Table Of Content

I: DJjyaflBtJJJJjfci ust2002 I ^ 1 sJ >^^ b k :.%4 i .ouisiana's Shrimpini ndustry Struggles Survive :o Caney Lake & Trophy Bass LouisianaConservationist ISSN0024-6778 Volume54,No.4 BatonRouge,LA 70808 Comments M.J."Mike"Foster,Governor ]amesH.JenkinsJr.,Secretary JamesPatton,Undersecretary PhilBowman,Asst.Secretary ByJamesJenkinsJr,Secretary JohnRoiissel,Asst.Secretary T WildlifeandFisheriesCommissioners here is somethingextra in ThomasCattle,Chairman,LakeProvidence themagazinethisissuefor BillBusbiceJr.,Lafayette our readers. Through the TerryD.Denmon,Monroe past few issues we have been LeeFelterman,Patterson telling you about the Louisiana ThomasE.Kelly,Jeanerette Wildlife and Fisheries WayneJ.Sagrera,Abbeville Foundation, a nonprofit organi- JerryStone,M.D.,BatonRouge zation that aids the department inprotectingandconservingour DivisionAdministrators wildlifeandfishresources. Inthe BennieFontenot,InlandFisheries middleofthemagazineyouwill KarenFoote,MarineFisheries find the foundation's newest information brochure, one which we are TommyPrickett,Wildlife proudtodistributetoourreaders. BrandtSavoie,Fur/Refuge SincethecreationofLWFFin1995ithasdevelopedintoasolid,enter- Col.WintonVidrine,Enforcement prising body that has assisted the department with many programs. bftiEoanoyrguplniaipdnrercatriorttceighiaoripsnsaaitmnmyegeopairltnrehusestdehivnaeveuerfnmraoeslbuiwentmdryaiajnatoioniftriodabniteonitixavtoperioedapkrtliimaveaeennnsomcntebsehuedwecrirhfstoshratfseiFrtpatsolhfmlmeoe2Rrsm0iwebx0ade2rtrdRowsii.iv1tn1e,hrIittgafsciidopsvdhnriitontsiggitnroouentcesahklsse- MMJJSTeaaeahfnarfgoinicDmaaeeazRGnisiCrnlonaeGleyfelr,fiMe,nS.Ssstth,SaaBtaffEuamffdfr,ifkWterAWo,isrrtsiIeotncrefiroartmeaEtdiiotnorDirector fishstockingsintheAtchafalayaBasin. Thereareseveralprogramsthe JoelCourtney,StaffPhotographer foundationhasparticipatedinthroughtheyearsrangingfromeducation- LindaAllen,CirculationManager al programs in the elementary schools to supporting Operation Game Thief to participating in the reintroduction of Louisiana endangered sLpDeDcWiueFrsi.pnrgotghreampsashtassixnoatndonalyhablefenyevaarlsuatbhlee,fobuuntdaitnisono'msepcaarsteisciepsasteinotniali.n orWreislopdtColhnioefspreiybrmalainetgdfehortFiria2sluh0sne0.sro2ileisbc.yitTtehhdiesmLaponuuubislsciircaaintpaitosDn,epipsahrnootttomgernatphofs Theaidthatthefoundationoffersthedepartmentcomesintheformof TheLouisianaConservationistispublished partnershipswithindividualsandbusinesses. Thesepartnershipsrepre- bimonthlyexceptJanuary/FebruarybytheLouisiana psaerntticciopnasteerivnatLiDoWnFm'isndmeadnapgaertmieenstwahnodheanvfeoracetmreunetipntreorgersatmasn.dTdheesifroeunt-o PDDereripivaoerd,itcBmaaeltnoptonsoRtfoaWguiegledpl,aiifLdeAaatn7dB0a8Ft0ios8nh,eRr2io2eu5sg,/e72,605L0-A029Qa1un8ad.il dationactsasamediatorindevelopingandcoordinatingthepartnerships. additionalmailingoffices.POSTMASTER:send The Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation can assist with partnerships addresschangestoLouisianaConservationist,P.O. becauseitisanonprofitpubliccharitableorganizationtaxexemptunder Box98000,BatonRouge,LA70898. Skmeeecnyttit.oonLh5eD0l1Wp(iFCn)g(e3mi)pnlodfiovytiehdeeusaInlotsfetraennnadlmeRbeuestvieonnreuswseoeCrsokmdweai.ktehThpdeeoonnapotlnieporwnohsfoittowsatthnaettudsteopishaertlthp-e IdbanestpieasRrrietoogfmruerlsnaatctrteaii,clotcfnloesyldopeorrrf,oathlnhilaebytiiUtao.snuSsai.nlsltDaoeerwdipfgpauirlrno,tdgmairesgancemrtosiromofihnntaahnttedhiieocnapi.n withmonetaryorpropertydonations. Thefoundationoffersanavenue Anypersonwhobelievesheorshehasbeendiscrimi- forthedepartmenttoacceptthecontributions.Sometimesthecontribution natedagainstinanyprogram,activityorfacility/ wissuadpyepsowirhgtenfraoteredLitDfiosWrnFsepeepcdrieofdgicrmauomssests.tahanItdnmeoiitgthhheetrrntcoiatmseeostthihteeirsweiunssdeedrbeeisnualvataimilsoarbaleded.gietnieornaall ow2Upr0.eiS2rt.4ae0tD.teeod:pabDriyrteamcetrneocrti,poOifeftnfhtiecoeIffnfoteerdreiEroqarul,aaWlsasOsiphspitonarngtctueonnsi,htoyDu,.lCd. reaOduerrspaunrpoopspeorftourniintsyerttoinhgeltpheuLsWsFpFrebardotchheurweoirndthaibsoiustsuteheisftooungdiavteiooun.r T$ph5ui1bsl,i7sp5hu1be.ld6i0c.atAdpaopncruoamxvieemnraattgeewlyapsr2i7npt,iu0nb0gl0icscohoseptdieosfato$2a3n,9a1v0e.4r4a.geThceosttotoalf ThisarmoftheDepartmentofWildlifeandFisheriesisbecomingmore cdoosctumofenaltlpwrianstingpuobflithsihseddocfourmeDnetpaarvetrmaegnets$of23,W9i1l0d.li4f4e.Tahnids idlyamoorpougorerscttatahnonetracenotqnyoutoertnsihetbeutimcinoootrnneser.eesratAvteladtttihhioeonnuahgodehfdlrpooeinusnlrsgynLaoannDtdeuWrbFparlhoo-crnnheesuoornuemruachtmeatbsseerbrbyeheloionwsptieesdnnmcialinulngdletidhot,ers FLsaiucSsacUhnoetrrGidrteaaosnp,chR2.eiS0c.0wS0i4et3rhQ:vu3ia1cti.ehlse.r,PDpTrprrthiiiroinvnotsetpvi.irinmnosggaBivtaooibetfndyrsoeitsnahitloinasfRftwooemuTaraiagmsttgealeeet,rpniihoca4Lnnlio3teuoewisonsdafeisosaiutnnpata,budalorci7occs0rhoh8areo0sddp8eap,pdnoucbrrie-y-n bFrooucnhduartei.on,FworeoevpeernythpeerdsooonrfwoeratneollthaebrocuotnstehrevaWtiilodnlisfueppaonrtderF.isheries Revise^dStatutes. /' IXZIODZDi* GD^IK^r^tK^fi -C'-ILjtI1 U r r',>; 4~ AHardShelltoCrack ToughissueslieaheadfortheLouisianashrimpingindustry. Bif]cffDcGraffandThonuisGivsliniii 7 Louisiana'sCallinectessapidus ' Staterecreationalandcommercialcrabbingopportunities. ByMarianneBurke BookerFowlerFish Hatchery OriginandoperationofLDWF'sprimaryfishproductionfacility. B\/AngelaCapella,RobertGoiigh&PaulWhitehead,PhD Rigsto Riches Agingrigsenjoyasecondlifeasartificialreefs. ByRiekKasprzak DangerousSeason Warmweathercould meanmoreboating accidents. BySeanRiley BecomingCaney VisitoneofLouisiana'spremiertrophy lakes. ByTedCotvin Red River/Three RiversWMA Enchancements DTlPAPTMEUTS JC SpeciesProfile FloridaLargemouthBass WMA 26 Profile JoyceWildlifeManagementArea 2^ PhotographyShowcase 'JCi Conservation Notes WildlifeandFisheriesNewsBriefs LawLines FrontCover BoatingEthics ShrimpingVessel ByMajorKeithLaCaze byRyanTaylor '-!';'^- CRe'ceisptesBforonmtheOfficialLouisianaSeafood SbBtyaucDfafkevdiCdoCvrHeaurbmsphreys andWildGameCookbook. PublishedbytheDepartmentofWildlifeandFisheriesintheinterestofconservationofLouisiananaturalresources. tro %^ THE PROBLEMS FACING % THE LOUISIANA SHRIMPING INDUSTRY Louisianashrimpershavealwaysfaced shrimp in Asia and South America are fre- STORY tough challenges. Bad weather, low quentlycultivatedinlarge-scalefarms. These BY amounts of harvestable shellfish, and productionfacilitiesareoftenconstructed at JEFF iisappearingmarshlandareconstantfactors the expense of fragile coastal wetlands and DEGRAFF jeyondtheshrimpers'controlthataffecttheir mangroveswamps. AccordingtoThaigov- ivelihoods. ernment statistics, approximately two-thirds AND A new and tougher problem confronts of Thailand's mangrove forests have been THOMAS hemnow. AlthoughLouisianashrimphave replacedbyshrimpfarms. Thereisevidence GRESHAM dwaysbeenafavoritefortheirtaste,anddis- ofsimilarlossesinothercountries. :erningconsumerspreferalocalproduct,a With the evolution ofthese farms in the :heaper,mass-producedimporthasbegunto mid-20thcenturycamethewidespread infil- lood the marketplace. Shrimp brought in tration of disease into shrimp populations. Tom Asia and SouthAmerica begin filling Farmed shrimp grow in more concentrated Louisianawarehouseslongbeforelocalsea- populationsandinsmallerareas. Thus,the sonsevenstart. Theshrimp,growntoopti- spreadofinfectionismoreprevalentthanin nalmarketsizeusingvariousmodernaqua- openwaters. Manyfarmerscontroldiseases :ulturetecliniques,areflashfrozenandcan withtheuseofchloramphenicol,anantibiotic jegintheirtriparoundtheworldonlymin- recently banned in imported products for ates afterharvest. This puts the Louisiana human or animal consumption by the shrimperatadisadvantagethatisharderto EuropeanUnion. Closertohome,asearlyas wercomethananyhurricaneordroughtof 1992, the Food and Drug Administration hepast. warned that exposure to chloramphenicol, Whilethegeneralpublicreapstheinitial evenatlowlevels,isrelatedtoapotentially benefitsthatglobalizationbrings,likecheap- fatalblooddisorder. ershrimpremouladeandpoboys,Louisiana Allofthesedangerswereonthemindsofa shrimpers understand its dangers. "Even large group of shrimpers who congregated :hough cheaper shrimp may sound good, outside the Department of Wildlife and :here is a definite downside," said Martin Fisheries duringa meetingoftheLouisiana 3ourgeois,shrimpprogrammanagerforthe Wildlife and FisheriesCommissioninApril, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and 2002. Theyweretheretogiveavoiceanda Fisheries. "Iflocal fishermencan'tcompete facetothecurrentsituation. Thoughthecom- mdtheindustrycollapses,itwillcausearip- missionhasnojurisdictionovershrimpprices Dieeffectthroughoutourwholeeconomy." ortaxes,theshrimpersurgedthecommission- The economic impact of the Louisiana ers to support upcoming legislation that ihrimptradeaccountsforover$2billioneach wouldplacetaxesonforeignshrimpinorder year. More than 22,000 people rely on the tobringitspricenearertodomesticlevels. shrimpingindustrytoprovideforthemselves AtitsJunemeeting,thecommissionheed- mdtheirfamilies,buttheywouldnotbethe ed the cries of Louisiana shrimpers, and Dnlyvictimsifitfolded. Shrimpersbuyboats passedtworesolutionspledgingtheirsupport and fuel, mortgage houses and purchase ofpendinglegislation. "Whereasitisimpor- automobiles. Thesuddenlossofincometo tant for the state ofLouisiana to track and an entire sector of the commercial fishing monitortheimportationofshrimpfromother communitywouldhaveacatastrophiceffect. countries for economic and health reasons," Andthoselosseswouldhavetobeabsorbed the commission resolved to "[evidence] its oyeveryoneelse. Louisianiansnotevenaffil- support for efforts of the Louisiana iatedwiththeshrimpingindustrywouldfeel Legislature to pass statutes which will negativeeffects,includinglossoftaxrevenue enhance the ability of the Louisiana andanaddeddrainonsocialservicesfund- DepartmentofWildlifeandFisheriestomon- ing. itorandtrackimportedshrimp..." Andthedangeroftheforeignproductis In its second motion the commission notmerelyeconomic. Therearequestionsof acknowledged the threat of shrimp tainted quality and environmental damage aswell. with chloramphenicol. "The Louisiana Louisianashrimpersrelyonlyonthenatural Wildlifeand FisheriesCommissionsupports watersoftheGulfofMexico,whichchange alleffortsoftheLouisianaLegislature...and seasontoseasonandsometimesdaytoday. allotherappropriatestateand federalagen- Theircatch,andthemarketprice,varysignif- ciesintheireffortstomonitorandprohibitthe icantly Inanefforttoeconomizeproduction. importationofseafoodproductscontaminat- July/August2002 5 edwithchloramphenicoloranyotherpoten- theyneed. Eachyear, detailed and intense tiallyharmfulantibiotics,andtoprotectthe surveysareconductedtomonitorthehealth citizens ofLouisiana and the United States of Louisiana shrimp and their habitat. fromthesame." Thecommissionpassedits Annual seasons are set to maximize the resolutionsalongtothestatelegislatureand shrimpharvestandmaintainaviablepopula- otherkeystateandfederaloffices. tionforsubsequentharvests. Asofthewritingofthisarticle,thelegisla- Inadditiontolegislationandtheworkof turehadpassedHouseBill241whichwould government agencies, there is a grass-roots placeanequalexcisetax,15centsper210- movementamongmerchantstochampionthe pound barrel, on Louisiana and imported causeofLouisianashrimpers. Theyrecognize shrimp. Currently,Louisianashrimpdeal- theproblemandhavebeguntolabelandpro- ers are required to pay a 15 cent per 210- motetheirshellfishasLouisiana-caught. pound barrel severance tax, but imported The Louisiana shrimp industry and the shrimpareuntaxedby seafood industry as a the state. The b whole are not just eco- would repeal the cur nomically vital to the rent severance tax state, but hold cultural and provide for and historical signifi- equa taxation of cance. Theyhavehelped Loui ana and im- build a reputation ported product. throughout the country Proceeds from the and around the world taxwouldbeusedbv that identifies Louisiana theLouisianaDepart- asahavenofflavor. The mentofWildlifeand Bayou State is renown Fisheries Enforce- for its delicacies, and ment Division to locally-harvestedshrimp control and monitor have always been a the importation major part of Louisiana of shrimp. The lecipes. approvedbillawaits Butnowshrimpersand Governor Foster's part of Louisiana's her- signature. itageareinjeopardy. The The Senate also citizensofthestate have presented a resolu- the decision before them tion to create tobuylocallyandsupport the South Central anindustrywithahistory Louisiana Shrimp asdeepasthegulfwaters, Fisherman's Leg- orputatriskawayoflife. islative Advisory com- Adeclinein Louisiana'sshrimping industry The shrimpers them- mittee to "study and would have a direct affect on more than selves just want a fair monitor the shrimp 22,000people. Theindirectaffectswouldbe chance to continue pro- industry and make ^^^^farther-reaching. viding the local product recommendations to that Louisianians have the Senate and the Wildlife and Fisheries enjoyed forgenerations. Theactionsofthe Commissionforthemaximizationofbenefits governmentwillhelptodiminishpriceasa pertainingtothemanagementanddevelop- factorintheconsumer'spurchase. Louisiana mentoftheshrimpindustryforthestateand shrimpers understand that competition is itscitizens." Thecommitteewouldinclude17 important to a global economy, they just votingmembersfromlocalandstatefisher- requestalevelplayingfield. ^ men's organizations and two non-voting members appointed by the secretary of the JeffDcGinffisaLoitislaimDepartiiiaitofWildlife Louisiana Department of Wildlife and andFisiieriesPublicliifoiiuntionOfficerandcon- Fisheries. tributor to Louisiaiin Coiiservntioiiist. Tlwinas BiologistsfromLDWFarealsostrivingto Gresbniu ;s the News and Media Relations help in the cause by providing Louisiana Mniui^ier ain1 Associate Editor of Louisiana shrimpers with the scientific support that Conservationist. 6 LouisianaConservationist ues LDWFFilePhoto the gulf waters of Louisiana is a beautiful savory sivimmer, In which both recreational and commercialfishermen pursue. It is known as the blue crab, taking its common namefrom the blue tint on the claw. Its scientific name, Callinectes sapidus, is derived from Latin and Greek: Calli, meaning beautiful, nectes meaning swimmer and sapidus meaning savory. Butfor many Louisianians, it's the savory part that draws our nets to the waters. Crabbing in Louisiana offers various Louisiana, the Bayou State has no specific STORY waystoparticipateforbothrecreationaland crabseason.Theyareavailableallyear,with BY commercialfishermen. Itisanactivitythat the highestavailability during the warmer MARIANNE canbeconductedfromapier,abeachora months of July and August. As spring BURKE boat. The catch methods range from the approachesandtemperaturesbegintorise, commercial crab traps on trotlines to the crabsmigrateintowarmer,shallowerwaters simple dip net used by children on the where they become more active and more GrandIslebeaches. Crabbingcanbeafam- accessible. Assummerbeginstowaneand ilyoutingorwayoflife. September arrives, crab harvest begins to Unlike other marine fisheries in waneaswell. July/August2002 7 inexpensive, lightweight and available at mostsportinggoodsstores. Dropnetscon- sistoftwometalringsofdifferentdiameters, attached at the top and bottom ofthe net. Thebaitisweightedandtiedtothebottom of the net and lowered into the water. Dropnetsaredesignedtolieflatonthewater bottom,allowingthecrabtocrawloverthe netafterthebait. Oncethecrabisonthenet itispulledupandthetwometalringsform abasket,trappingthecrab. Dip nets are the simplest method for catchingcrabs. Everyonehashadadipnet sometime in their life whether it was for crabbing, shell collecting at the beach or catching minnows and fish in the local bayou. These are hand held nets used in shallow waters orwading areas where the crabsareonlyanarm'sreachaway. Althoughthereisn'taspecificcrabseason, thereareregulationstofollowandlicensesto purchase. Femalecrabscaughtintheberry stage(carryingtheeggsoryoungattachedto theunderside)mustbereturnedtothewater. This regulationappliestobothrecreational andcommercialfishermen,andallmethods ofcatch. Possessionorsaleoffemalecrabsin theberrystageisagainstLouisianalaw. Justasthemethodfortakingcrabsvaries, sodoesthelicenserequirements. Crabtraps areusedbybothrecreationalandcommer- cialfishermen,butthelicenserequirements aredifferent. Recreationaluseofcrabtraps isdefinedas10orlesstrapssetinwaterat any given time or location and requires a recreationalcrabtraplicenseinadditiontoa Thereisno There are several methods for catching basicfishinglicense.Iffishinginasaltwater minimum crabs. Theycanbetakenbyanylegalcrab area, a saltwater fishing license is also recreationalsize trap, dropnet, trawl, trotline, handline, required.Commercialcrabbingisdefinedas possecs1rl2saiimbdiostonzaolennindmbiptltuheieers bmaunosdsltidniep,popndueiltpsa.rnTemrteatposrhoacdrasestuansreeetd.trbHayposwb,eovdterhorpr,encetrthese- cl1i1rcaeobnrslemi.coerAnelsletcrirnaapbsadtadraniptdsi,ornreeqctuorieraaetsicoranaacblotmarmnaedprccgoiemaa-lr person,dailyand ahonalandcommercialfishermenandcon- mercial,mustbelabeledforidentification. inpossession. sistofawireboxwithafunnel-likeopening Dropnetsdonotrequirealicenseunless Howeverthereisa thatallows thecrab into the trap,but not crabbing on a wildlife management area, sizelimitfor out.Trapsarethepreferredmethodforcom- refugeorcrabbingfromaboat.Abasicfish- commercialblue mercial harvestbutarewidelyutilized by ing license or a Wild Louisiana Stamp in carmaibnciamtuchmesofwfiitvhe trieocnrerateigoanradlicnrgarbebcerresattiooo.nalSapencdifciocmimnefrocrimaal- psiltaucaetioofnsa.fiDsihipngneltiscednoseniostrreeqquuiirreedafonrytth3e^see frominpcohienstitnowpioditnht,. tReacgrgeiantgioncaalnFbieshifnogunRedguilnattihoensL2o0u0i2siaannda oflLiocueinssie.ana's blue crabs have become the 2002 Louisiana Commercial Fishing increasinglyimportantonthenationalscene Regulationspamphlets. duringthepastfewyearsasproductionin Thedropnetisaverypopularmethodfor the Chesapeake Bay has declined. recreational crabbing also. These wire- Louisiana'sbluecrabharvestaveraged72.7 rimmed nets are easy for children to use. percentofthetotalGulfofMexicoproduc- 8 LouisianaConservationist Hon during the 1900s and led the United Foradditimia!informationonLouisiana'sfishing States in 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, and 2000. regulations, trapidentificationsandsizelimits, Like the rest of our commercial seafood refer to the Louisiana Recreational Fishing industry,thecommercialbluecrabindustry Regulations 2002 or the 2002 Louisiana is a valuable asset to our state's economy Comnwrcial Fishing Regulations pamphlets. withcrablandingsin2000(whichisthelat- These pamphlets can be obtained through estyearavailable)at52millionpoundsval- LDWF'slibrary(225/765-2934),LDWFregion- uedat$38million. Thiswasabovethe10- alofficesorLDWF'swebsite(ummuolfstate.la.us). yearaveragesof44.5millionpoundsworth $27Itmiisllailosno.anactivitythatdrawssignificant OanmoanvgeraLgoeu,istihaenac'osmmecrocmimaelrcbilaulecfriasbhefriiessh,eryberhainnkdsthsihrrdiimnpvaalnude numbers in license sales. In license year menhaden,andjustaheadofoysters. 2001 therewere3,250residentand58non- resident licensed commercial crabbers. Evenmoreimpressiveistheincreasednum- ber of individuals with recreational crab licenses,jumpingfrom1,198licensesinthe fiscalyear1986-87to5,349inthefiscalyear 2000-2001. The number ofindividuals has grownsignificantlyovertheyearswiththe totalfor2001almost900morethanthe2000 totalof4,479. Althoughitisdifficulttopredicttheout- comeofcrabbingthissummer,preliminary crab landings for January through March 2002indicatethatitwillbeanaverageyear forthecommercialindustry. VinceGuillory, LDWF Coastal Area 4 Biologist Super\'isor explains,"Crababundanceisverydifficultto predict.However,ingeneral,yearswithhigh MississippiRiverdischargesandlowcoastal salinitiesarebetterthanyearswiththeoppo- siteconditions. Preliminarycrablandingsfor January through March are now available andthetotalisroughlyequaltolastyear. We consider2001anaverageyearforLouisiana andweexpect2002tobesimilar." Althoughweexpectanaverageyearfor commercial production, Guillory empha- sized that recreational crabbers could still easilycatchtheirlimitof12dozenintheright placeandrighttime. Withtheincreasesales of recreational crabbing licenses, it doesn't appearthatmanyarediscouragedby"aver- age"years. Whethertheyareusingtrapsor dipnetsatthebeach,theLouisianabluecrab isstilldrawingrecordcrowdsofrecreational crabberstothewater. ^ MarianneBurkeistheLDWFPublicInformation £ Director and tJic former editor of Louisiana | Conservationist. -' fioflHR Fowler Fish Hatchery LDWFFilePhoto STORBYY It19w89a,swahihloetthwuomiLdivomnoiranibnags,sAfuisghuesrtme4n, aItdvwaansceadlspolacnonnisnigdeforredanaewmislteastetofnieshihnatcthh-e ANGELA thoroughlyworkedtheirluresthrougha ery. CAPELLA, seriesofwoodenframepiersjustnorthofthe Toaddresstheimpactsonfishpopulations lighthouse canal on False River. in the Atchafalaya Basin after Hurricane ROBERT Unknowinglytooneofthefishermen,Larry Andrewin1992,andtomeetblackbassman- GOUGH Lejeune, the next bass he caught would agementgoalsandobjectivesasdesigiiedby AND break the state record of 12 pounds which ourdepartmentin 1990, the BookerFowler PAUL had stood firm for 14 years. As they FishHatcherywascreatedinAugustof1996. WHITEHEAD, approached theskeletonofanoldwooden Thefundingforthisfacilitywasgranted to pier,Larryflippedhistequilasunrisecolored ourDepartmentbytheUSCongressin1993 PhD wormamongthepilings. Ashewaitedfor after Hurricane Andrew devastated the the worm to fall to cooler depths a light AtchafalayaBasinwithtremendousfishkills. twitchwasnoticed in the lineas itbecame The state-of-the-art fingerling producing slackandthenstartedtomoveawayfromthe hatchery named after Booker Fowler, the piertowarddeeperwater. Hesetthehook state'sfirstfishhatcherymanager,iscentrally hard. Afterahalfhourofcrazedbattlewith locatedinLouisianabetweenForestHilland thefish,shesurfacedandwasscoopedintoa Woodworth. The physical facility actually netbyhispartner,MikeRock. consistsoftwodifferentunitsforfishproduc- ThebassLejeunecaughtin1989wasveri- tion: anextensi\'eunitforrearingandgrow- fiedasapurestrainFloridalargemouthbass ingoutfingerlingsandanintensiveunitfor thatresultedfromanexperimentalstocking spawningandhatchingeggs. Theextensive in1984. Thefishwas5-years-oldandexhib- unitconsistsof55one-acrerearingponds,15 ited exceptional growth and weight. This onequarter-acrebroodstockponds,and3one recordfishsolidifiedtheexpectationsofour third-acreconditioningorquarantineponds. Department'sInlandFisheriesDivisionthat Theintensiveunitincludes16concreterace- theFloridastrainlargemouthbassisideally waysforcontrolledspawningandahatchery suitedforintroductionintoLouisianawaters. buildingwith40fiberglasshatchingorhold- 10 LouisianaConservationist