Opening
and closing dates for the 2007-08 oyster season on the public
oyster areas were set at the Aug. 2, 2007 meeting of the Louisiana
Wildlife and Fisheries Commission.
The oyster
season in the primary public oyster seed grounds east of the
Mississippi River, including the sacking only area of the
public grounds and the Bay Gardene Public Oyster Seed Reservation
will open one-half hour before sunrise on Sept. 5, 2007 and
close one-half hour after sunset on Sept. 21, 2007. This area
will then reopen one-half hour before sunrise on Nov. 12,
2007 and will close one-half hour after sunset on April 1,
2008. The 2007 cultch plant locations in Black Bay and Turkey
Bayou within the following coordinates will remain closed:
Black
Bay – Plaquemines Parish
- 29
degrees 37 minutes 30 seconds N latitude
89
degrees 33 minutes 29 seconds W longitude
- 29
degrees 37 minutes 30 seconds N latitude
89
degrees 33 minutes 00 seconds W longitude
- 29
degrees 37 minutes 00 seconds N latitude
89
degrees 33 minutes 00 seconds W longitude
- 29
degrees 37 minutes 00 seconds N latitude
89
degrees 33 minutes 30 seconds W longitude
Turkey
Bayou – St. Bernard Parish
- 30
degrees 05 minutes 05.51 seconds N latitude
89
degrees 19 minutes 06.05 seconds W longitude
- 30
degrees 05 minutes 42.24 seconds N latitude
89
degrees 18 minutes 30.04 seconds W longitude
- 30
degrees 05 minutes 30.76 seconds N latitude
89
degrees 18 minutes 14.56 seconds W longitude
- 30
degrees 04 minutes 54.03 seconds N latitude
89
degrees 18 minutes 50.58 seconds W longitude
The oyster
season in the Hackberry Bay (Bay Duchene) Public Oyster Seed
Reservation will open one-half hour before sunrise on Sept.
5, 2007 and will close one-half hour after sunset on Sept.
21, 2007.
The oyster
season in the Little Lake Public Oyster Seed Grounds will
open one-half hour before sunrise on Sept. 5, 2007 and close
one-half hour after sunset on Sept. 21, 2007. This area will
then reopen one-half hour before sunrise on Nov. 12, 2007
and will close one-half hour after sunset on April 1, 2008.
The oyster
season in the Lake Felicity and Lake Chien Public Oyster Seed
Grounds will open one-half hour before sunrise on Oct. 24,
2007 and close one-half hour after sunset on Oct. 26, 2007.
The oyster
season in the Lake Mechant Public Oyster Seed Grounds will
open one-half hour before sunrise on Oct. 24, 2007 and close
one-half hour after sunset on Oct. 31, 2007.
The oyster
season in the Sister Lake Public Oyster Seed Reservation will
open one-half hour before sunrise on Nov. 12, 2007 and close
one-half hour after sunset on Dec. 5, 2007.
The Vermilion/East
and West Cote Blanche/Atchafalaya Bay Public Oyster Seed Ground
will open one-half hour before sunrise on Sept. 5, 2007 and
will close one-half hour after sunset on April 1, 2008.
The oyster
season in the Calcasieu Lake public oyster area is detailed
as follows:
- Calcasieu
Lake West Cove Conditional Management Area (west side of
Calcasieu ship channel) will open one-half hour before sunrise
on Oct. 15, 2007 and will close one-half hour after sunset
on April 30, 2008.
- Calcasieu
Lake Conditional Management Area (east side of Calcasieu
ship channel) will open one-half hour before sunrise on
Nov. 1, 2007 and will close one-half hour after sunset on
April 30, 2008.
The sack
limit for Calcasieu Lake is set at 15 sacks per day as provided
for in R.S. 56:435.1.1. However, these conservation actions
will not supercede public health closures.
The following
areas will remain closed for the 2007-08 oyster season: the
Deep Lake, Lake Tambour, and Barataria Bay Public Oyster Seed
Grounds; the Bay Junop Public Oyster Seed Reservation; and
the Sabine Lake public oyster tonging area.
The commission
authorized Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’
Secretary Bryant Hammett to take emergency action to close
areas if oyster mortalities are occurring or to delay the
season or close areas where significant spat catch has occurred
with good probability of survival, or where it is found that
there are excessive amounts of non-living reef material in
seed oyster loads, or if oyster resources and/or reefs are
being adversely impacted, or if enforcement problems are encountered.
The secretary was also authorized to take emergency action
to reopen areas previously closed if the threat to the resource
has ended and to open areas if substantial oyster resources
are located.
Public
notice of any opening, delay, or closure of a season will
be provided at least 72 hours prior to such action, unless
such closure is ordered by the Louisiana Department of Health
and Hospitals for public health concerns.
