wildlife commission/CCA responses

[MathGeek]

CCA has a clear propensity to consistently favor more restrictive fisheries regulations, even when there is not solid data showing that harvests are unsustainable under current regulations. In contrast to this viewpoint which will lead to ever increasing regulations, here are my carefully considered principles:

Conservative Principles of Responsible Wildlife Management

Sportsmen's liberties in pursuing and harvesting fish and game should not be further restricted unless there is sound and compelling scientific data demonstrating a true conservation need. Regulations should not be based on irrational fear that the resource might not remain for future generations; they should be based on sound scientific data showing the resource cannot be sustained for future generations under current management practices.

Sustainable harvests and use of the resources should always be allowed, and the burden of proof for those proposing new regulations should be on those proposing to impose criminal penalties for liberties which have been previously enjoyed. I see no wisdom in adopting restrictive regulations copying the example of neighboring states. Louisiana waters are generally less pressured and allow a more bountiful harvest than neighboring States. Whenever possible, Louisiana would do well to support the tourism industry and justify the expense of non-resident hunting and fishing licenses by maintaining more liberal harvest limits than other Gulf states. Our "Sportsman's Paradise" allows us to share our resources more liberally.

Finally, we should realize that habitat loss and other environmental factors often have a greater negative effect on fish and game populations than harvest pressure. Declining numbers of a population should not be blindly attributed to harvest pressure unless all possible confounding factors have been duly considered with applicable data-driven scientific approaches. In the long term, habitat loss is a greater threat to the sustainability of Louisiana fisheries than over fishing.

Data driven science should be the cornerstone of Louisiana's fishery management. All fisheries data, collection methodologies, and interpretations of Louisiana's data used to manage Louisiana's fisheries should be available to the public and subject to peer review and public scrutiny to ensure that management decisions are transparent, data-driven, and made with due consideration of sound scientific principles and stakeholder interests.