Sabine Dockside Shrimping Shut Down
 

Dockside shrimping ends in Sabine National Wildlife Refuge



People were so piggy in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge that they won't be allowed to cast nets for shrimp from dockside any more.
http://media.nola.com/outdoors_impac...2420-large.jpgView full sizeU.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceSabine National Wildlife Refuge
They can still toss the nets from boats, with longer hours for that sort of shrimping. The 124,511-acre refuge in Cameron Parish, the largest coastal marsh refuge along the Gulf of Mexico, includes about 300 acres of canals and bayous that will be open for cast-net shrimping, visitor services manager Diane Borden-Billiot said Thursday.
But dockside shrimpers left so much trash -- and showed so little interest in a proposal to close the docks to them -- that the docks and banks at Hog Island Gully and other spots around the refuge are now no-shrimping zones, she said. The other spots include Northline, Blue Crab, West Cove, Blue Goose Trail and The Wetland Walkway.
The refuge south of Hackberry is one of the few places in southwestern Louisiana where shrimp are easily caught with hand-cast nets, officials said.
Damage from Hurricane Ike had closed the Hog Island Gully recreation area for two years but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reopened it last September. It had to be closed for cleanup Sept. 24, officials said.
Rotting fish and other trash littered the wide, shallow fishing docks. People ignored signs telling them to empty their catch into baskets, separate the shrimp and return fish caught in the nets back to the canal. Other trash included ripped nets -- some still full of fish -- and bottles, cans, bags, coolers, socks, hats and shirts.
People also double- and triple-parked in the adjacent parking lot and parked illegally along the highway.
"We haven't had another open shrimp season since then," but invited the public to offer ideas for keeping it open, Borden-Billiot said.
She said only eight people went to a public meeting and only two others submitted comments, one by phone and one by email.
The suggestions either had already been tried, such as posting signs about the rules, or were too expensive, like staffing the docks full-time or setting up hoses to wash down the docks, which don't have any water lines to them, she said.
The new rules were made final Thursday.
Boaters can now cast nets from dawn until dusk, instead of starting at noon.
"That will open up a lot more space and time," Borden-Billiot said. "We will be eliminating those crowded small docks and recreational sites."

I know from experience there are only a few places to fish and shrimp from land. These people destroyed one of those few places. ***. I would shut it down also. I always picked up after myself. I want my kids to be able to have a place to enjoy the outdoors.

It became a chore to go there and throw your cast net. People (TPT) thought they owned the place. My father-in-law and I went to the open meeting and let me tell you, the other people that showed up at the meeting represented the TPT very well! One guy had no ideas on how to keep it open, but instead took the opportunity to ask why his brother and uncle, both of whom were arrested during a fish and games sting a couple years ago, were fined different amounts of money!! Way to sway the panel guys. I say good riddens to the riff-raff.

Some people are just too frickin lazy to pick up after themselves! I mean its easy bring you shiot in you bring your shiot out! Its simple

Does this mean that the small docks will be taken down? Does this also mean that "crabbing" from the docks will be eliminated?

I guess the only way to crab at Sabine NR will be from the bank.

Back when Hog Island Gully reopened....... I stopped there just to see what the people were catching. It stunk from all the dead fish left on the dock. Also there was lots and lots of other trash. I am glad it is closed now......there maybe more shrimp to catch from my boat.

How will I earn money to support my drug habit now?

have to depend on food stamps and wellfare for that now:D

Sad, sad, the many suffer for the ill deeds of a few.
And if the few slobs cast from their boats and dump dead fish at the launch when they clean out their boats, the cast netting will be shut down completely.
The only solution may be if you see litter and dead fish left by others, pick it up and clean it up or the refuge will be closed.

It's like that almost anywhere people cast net.
Civic Center steps has small bait fish all over it in the morning.
There is an old man who cast nets there in the summer at night.
He leaves everything except the shrimp on the docks and steps.
The marina dock has no fishing signs and he still cast nets off of them.

they've finally succeeded in pushing the average poor person out of the area, not everyone can afford a boat.....they stopped the roadside crabbing...now this...they've changed the rules to building at holly beach so that now only rich people can afford to be there....no matter what you think about dead fish on the bank...these areas have been open to the average cajun forever..and now they've been ran off... :(

I agree that is sad that the ones who obeyed the rules and laws are being punished. But how else do you stop the inconsiderate idiots who trash some of the only places opened to the public. I don't blame the officials who closed it, I blame the morons who trashed it.

I agree with cleaning up after yourself,but closing it it ridiculous. They should have just made it a huge fine for leaving by catch and other trash. Not everyone can afford a boat these days.

I have showed up at Blue Crab to fish and the entire walkway across the weir was covered in baby pogeys. It smelled awful. Trash everywhere. Are they closing castnetting in general, or just for shrimp?

The folks that would likely be getting big fines wouldn't likely pay them anyway. Too bad a lot of good folks got ripped by a few a holes. That's our country today.

If someone had slapped this piss outa a few of those destroying the place, it may have stayed open.

Closing it was the smart thing IMO.

The do the whole fine for litering state wide, they could have enforced it there, but did they? No.

That would been the smart thing for the state to do, sit and write fines.. Could have made bank :*****:

Trade ya 1 oxy fer 10#'s skrimp

This is great news!!!! Bunch of drunk rednecks throwing c h it all over.... Flys and trash all over the banks and parking lots..... If a human can not follow rules...take them away,,,,,

Exactly my point,if they would hire one person to write fines they could make alot money.And the good would not have to suffer from the bad.

My bad, I miss read your comment, but it really would be smart just to sit there, heck even disguise your self and write tickets!

thats the thing..they aren't really interested in stopping the littering, they now have their excuse to just close it from the people...and be done with poor people and people without boats and family's that used to go there with their kids to catch crabs and shrimp.

valid argument. :work:


Now they have less to worry about.. Seems like our government is starting to do this with quite a bit of things.

U can still crab.....and im sure ones who are castnetting are not POOR:rolleyes:

Dont use it as a welfare statement, I have a 225Merc and I cant go in the pool and fish?????? Them damn bastards are stoping us bay boats from fishing the pool:pissed::pissed:

First, i'd like to see you use that 225 in the pool right now.

2nd, ive seen several people out there cast netting that was pretty rough...

Wow you are smart...how the hell do you know how much money people have that are cast netting for shrimp. For all you know that may be the only way they can provide for there family. And you would be pretty stupid to use that size boat in lacassine even if it was allowed. *edit* fool beat me to the punch

you cannot crab on the side of the road like it was when i was a kid...now its only in crappy designated spots(just another way to discourage it)....I know a few people that castnet there and are very poor..and they do not own a boat and will never be able to afford one.. so they have effectively pushed them out of a RIGHT that cajuns have enjoyed forever....of course W..i don't expect you to understand...your one of the people that think you own big lake and everyone is in YOUR way...

like I said this is just one more way to drive out the common cajun from fishing grounds they have enjoyed for years and years....be careful though...something that you enjoy might be the next thing they want to ban or take away your rights to enjoy...

I have hunted, fished, castnetted and crabbed Sabine since I was a little boy and I have come to the conclusion that they(federal game wardens) really don't want us down there. It wasn't always like that, I have just gotten that vibe from them the last 10 years or so. The less people that go down there, the less work they have to do, but that will come back to bite them when nobody goes down there anymore and they are out of a job. There is alot of things they could have done about the trash problem other than run everybody out, but running everybody out might be thier long term goal. If you go the state WMA's you can see a big difference in that they are much more acessable and user friendly, but the NWR's are way more hassle and regulation. But in the end I didn't go to the public hearing on land based cast netting so I guess I can't complain too much about it. Sorry for the rant. Thanks for listening

This sucks, I have never been over there, but i can see both sides of the argument. NWRs have specific objectives, Sabine is probably waterfowl. The refuge is there for wintering waterfowl. Public use on an NWR is just a secondary objective. Places like Rockefeller which is a refuge but is state owned, were put there with waterfowl as an objective but public use as an objective as major objective as well. State gets money from public use, NWR does not, and if letting the public onto Sabine and they trash the place costs more or takes up too much time for refuge staff, they simply do away with it without any repurcussions

WOW so the poor people only can eat during Shirmp Season??? You can get a boat with no motor for $150 used and paddle to castnet for shimp if you really need to feed your family and that is your only food!!!!

Really....Sounds like a Democratc Plea for more hand outs

Bingo, we have a winner! Those who use the NWR and trash them aren't necessarily poor, they are TRASHY! You can be poor and not trashy. Trashy people are no different than the oystermen, they have no SKIN in the game so they could care less what the place looks like when they leave. Bet you could follow those same people home and their place would look trashy also. The Feds are not the most energetic folks around but they don't have time to babysit adults.

The people that used it are the reason they can no longer use it.

thank you..........:d

Roger...The Drunk with no shirt on and 25 16oz Beer cans on the floor of car that fall out. Grabs his castnet and slings a bucket of shimp then sells it for cash. Then his buddy comes to eat lunch and drink more beer and throws all his crap in the water...

Those Poor ..Poor Peeps.... Call Obama he cares

So they dont eat when shrimping season is closed?????


I was making a point..........:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Becasue rules change you have to accept them!!! Were not a welfare state on the West side!!!

I have seen $100K boats parked at the weirs at Rockefeller when the shrimps are running. These rich folks are drinking Coronas and casting right next to the people drinking Natural Light! This is why I like that place, its a 'melting pot' with one interest = having a good time. 'Poor' folks like to fish too. I may be right there with em fishing off the damn side of the road if gas prices keep rising

Make it aderol (sp) and you got a deal

About 20% of the people that used it( your various meth heads, layabouts, outlaws and scum) got the other 80%(normal ,decent working people) run out. I am mad at the 20% for sure, but I am just as upset with the federal game wardens for not wanting to get out of the air conditioned office and write tickets till thier hands hurt. They took the easy/lazy way out which does not suprise me.

i agree with you. i own a boat now, but it wasn't too long ago i relied on areas open to the public to catch fish. surf fishing being the best shore fishing of all.

your missing the whole point W....what is happening is they are taking away rights that people have enjoyed for forever, without holding the people that are littering responsible for their actions...again..I don't really expect your brain to comprehend that but it is what it is...

also..I'm a conservative and this is no democraptic plea...it is disgust at what I view as the systematic theft of the average cajun's rights...

most of the ones trashing places like this are the ones that want somthing for nothing so i say we take a collection up and get a big boat with enuff fuel to make it to kenya or within swimming distance and offer up free rides, their host can be obama

The point is simple! WL&F placed signs and gave warnings and still no process! I see only one way to protect that area and it would be for the non trashy to pick up the trash and sweep the dead fish off! I assure you if this would of been done the grounds would be open! So the ones who say they lost their privileges could of saved them by cleaning up after the trashy guest! When I used the Launch at Little Chenier I always picked up trash and cans and placed them in the trash! Because I knew it would get our rights to launch there revoked!!!! That's what happened too many trashy cajuns and not enough ones like me to clean there mess!!!! As far as crabbing on the road side, that was a safety issue as you can find there were several severe accidents due to park vehicles on side of the road! It became a hazard

I tell ya what, you go to grand chenier and make that trash cajun comment, holla if you need help you Lil mma fighter you

No, you're missing the point. You are blaming the government for taking away the rights(which weren't a right in the first place) instead of holding the people responsible for having the rights taken away in the first place. It is not the governments job to be out there day in and day out baby sitting the law breakers. There have been warnings, signs and now a public meeting that no one showed up for. If the public don't care, if they are trashy, then i don't blame them for taking away the PRIVELADGES. Thats right, it was a priveladge to go out there and shrimp, not a right!!!! And if they are so damn hungry for shrimp, dey can paddle a little old boat out there and throw der nets all day long now.

You sir are 100% right on..... You look at the groups who are the ones that make the rights get taken......
True Cajun folks would not treat the land and waterways like this...thats why it has been a privilege to use for so long...then Trash over takes them and gives not a damn

You look at the ticket violations on Big lake.......Look at the class of people who get them.... There are more oyster violation tickets written in one day than out of all the guide outfits in one year....

There are more tickets written at the weirs for taken to many shrimp than fishing tickets all year.....

Same with the ones who fish beyond the signs....

And you can bet your azz.....sooner than later you will not be allowed to fish the weirs at all... 1000 feet both ways.....

Reason..Some cant read...So if you see a boat beyond the sign you better make them move or your privileges are a coming thing

Same with duck hunting in the back of Sabine. It too will be outlawed thanks to "hands" that can't follow the law. They day they run over someone running in the marsh is the day it will end. And as many complaints as the wardens are getting, I imagine this alone will shut it down. Too hard to enforce, too far to send enforcement so they will outlaw it all together and take away that many more acres of prime hunting land.

What happened to Louisiana being the sportsman state.

should be called the stryofoam cup on the side of the road, in the marsh, in the ditch state. when i moved here i couldnt believe how pretty the landscape was but also couldnt belive the lack of respect for it as well , from what i seen people are some major litter bugs down here

I guess I was raised different. My dad would have put foot to *** if I attempted to leave my trash. Then we would have to have a 3 legged race to the hospital to get his foot out my ***. I'm trying to teach my son the same thing. He might not have a place to fish at this pace.

Yup and if you head north you see empty corn bags all over the side of the road. People are so damn lazy and trashy anymore it's shameful. I like to hunt up in Kisatchie forest where camping is allowed anywhere in the forest. I pick up trash all the time up there in hopes we get to keep this priveledge. It's so much better to camp where you want rather than having to camp in designated camp grounds but the trashy a$$ people are trying to ruin it for us.

:confused::confused:?? i grew up in ohio IDK even know what a corn bag is ?? we got a bunch of peigons though!! lol

north la lol