A declaration
of emergency setting the 2007 commercial fishing season for
king mackerel was issued by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries
Commission at their Jan. 4, 2007 meeting. The commercial fishing
season for king mackerel in Louisiana state waters will open
at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2007, and will remain open until
the 2007 commercial quota for the western Gulf of Mexico is
harvested or projected to be harvested.
The commission
also authorized Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Secretary Bryant O. Hammett Jr. to close the commercial king
mackerel season in Louisiana waters and re-open the commercial
season to coincide with season dates in federal waters. The
commission's actions ensure that regulations in Louisiana
state waters will mirror regulations of federally managed
waters. The National Marine Fisheries Service and the Gulf
of Mexico Fishery Management Council cooperatively manage
king mackerel in federal waters off the coast of Louisiana,
and consistent regulations enhance effectiveness and enforceability
of those rules.
