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Old 03-04-2017, 10:00 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seachaser250 View Post
what data? where is this data?
LDWF shared their data with us, because we asked nicely and it was related to a project we are working on.

As JBE appointees have gained influence in LDWF, their willingness to share data has declined, as they prefer not to have their mandates second guessed.

While we are not under non-disclosure regarding the LDWF data in our possession, my colleagues and I have agreed between ourselves not to share it in ways not related to the intended purposes for which we obtained it. Our concern is that becoming a data pipeline to the public might reduce LDWF's willingness to share data with us in the future.

But the bottom line is that the crab closure is based on statewide data showing a decline in crab population. That statewide decline is not apparent in the Big Lake data. Big Lake as an ecosystem really is much different from the rest of the state in many ways.

It is only a hypothesis, but I tend to think the reduced crab population in most of the state may be related to the oil spill and dispersants back in 2010 and following years. Key parts of the crab life cycle depend on affected areas. Calcasieu was not directly effected by the spill or dispersants, so crabs remain healthy here.

But keep in mind, leaving Big Lake open for crabbing while the rest of the state is closed would produce intensely focussed harvest pressure that would most likely be harmful. It would also cause an enforcement challenge on the ban in the rest of the state with violators claiming their market crabs came from Big Lake.
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