State: LA

Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator Last week, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Governor John Bel Edwards signed a number of pro-sportsmen’s bills into law. Working alongside conservation partners and the state fish and wildlife agency, the bipartisan Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus), which is led by Co-Chair Representative Vincent Pierre and Speaker Clay Schexnayder, works…

Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Assistant Director On June 10, the Joint Natural Resources Committee (Committee) voted (15-0) to disapprove of a regulation proposed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) that would have banned the use of lead ammunition for shotguns on Wildlife Management Area (WMAs) shooting ranges. The proposed rule would…

Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator The 2020 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature adjourned on June 1, and a number of pro-sportsmen’s bills await action by Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Governor John Bel Edwards. Some of the bills on the Governor’s desk include: Wild Game Donations On June 1, legislation sponsored by Louisiana Legislative…

Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (Commission) recently held their virtual May meeting at which they established parameters for the upcoming red snapper season and discussed proposed regulatory changes. Recreational Red Snapper Season Louisiana (LA) and other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) were granted limited state management…

Contact: Bee Frederick, Southeastern States Director During the first weekend in August, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) sponsored the annual Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Louisiana Legislative Rodeo in Grand Isle. CSF’s Fisheries Program Director Chris Horton and Southeastern States Director Bee Frederick attended the event and used it as an opportunity to discuss needed improvements…

Contact: Bee Frederick, Southeastern States Director During this past legislative session in Louisiana, two important house concurrent resolutions impacting sportsmen and women were introduced with one ultimately passing both legislative bodies. Both introduced by Louisiana Sportsmen’s Caucus member Representative Stuart Bishop, House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 65 urges and requests the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries…

By Bee Frederick, Southeastern States Director On March 20, the Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted a field trip in south Louisiana to educate legislators and their staff on the state’s delicate ecosystem and the positive impacts of sediment diversions from the Mississippi River on the coast and the marsh. Louisiana’s coastal land is disappearing at…

By Chris Horton, Midwestern States Senior Director On August 13, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards officially joined the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus, a group of bipartisan state chief executives dedicated to supporting the outdoor traditions of their state’s sportsmen and women and the American System of Conservation Funding. “Louisiana has a rich heritage of fishing and…

By Chris Horton, Midwestern States Senior Director On May 8, the Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted their annual barbeque luncheon in the Lieutenant Governor’s apartment of the historic Pentagon Barracks. Louisiana Co-Chairs Senators Francis Thompson and Gerald Long, and Representatives Clay Schexnayder and Gene Reynolds, welcomed more than two dozen legislators as well as members…

With the recent conclusion of the Louisiana legislative session, two resolutions related to marine fisheries management clearly demonstrated the legislature’s support for recreational angling in the Sportsmen’s Paradise state. Introduced by Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus member Senator Bret Allain on May 3, LA SCR 67 memorializes Congress to pass legislation or adopt policies allowing Louisiana…

On May 25, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced a controversial two-year pilot program for red snapper management within the Gulf of Mexico.  The proposal, slated to begin in 2018, would allow LDWF to implement an exempted fishing permit for a randomly-selected group of 150 offshore…

On May 22, more than 30 of the nation’s leading hunting, fishing, and other conservation groups sent a letter to U.S. Secretaries of Defense and Commerce urging expedited federal review of a critical infrastructure project in coastal Louisiana. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project, located in southern Louisiana, was initially approved by the Louisiana state legislature…