Louisiana
B.A.S.S. Federation Tournament Anglers to Assist L.D.W.F.
in Restocking Impacted Waterways
Posted:
3/7/06
The Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) in cooperation
with the Louisiana B.A.S.S. Federation announced a plan today
to give areas devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita a
much needed boost towards resource recovery.
"Project
Jumpstart" will be coordinated by LDWF's Inland Fisheries
Division and is similar to the "CPR Spillway" project
that utilized the efforts of bass anglers to help restore
the Atchafalaya Basin after Hurricane Andrew.
"Project
Jumpstart" will utilize the B.A.S.S.-sanctioned Spring
Qualifying State Tournament set for March 11-12 to collect
fish from the Atchafalaya Basin that will then be released
in waterways impacted by last year's storms. "We were
contacted by the B.A.S.S. Federation after Hurricane Katrina
with an offer of assistance in our resource restoration efforts,"
said Joey Shepard, Inland Fisheries Research Program Manager
in charge of freshwater fisheries restoration. "Their
offer to provide tournament fish for restocking impacted areas
was the right solution at the right time."
The weekend
tournament will be conducted from Doiron's Landing in Stephensville.
The first areas to receive fish from "Project Jumpstart"
will be those hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina, east of the
Mississippi River, including rivers and bayous around Lakes
Maurepas and Pontchartrain.
LDWF's
goal is to get adult fish back into impacted areas before
spring spawning takes place so they can begin to renew the
resource.
"We
are very interested in making this competitive, recreational
event even more meaningful by contributing the catch to the
fisheries' recovery efforts in another part of the state,"
said Louisiana B.A.S.S. Federation Conservation Director Will
Courtney. "If our participants can make this project
as successful as 'CPR Spillway', we've helped bass fishermen
elsewhere restore their resource and given them a reason to
get back out on the water."
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