The LDWF Enforcement Division has been charged with enforcing the emergency commercial and recreational fishing closures, reporting oil and oiled wildlife sightings, patrolling booming operations and providing security detail for VIPs.
The Enforcement Division's initial response was to the explosion of the oilrig to assist in the ongoing search and rescue missions. After all of the search and rescue missions were complete, the Enforcement Division turned their attention to the oil spill and subsequent fishing closures.
The Enforcement Division deployed their forward mobile command unit to Hopedale where it operated out of the Breton Sound Marina at the end of April. From this forward command, Enforcement scheduled daily patrols in the Venice and Hopedale operating areas. Once the oil shifted west of the Mississippi River in early May, Enforcement set up another forward command in Grand Isle.
From these forward command posts, agents launched day and night patrols to enforce the emergency fishing closures with nearly 80 agents and 30 boats. The Enforcement Division also deployed their two planes to help with fishing closure patrols. Enforcing the fishing closures helped ensure that no tainted seafood entered the marketplace.
To date the LDWF Enforcement Division has compiled the following citations, warnings, public contacts, patrol hours and the amount of seafood returned to the water.
Total Criminal Citations for Fishing in the Closed State and Federal Areas = 615 - Commercial Fishermen in State Waters = 371, Commercial Fishermen in Federal Waters = 95, Recreational Fishermen in State Waters = 120, Recreational Fishermen in Federal Waters = 29
Total Warning Citations for Fishing in the Closed State and Federal Areas = 253 – Recreational = 196 and Commercial = 57
Totals of Fish Returned to the Water = 50,925 pounds of shrimp (of which 12,680 were returned in federal waters), 812 trout, 1,311 pounds of crab, 26 red drum, 8 mangrove snapper, 1 southern flounder, 1 cobia, 1 sheepshead, 5 catfish, 340 pounds of various fish (all in federal waters) and 115 sacks of oysters.
The Enforcement Division made 113,783 public contacts during their 85,916 patrol hours enforcing the fishing closures and booming operations.
The Enforcement Division used agents statewide and rotated them to the oil spill area for daily and nightly patrols on four and five day rotations. The Enforcement Division shut down the forward command stations in Hopedale and Grand Isle and sent the northern parish agents back to their regions in October as the fishing closure areas reduced in size. Enforcement Division agents still patrol the remaining fishing closures daily with local agents.
