At Thursday’s Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries staff presented a preliminary report on cold weather-related fish mortality in Louisiana coastal waters.
Beginning on January 20, 2025,we experienced record cold temperatures, leading to periods of freezing air temperatures for several days, with record snowfall and frozen precipitation throughout the state's coastal areas as far south as Grand Isle, LA. Saltwater fish species begin to show lethal impacts when water temperatures fall below 40 degrees (°) Fahrenheit (F) and remain below that threshold for more than a day. The state's coastal waters recorded water temperatures below 40° F in all basins, with some areas recording water temperatures as low as 32° F in very shallow areas, resulting in widespread fish kills.
LDWF began searching for freeze-related fish kills and investigating those reported to the agency or observed on social media as soon as travel advisories were lifted on Friday, January 25, 2025. As of February 6, 2025, LDWF had investigated approximately 77 fish kills statewide and observed approximately 12,552 Spotted Seatrout, 6,568 Red Drum, 2,142 Black Drum, 2,657 Sheepshead, and 19,107 Striped Mullet that were dead, as well as other saltwater species.
Ultimately, the impacts of this freeze event and any unobserved fish mortality may not be evident for at least one to two years after the event through regular LDWF monitoring data, which tracks the relative abundances of key species. Estimates of the total number of fish killed during this freeze event may not become available with any high degree of confidence,given the widespread and sporadic nature of observed fish kills and associated mortality. Anglers should expect fishing for common and popular inshore saltwater species to be below average in the coming months based on similar impacts shown following the comparable freeze event of 2018.
To view the full report, including charts click here:https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/NEWSROOM/February_2025/Jan-2025-Freeze-Preliminary-assessment-no-table---0205625-for-PDF.pdf