Louisiana Crab Task Force to Meet in Baton Rouge December 6

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 11.29.12

The Louisiana Crab Task Force will meet on Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in the fourth floor conference room of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) building in Baton Rouge.

Agenda items will include: Introduction of New Members, Discussions of Serviceable Crab Trap Law, Nominees to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, and Election of Chair and Vice -Chair.

The Crab Task Force is an industry advisory group comprised of fishermen, soft crab shedders, and crab dealers and processors, as well as state and university representatives. The task force, established by Act No. 57 of the 2001 regular legislative session, advises LDWF and the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission on matters pertaining to the management and development of the Louisiana crab industry.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.