Louisiana

Redfish to be stocked in Louisiana waters in first-of-its-kind program

Published

11 months ago

July 30, 2023

Redfish to be stocked in Louisiana waters in first-of-its-kind program

Louisiana’s redfish population is in sharp decline, prompting the state to call for tighter catch restrictions on the highly sought-after species. Officials are now also opening the door to an additional tool that may or may not help: growing them.

The state is in the early days of allowing a small pilot program that will stock hatchery-raised redfish in one area of the coast. The program will be the first of its kind in Louisiana, though it has long been done in other states.

The aim is not to solve the population declines plaguing redfish, officially known as red drum, since stocking alone will not come close to doing the trick, state officials say. But the pilot, being conducted at no cost to the state, will help determine if a larger program can help.

If experience elsewhere is any guide, an added benefit may come in the insights stocking can provide on redfish behavior and survivability through the use of genetic testing, which will be employed in the pilot.

A first step will be determining if any of the stocked fish survive and if they can be detected in the overall population, said Patrick Banks, assistant secretary at the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

“It’s not an effort that we think is going to rebuild the redfish population,” Banks said, stressing that reductions in catch limits are needed. “But this has been a request in front of us for quite some time, and we just felt like it was the appropriate time to at least test the method.”

The plan is to start with 10,000 fish raised in a hatchery, then stocked in Calcasieu Lake in southwest Louisiana, near Lake Charles. It will likely be next year before the fish hit the open water, with the program’s managers in the process of lining up logistics, including which hatchery they will use.

The parent fish, or brood stock, must come from the same area where the fish will be stocked to ensure the genetics match. Testing will also be required for diseases before the fish are transferred to the wild.

Calcasieu Lake was selected because it is relatively more confined than the mazes of marsh, canals and bayous that define other parts of coastal Louisiana, hopefully improving the chances that more of the fish will be located later, said Banks.

‘A big event’

The program will be run by the Recreational Fisheries Research Institute, a Covington-based nonprofit directed by Randy Pausina, who formerly held Banks’ job as the state’s head of fisheries. It is also partnering with the conservation group CCA Louisiana.

Pausina will be seeking sponsorships and grants to pay for the effort, though he said it’s too early to say what the total cost will be.

Randy Pausina

To start, four female and two male adult redfish will be needed as parents. They’ll likely be caught with rod and reel during the spawning season in the fall, said Pausina, then brought to the hatchery, likely in Texas.

That will lead to a first group of fingerling fish, possibly in the range of 4 to 6 inches when they are stocked, he said. Pausina described an effective stocking program as insurance in case of sudden and dramatic declines in a species’ population.

“Louisiana has a long history of freshwater stocking but has never stocked a marine sportfish species,” Pausina said. “This is a big event.”

The program does not require federal approval, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted that a range of states use saltwater stocking as a tool that “can help supplement and rebuild wild stocks depleted by overfishing, habitat loss or other factors.”

There hadn’t seemed to be much need for such a program in recent years, said Banks. Louisiana’s delta has traditionally provided extraordinary habitat for all sorts of marine life, redfish included, though much of those fertile coastal wetlands are in the process of disappearing.

The wild and crazy days of the 1980s, when stocks plummeted and Paul Prudhomme’s blackened redfish recipes caused a nationwide sensation, were addressed with a ban on commercial fishing and tighter recreational restrictions.

But experienced anglers along Louisiana’s coast again began seeing troubling signs more recently. Redfish, so plentiful for so long, were simply becoming much harder to catch. Research by state biologists released in December backed up those anecdotal impressions, documenting a worrying slide in the redfish population.

In response, the state’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has proposed tighter catch limits. The proposal is undergoing a public comment period, and if state legislators do not block it, the changes could take effect as early as December. Louisiana’s limits are significantly looser than those of other Gulf Coast states.

Stocked fish could potentially supplement the native population, while keeping in place safeguards and oversight to ensure genetic changes do not occur — one concern that will have to be continually monitored. Its potential is limited, state officials say.

NO.redfish.nc.100919.015.JPG — Angler Kevin Roberts holds up fish he caught with his fishing partner Chance Angel.
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STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER

‘Helped us learn’

The new program will use genetic sampling to trace the fish, rather than the older method of applying a physical tag to each one. A portion of a fin could be clipped, then tested to determine if it is one of the stocked fish or a descendant, said Kyle Piller, a biologist at Southeastern Louisiana University who will be handling testing for the program.

The samples could be taken on a volunteer basis by recreational anglers or by state biologists during their sampling efforts. Pausina’s organization already runs fish-tagging programs.

Piller said a return rate of anywhere from between 15% to 25% of hatchery fish in the samples would constitute a success.

Rebecca Triche, who directs the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, said her organization would have to look more closely at the program, but she agrees that stocking cannot replace the use of other tools, like tighter catch limits.

South Carolina has stocked redfish since the 1980s, said Aaron Watson, a scientist with that state’s Department of Natural Resources. The amount of stocked fish released varies each year, but the number has averaged around one million, he said.

Recent sampling there showed about 1.9% of the sampled adult redfish population were hatchery fish, he said. The numbers are much higher among 1-year-old redfish, though they tend to range widely. A typical percentage for larger estuaries has been between 10% and 20% of the sampled 1-year-old redfish being from hatcheries in those areas, said Watson.

Redfish live long lives. They become adults at around 4 or 5 years old, but can survive until they are 45 to 50, said Watson.

South Carolina has considered the program a success, not only because of its ability to supplement the population, but also because of the scientific research it provides, he said. Using genetic sampling, biologists can trace fish movements and survival through varying conditions, including from hurricanes.

“We’ve been able to use unique genetic families in our stocking designs to help us answer questions about the life history of red drum, or about different ecosystems, different environments, different estuaries within the state,” Watson said. “So it’s helped us learn not only a lot about how to continue a stocking program to help support the recreational fishery, but also about the natural population and our natural ecosystems here.”

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Louisiana

Shoppers react to rule changes for those under 18 at Mall of Louisiana

Published

4 hours ago

June 26, 2024

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Shoppers react to rule changes for those under 18 at Mall of Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – On June 25, the Mall of Louisiana announced its implementation of the ‘Parental Guidance Required’ (PGR) program that will go into effect on Friday, June 28.

Mall of Louisiana announces adult supervision policy for guests under 18

WAFB spoke with many shoppers about what this means and heard their thoughts on the new changes.

Meleia and J.B. Nelson say they think this is a great idea that will keep shoppers and employees safe.

“Sometimes the kids get rowdy…you know, especially on Fridays and Saturdays,” Meleia says.

“A lot of them don’t mean any harm, they’re just having fun but sometimes they can get out of hand and they need someone like maybe more security guards that might be around at that time,” J.B. says.

Other shoppers agree. Carmen Richard and Aaliyah Rodruiguez say they saw a group of young men being escorted out by security guards and voices being raised the last time they were at the mall.

“I feel like it is definitely a benefit to the whole mall.” Richard says.

The friends say it may be tough for those almost 18 years old, but they believe it will be beneficial in minimizing the potential of unsupervised incidents.

“Yeah I think it’s sad we have to do it, but hopefully it’ll be better to make it more of a family environment,” Rodruigez says.

WAFB also spoke to one woman who is visiting Baton Rouge from Egypt, Nada Elkaffas. She says in the malls she shops at in Egypt, there are no such rules.

“Coming from a culture that is so strict and conservative, we don’t do this there, so it’s kind of weird, it’s kind of bizarre actually,” Elkaffas said. ” It’s a very critical age, but at the same, time we should trust our kids.”

Mall officials say this rule is a permanent change. Guards will be located at every entrance of the malls and at the entrances to the malls from department stores.

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Louisiana Passes Public Schools Ten Commandments Law, Parents and Clergy Sue – by Jan Wondra – Ark Valley Voice

Published

12 hours ago

June 25, 2024

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Louisiana Passes Public Schools Ten Commandments Law, Parents and Clergy Sue – by Jan Wondra – Ark Valley Voice

This past week, Louisiana became the first state in the nation — or the nation’s history for that matter — to pass a state law requiring that a suitably-produced copy of the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school classroom of every school, at all grade levels through university level.

Civil rights groups on Monday filed a lawsuit against Louisiana’s House Bill 71, which mandates that all public schools display the Ten Commandments. File Photo by Michael Kleinfeld/United Press International.

The law, HB 71, stipulated that this posting would be paid for by donations — but that has not silenced objectors. Nor has it negated the fairly obvious intrusion of a political movement known as “Christian nationalism” into politics, our daily lives, and schools.

A lawsuit was filed Monday, June 24 by a group of public school parents, as well as clergy against the mandated display of the Ten Commandments, the group known as Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and offices of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union).

‘This is religious favoritism, and it is not only dangerous but runs counter to my religion and faith,’ said Presbyterian Church (USA) minister and plaintiff in the case the Rev. Jeff Sims.

Speaking at a press conference after the suit was filed, the head of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Rachel Laser, pointed out that several other states [Oklahoma, Mississippi, and South Carolina] have introduced similar bills attempting to dictate public morality. Calling this an example of “the Christian nationalism that is on the march across this country” she said that Texas has also already passed a law allowing public schools to enlist chaplains.

Communicating with several journalists in the past few days, we noted it could reasonably be asked that if anything is required to be posted in every classroom in a state, it should be the law of this land — the United States Constitution, not a Christian document.

In fact, the posting of the TEn Commandments would appear to violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”

This is a multi-cultural nation. The reaction across the U.S. may not be what the Louisiana legislators thought they might see. Objections are not just being voiced by those of other religions, from Jewish to Muslim, and Hindus, but by the leadership of Christian denominations, including the mainline protestant faiths.

According to Religious News Service, “the plaintiffs argue the statute unfairly privileges a specific version of Christian scripture in addition to impinging on the rights of the nonreligious and those of other faiths.” Further, they say, “the law violates their First Amendment right to religious freedom as well as the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition against establishing a state religion.

“This simply cannot be reconciled with the fundamental religious-freedom principles that animated the founding of our nation,” reads the complaint, which notes no federal court has upheld the display of the Ten Commandments in a public school setting.

The plaintiffs in this case are a mixture of religious and non-religious parents, and include clergy who object to a narrow interpretation of religion.

“By subjecting my children to permanent displays of scripture in every classroom, the Ten Commandments conflicts with this principle,” said Unitarian Universalist Minister Rev. Darcy Roake. According to Religious News Service (RNS) she pointed out “that among her faith tradition’s seven principles is a call for “the right to a free and responsible search for truth and meaning,” that her husband is Jewish and that they have raised their children in a multi-faith household.

“My husband believes this state-mandated version of the Ten Commandments does not conform with his Jewish faith either, because the displays misappropriate and alter the text of the Ten Commandments as they are set out in the Torah,” she told a RNS reporter.

There is more irony — turns out that the Louisiana law requires the Ten Commandments to be posted in English — but of course the original ten were in Hebrew.

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Louisiana

Mall of Louisiana announces adult supervision policy for guests under 18

Published

19 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

Mall of Louisiana announces adult supervision policy for guests under 18

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Teens and kids wanting to visit the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge will soon have to have an adult accompany them on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Officials with the Mall of Louisiana announced that beginning Friday, June 28, a Parental Guidance Required (“PGR”) program will be in effect at the Mall of Louisiana on Friday and Saturdays after 4 p.m.

As part of the program, officials say guests under 18 years old will be required to be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult who is at least 21 years old while they are on the shopping center property, including in the parking lot and exterior sidewalks.

The Mall of Louisiana released the following statement about the change:

Beginning Friday, June 28, a Parental Guidance Required (“PGR”) program will be in effect at the Mall of Louisiana on Friday and Saturdays after 4 p.m. The PGR program requires that all guests under 18 years of age be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult who is at least 21 years old. The PGR program will be strictly enforced throughout the entire shopping center property, including the parking lot and exterior sidewalks.

“We strive to provide a safe shopping experience for every visitor and are constantly evaluating our comprehensive security program to meet the changing needs of our customers and merchants. Therefore, we will be implementing our Parental Guidance Required (PGR) program.” Gene Satern, senior general manager of the Mall of Louisiana said, “I want to stress that everyone is still welcome at our center, but on weekends moving forward we require families to shop together.”

During PGR hours, trained public safety officers will be stationed at the Mall of Louisiana entrances to check IDs of visitors who appear to be younger than 18 years old. Those who cannot provide a valid photo ID showing they are at least 18 years of age will need to be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult to stay at the shopping center. One adult may accompany up to four youths and must remain with them through the duration of the shopping experience.

Those who provide proper identification to indicate that they are at least 18 years old will be offered an optional wristband. Those who choose not to wear the wristband may be asked for ID again by safety officers inside the shopping center. Valid identification includes a state issued driver’s license or ID card, a military ID, a school ID card, or a passport. The identification must be tamper-proof and include a photograph and date of birth.

Announcements will be made inside the Mall of Louisiana starting at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, giving unsupervised youths ample time to complete their shopping or dining before PGR begins. After 4:00 p.m. public safety officers inside the shopping center will check IDs of individuals who appear to be underage and are not wearing wristbands.

The Mall of Louisiana is located at 6401 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baron Rouge, LA 70836.

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