
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists are recommending big changes on limits affecting speckled trout fishing. Right now the limit is 25 fish per person, with a 13-and-a-half-inch size limit instead of 12 inches. Kevin Ford is the host of Let’s Geaux Fishing with Kevin Ford, which airs on WBRZ, Cox, and The Pursuit Channel. He says the 15-fish limit isn’t controversial, but the size limit is.
“There’s a lot of concern about fish mortality rates, as far as when you catch a twelve-inch fish or thirteen-inch fish and throw it back, there’s a lot of things that can happen to it. A dolphin or shark could eat it. It could die from an embedded hook,” Ford said.
He believes the proposed changes will be approved and go into effect early next year. The current 25-fish limit is the most liberal in the country. He said Louisiana’s fishing tourism industry is strong and the changes probably won’t hurt it because people who come from out of state come for the whole experience. He says Louisiana fishers might not like the changes but they will adjust.
“I think a lot of the Louisiana residents that fish all the time, they’d rather have the 25 fish, but hey, you still have a lot to eat at fifteen,” Ford said.
Biologists say the speckled trout and other fish are losing some of their habitats due to coastal erosion and rising sea levels. Ford believes the speckled trout population is not the only one in trouble.
“We also have what may be considered a bigger problem with our redfish population, and we’ll probably see some action taken on that later in 2023,” Ford added.
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