Commercial Saltwater Finfish Seasons

Seasons and other regulations may differ in federal waters off Louisiana’s coast. Visit the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s site for federal seasons and regulations for common coastal species and reef fish. Visit NOAA Fisheries' site for federal seasons and regulations for shark, swordfish, and tuna.

Visit our seasons and regulations page for size and harvest limits by species.

Common Coastal Species

Species	Season
Black drum	Fishing year begins September 1; open year-round or until quota is harvested
Cobia (ling or lemonfish)	Year-round - one per person and no more than two per vessel per day.
Florida pompano	Strike net: August 1 through October 31 of each year, sunrise to sunset, no weekends or Labor Day Other legal gear: year-round
King mackerel	Season begins July 1, closes when quota is reached
Menhaden	Regular season: third Monday in April through November 1 Bait season: November 2 through December 1; if quota has not been harvested by December 1, fishery may resume on April 1 of the following year until the quota is harvested.
Sheepshead	Year-round
Southern flounder	Season closed annually October 15 - November 30.
Spanish mackerel	Fishing year begins April 1, season closes when quota is reached
Spotted seatrout (speckled trout)	The second day of January until the last day of December, or until the quota is reached (whichever comes first) No harvest on weekends (from official sunset on Friday to official sunrise on Monday)
Striped mullet	Strike net: third Monday in October through third Monday in following January; harvest only allowed Monday through Friday, from sunrise to sunset Live bait: year-round, with cast net only; harvest only allowed Monday through Friday, from sunrise to sunset
Tripletail	Year-round

Reef Fish

Species	Season
Banded rudderfish	Year-round
Black seabass	Year-round
Gray triggerfish	Closed June 1 through July 31
Greater amberjack	Opens January 1 Closed season from March 1 through May 31 Reopens June 1 if quota is still available
Grouper	Year-round
Hogfish	Year-round
Lesser amberjack	Year-round
Snapper	Year-round Lane snapper: closed at 12:01 am on October 18, 2021; remains closed until January 1, 2022
Tilefish (blueline, golden, and goldface)	Year-round

Highly Migratory Species

Species	Season
Shark	Large coastal sharks: open January 1 until the quota is reached; large coastal sharks are blacktip, bull, great hammerhead, lemon, nurse, sandbar, scalloped hammerhead, silky, smooth hammerhead, spinner and tiger sharks. Small coastal sharks: open January 1 until the quota is reached; small coastal sharks are Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, bonnethead, and finetooth sharks.
Swordfish	Year-round
Tuna	Federal seasons apply