Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 76 - WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES › Part VII - Fish and Other Aquatic Life › Chapter 3 - Saltwater Sport and Commercial Fishery › Section VII-375 - Traversing Louisiana Territorial Waters by Mississippi Recreational Anglers

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. Purpose.
				Pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statute 56:673 and in response to a resolution
				from the Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources to provide for a
				recreational fishing vessel traversing corridor east of the Mississippi River
				in Louisiana territorial waters to enhance safe passage for Mississippi
				recreational anglers fishing the federal exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the
				commission hereby enters into an agreement with the Mississippi Commission on
				Marine Resources as follows.
B.
				Traversing Corridor. For the purposes of this agreement the traversing corridor
				is established as those waters of Mississippi Sound, Breton Sound and
				Chandeleur Sound eastward from the double rig line as defined in Louisiana
				Revised Statutes 56:495.1(A)(2) to the eastern most extent of Louisiana
				territorial waters.
C. Eligibility.
				To be eligible to traverse Louisiana state waters under this agreement, anglers
				must comply with all of the following.
1.
				Anglers must be a licensed recreational fisherman for the state of Mississippi
				(resident or non-resident), or be legally able to fish in Mississippi waters;
				and provide proof of such while traversing waters within the territorial
				boundaries of Louisiana.
2. With
				the exception of licensed Mississippi charter vessels and persons aboard such
				charters, anglers must not be licensed to fish recreationally by the state of
				Louisiana. If an angler is a holder of a Louisiana fishing license then they
				must comply with the requirements for the state of Louisiana while possessing
				fish in Louisiana waters, regardless if only traversing.
3. Persons aboard vessels which are
				registered or documented in the state of Louisiana are required to comply with
				Louisiana fisheries regulations while fishing or possessing fish in Louisiana
				waters or outside of Louisiana waters when the fishery management plan for that
				fishery has been delegated to Louisiana for that fishery.
4. Vessels in the traversing corridor must be
				moving and anglers can not be in the act of fishing by any means.
5. The only fish species allowed to be
				possessed by a person aboard a vessel while traversing are the following
				federally managed species or species groups:
a. reef fish;
b. highly migratory species;
c. coastal migratory pelagic;
d. triggerfishes.
6. If the state of Mississippi is not
				participating in a regional management program for a particular species, then
				all fishermen shall comply with applicable federal fisheries regulations for
				that species if not fishing under a Louisiana regional management program for
				that species.
7. For purposes of
				this section, regional management is defined as a state exercising management
				over a fishery under state law and regulations where authority for a federal
				fishery management plan for that fishery has been approved and delegated by the
				National Marines Fisheries Service.