Oyster
Season Extended East of the Mississippi River and to Reopen
in Sister Lake
Posted:
12/21/05
The Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has extended the
oyster season within the primary public oyster seed grounds
located east of the Mississippi River in both St. Bernard
and Plaquemines parishes. The extended areas include the Lake
Borgne Public Oyster Seed Ground and the Bay Gardene Public
Oyster Seed Reservation until further notice.
LDWF will
also reopen the Sister Lake Public Oyster Seed Reservation
located in Terrebonne Parish beginning at one-half hour before
sunrise on Jan. 3, 2006 and ending one-half hour after sunset
on Jan. 12, 2006.
Despite
hurricane-related impacts and the harvest of significant numbers
of marketable oysters from these public oyster areas, marketable
quantities of oysters remain in these waters. In addition,
oyster spat growth has progressed to levels whereby these
spat have developed into sizes better able to withstand harvest-related
and natural stressors.
LDWF Marine
Fisheries Division biologists will continue sampling the oyster
resource, conducting boarding report and aerial surveys and
field inspections of on-board oysters harvested from these
public grounds. Analysis of this fishery independent and dependent
data will provide LDWF with the information necessary to take
immediate action to protect the public oyster resource if
threatened.
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