past several years investing heavily in safer, more sustainable equipment. Those investments, totaling more than $6.5 million, include:
- Spectra and Plateena net technology, which is significantly more durable than traditional nets and helps prevent tears and accidental release events.
- Hose-end cage systems that have reduced incidental red drum mortality by 24 percent.
- New protocols for rapid response, spill containment, crew training, and reporting.
These actions represent one of the most significant voluntary modernization programs of any commercial fishery in the Gulf. And they reflect the fleet’s commitment to continuous improvement, even beyond what regulation requires.
The Commission’s NOI mirrors this same philosophy. It improves protections where they are most needed while allowing responsible, science-supported fishing where risks are minimal.
Protecting People and a Way of Life
For many parishes, the menhaden sector is not an abstract industry. It is an economic backbone. More than 2,000 Louisianans work in the fishery and its supply chain. Local businesses, including machinists, truckers, welders, processors, and equipment suppliers, depend on the fleet’s operations.
These are year-round jobs with benefits, supporting families in communities that have seen many other industries disappear. Menhaden fishing has anchored these towns for generations, providing stable livelihoods while powering essential supply chains such as U.S. aquaculture, pet food, and animal feed.
Protecting Louisiana’s coast means protecting these people as well.
Building a Path Forward Together
The future of our coast cannot be built on division. It must be built on shared stewardship. We remain committed to working with the Commission, LDWF staff, legislators, conservation groups, charter captains, recreational anglers, and scientists to improve transparency, enforcement, and public trust.
This is how responsible management works. It is built through dialogue, data, and accountability, not confrontation.
A Coast Protected, A Community Sustained
The Commission’s NOI is not a victory for any one group. It is a pragmatic step forward that acknowledges Louisiana can protect its fragile habitats and preserve its working-water heritage. It recognizes that science, not rhetoric, must guide our choices. And it reflects the reality that compromise is not weakness. It is how Louisiana has always moved forward.
Our coast is worth protecting. So are the people who depend on it. This proposal does both.