East Side your Limit drop is comming

["W"]

Also note the info about Big Lake added!!

http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.s...l#incart_river

Louisiana's speckled trout population has fallen below the level that for years has been used as the conservation standard, according to information provided to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries.

Responding to a list of emailed questions, saltwater fisheries biologist Harry Blanchet said spawning potential ratio of speckled trout was between 8 and 14 percent the last time it was calculated in 2011.

Even at the high end of the estimate, spawning potential ratio is still well below the previously established conservation standard of 18 percent.

Spawning potential ratio, or SPR, is a number that represents the percentage of biomass for adult members of a particular fish species compared to what would exist in a completely virgin fishery. In this case, department biologists estimate Louisiana has 8 to 14 percent of the mature speckled-trout biomass it would have if the fish were completely off-limits to humans.

In general, when SPR falls below a certain threshold, that particular fishery is unable to sustain itself.

Retired LSU fisheries professor Jerald Horst said we're not necessarily there with speckled trout.

"The truth is that any of these standards are best guesses," he said. "But the number is clearly below the conservation standard of 18."

Horst said that overfishing usually first manifests itself in a smaller number of bigger fish being caught.

"Generally speaking, you'll see fewer big fish at first," he said. "It takes four years to grow a big (speckled trout). If we're cropping more fish at a smaller size, then obviously fewer of them will have the chance to get big."

Chas Champagne believes we may be at the point. The owner of Dockside Bait & Tackle in Slidell has seen a significant decline in the size of fish that cross over his gunwale while fishing the bridges in eastern Lake Pontchartrain.

"From 2000 to 2003, just in the fall, I probably caught 50 6-plus-pound speckled trout," he said. "If you had a calm day, you could go and make a couple hundred casts and almost guarantee a 4-pound trout or better. Now, if you catch a 3-pounder, you start taking pictures.

"I took it for granted. I was 15 to 17 years old. I just figured that's how it would be forever."

Farther to the south, former STAR winner Ed Sexton says there are far fewer big trout in the Venice area than a decade ago.

"I have fished for trout for 15 years, and it's definitely declined from when I first started," he said. "Last year, I caught one trout that was 7 pounds. I can remember 10 years ago, almost every trip when the fishing was good, if you didn't catch a 6- or 7-pound trout, that was unusual."

But Horst said it's impossible to peg the decline on overfishing. Many variables, including weather and river levels, have a tremendous impact on speckled trout reproduction, he said.

Still, it's undeniable that the SPR is falling. Horst said Wildlife & Fisheries has pointed to episodic events in the past to explain away numbers that are below the conservation standard.

"But now the average SPR is below the standard, so now we either have to come up with a different reason or change the standard," he said.

Changing a minimum conservation standard isn't unheard of in science. In fact, it should be part of the norm, Horst said, as better testing methods are developed and more information is gathered.

"There is no clear-cut standard that is 100-percent right all the time," Horst said. "If we treat these numbers as iron-clad standards, that's how we end up with a situation like we have with red snapper. We've got red snapper coming out of our ears. We're gagging on them, but we have a 27-day season."

In his emailed response, Blanchet said Louisiana's SPR estimates are in line with those of Mississippi (6-13 percent) and North Carolina (4-15 percent).

But Horst said, if we are overfishing speckled trout, it isn't any wonder as to why. An avid trout fisherman himself, Horst said anglers have gotten remarkably more efficient at targeting and harvesting trout.

"Without a doubt, fishing pressure is higher," he said. "Not just in numbers of people but in equipment. We have everything from Power-Poles to graphite rods to braided lines to depth finders. It's really something.

"When commercial fishermen went from nylon to monofilament gill nets, it really alarmed all sport fishermen, but it was not one-tenth of the increase in effectiveness that recreational fishing has had in the last four decades."

If the department determines that speckled trout are, in fact, overfished, any changes in regulation will have to be severe, Horst said.

"When the time finally comes that we do reduce creel limits, it won't be to 15. That's not enough," Horst said. "The result would be too small."

That's borne out in numbers Blanchet supplied. According to LDWF research data, 66 percent of anglers catch five or fewer speckled trout per trip, 3 percent catch 10 per trip, 2 percent catch 15 per trip and 4 percent catch 25 per trip.

"Dropping the limit to six would only impact 34 percent of the fishermen," Horst said. "Anglers need to be ready because if the regulation ever changes, it could be a five-, six- or seven-fish limit. You've got to have an impact if you're going to make the change."

Currently, Southwest Louisiana is under a special management regime for speckled trout. Anglers there may harvest only 15 fish per day with no more than two measuring in excess of 25 inches.

That regulation has had very little impact on the fishery there, as the department predicted.

"Our analyses indicated that the results of those regulations would be a small (about 10 percent) change in the harvest, less in stock size," Blanchet wrote.

The measure was pushed by local anglers and implemented by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. It was not proposed or supported by department biologists.

Horst said at some point, Louisiana will have to change its speckled trout regulations, but he wouldn't venture a guess as to when. Will it be sometime in the next 10 years?

"I don't know," he said. "If the price of gas goes to $17 a gallon, then the answer's no. If our marsh decline causes the fishery to collapse, then the answer's yes. But I've been hearing we're right on the verge of that for 30 years."


I Want to point this out also:
----------------------------------------
Currently, Southwest Louisiana is under a special management regime for speckled trout. Anglers there may harvest only 15 fish per day with no more than two measuring in excess of 25 inches.

That regulation has had very little impact on the fishery there, as the department predicted.

"Our analyses indicated that the results of those regulations would be a small (about 10 percent) change in the harvest, less in stock size," Blanchet wrote.

The measure was pushed by local anglers and implemented by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. It was not proposed or supported by department biologists.

[Duck Butter]

Wow


10 pages before this goes into the Gill Net

["W"]

Can you see the roit in Grand Isle to Venice with a 6-7 trout limit...L M A O

Again .2 % catches 100% of the fish

Two weeks ago at Hebert (on a saturday ) the girl from WLF was doing a fish count

90 boats ...
3 guides had limit
Us and one other boat had limits ..
Rest were 3-8 trout per boat

[Bluechip]

Originally Posted by "W"

Can you see the roit in Grand Isle to Venice with a 6-7 trout limit...L M A O

Again .2 % catches 100% of the fish

Two weeks ago at Hebert (on a saturday ) the girl from WLF was doing a fish count

90 boats ...
3 guides had limit
Us and one other boat had limits ..
Rest were 3-8 trout per boat

So this means they need to lower the limit on the guides and problem solved.......

["W"]

Originally Posted by Bluechip

So this means they need to lower the limit on the guides and problem solved.......

They need to up the limits for guides to 40 trout per person and then you willsee 9-10lb trout winning the Star again

[mriguy]

25 or bust!!!!!!!!

[Montauk17]

Originally Posted by "W"

Can you see the roit in Grand Isle to Venice with a 6-7 trout limit...L M A O

Again .2 % catches 100% of the fish

Two weeks ago at Hebert (on a saturday ) the girl from WLF was doing a fish count

90 boats ...
3 guides had limit
Us and one other boat had limits ..
Rest were 3-8 trout per boat

If that would happen it would not just be the east side.....big lake would have the same limits.

["W"]

Originally Posted by Montauk17

If that would happen it would not just be the east side.....big lake would have the same limits.

No...we are ran by rich office fisherman politics that would have a grandfather clause because there guide buddies would be effected

Big Lake is in a whole different category !!!

You can book mark that...


But if the State goes down big lake needs to go down also... Or we will be flooded

[Montauk17]

If the limit drops that low statewide and big lake is still 15 imagine the fishing pressure. People will be driving from new orleans to fish big lake.

[bayouchub]

25 or bust

[Bluechip]

We will be down to Texas limits soon....... Ole' "W" will be posting pics with the Sheephead lol....

[MathGeek]

The article was remiss in failing to point out that the current 4 year old trout that seem to be in short supply in the eastern LA fisheries were juveniles in 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred. Current 3 year old trout were in the 2010 birth class. The impact of the oil spill on spotted seatrout has been studied in detail, but the final results have not yet been released. See:

http://www.northerngulfinstitute.org...ct.php?pid=150

It would be a shame to put the blame on overfishing for reduced stocks and reproductive potential if the oil spill was really a dominant factor in the current dip.

It would also be an error to reduce limits on spotted seatrout before it is better established that the number of adults rather than habitat or some other life history issue is the biggest bottleneck regarding recruitment of new seatrout into the fishery.

The Draconian limits on red snapper assume that the biomass of breeding adults dominates the number of age zero and age 1 fish entering the fishery, but after many years of study it finally seems clear that other life history details dominate the number of age 0 and age 1 fish and the number of recruits entering the fishery is not strongly correlated with the biomass of breeding fish.

It is well known that if there are fewer breeding adults, they eat a lot better because there is less competition for available food. Better body condition from available forage can lead to much higher fecundity rates. Half the number of plumper breeding fish can produce more eggs than twice the number of poorly fed fish. Fecundity rates depend strongly on body condition.

The article also missed the possibility that reduced numbers of large fish may be due to slower growth rates caused by greater competition for food due to underharvesting of smaller fish or some other factor having a significant negative impact on the food supply. This can be studied either with a growth rate study or with a relative condition factor study. If the fish are overharvested, then the remaining fish will be plumper for their length because they are well fed. If the fish are underharvested, they will be thin.

[mikedatiger]

Originally Posted by Bluechip

We will be down to Texas limits soon....... Ole' "W" will be posting pics with the Sheephead lol....

Since I started focusing on fishing here in TX, I have no problem with the limit, which is 10 on Galveston/Trinity Bay. It seems like all focus is on the limit in LA - i.e. if you didn't catch 15 or 25 you had a terrible trip. I've never once been fishing here when our boat said, man we gotta catch 2 more to limit. And yes, we limit and catch really good fish...

[Montauk17]

I could care less what the limit is cause I only keep enough to eat fresh and give the rest away.

[calcutta37]

24 ft HO for sale lol

25 or bust......

["W"]

25 or Bust

I catch 7 trout in a bucket ,,,,,

[mikedatiger]

Originally Posted by "W"

25 or Bust

I catch 7 trout in a bucket_i.e. Big Lake ,,,,,

when you coming to fish TX??

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

The article was remiss in failing to point out that the current 4 year old trout that seem to be in short supply in the eastern LA fisheries were juveniles in 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred. Current 3 year old trout were in the 2010 birth class. The impact of the oil spill on spotted seatrout has been studied in detail, but the final results have not yet been released. See:

http://www.northerngulfinstitute.org...ct.php?pid=150

It would be a shame to put the blame on overfishing for reduced stocks and reproductive potential if the oil spill was really a dominant factor in the current dip.

It would also be an error to reduce limits on spotted seatrout before it is better established that the number of adults rather than habitat or some other life history issue is the biggest bottleneck regarding recruitment of new seatrout into the fishery.

The Draconian limits on red snapper assume that the biomass of breeding adults dominates the number of age zero and age 1 fish entering the fishery, but after many years of study it finally seems clear that other life history details dominate the number of age 0 and age 1 fish and the number of recruits entering the fishery is not strongly correlated with the biomass of breeding fish.

It is well known that if there are fewer breeding adults, they eat a lot better because there is less competition for available food. Better body condition from available forage can lead to much higher fecundity rates. Half the number of plumper breeding fish can produce more eggs than twice the number of poorly fed fish. Fecundity rates depend strongly on body condition.

The article also missed the possibility that reduced numbers of large fish may be due to slower growth rates caused by greater competition for food due to underharvesting of smaller fish or some other factor having a significant negative impact on the food supply. This can be studied either with a growth rate study or with a relative condition factor study. If the fish are overharvested, then the remaining fish will be plumper for their length because they are well fed. If the fish are underharvested, they will be thin.

LDWF needs someone like yourself that is very knowledgeable about statistics, crunching numbers, and experimental design. Too many of the current employees are just biding their time to retire and do not keep up with the current science out there . There are fisheries data going back for years and years that could be useful today that just sits away on old floppy disks

["W"]

Originally Posted by mikedatiger

Since I started focusing on fishing here in TX, I have no problem with the limit, which is 10 on Galveston/Trinity Bay. It seems like all focus is on the limit in LA - i.e. if you didn't catch 15 or 25 you had a terrible trip. I've never once been fishing here when our boat said, man we gotta catch 2 more to limit. And yes, we limit and catch really good fish...

You like fishing Texas because you can't catch a reduced big lake limit ..lol

Texas talking a lunch

Well Bob we had a good day; had 4 trout between 18-27inchs , 2 reds and limit of sheepead

La boys talking

How did you do..... I didn't even fish today (fails to say he only has 5 shy of limit)

[mikedatiger]

Originally Posted by "W"

You like fishing Texas because you can't catch a reduced big lake limit ..lol

Texas talking a lunch

Well Bob we had a good day; had 4 trout between 18-27inchs , 2 reds and limit of sheepead

La boys talking

How did you do..... I didn't even fish today (fails to say he only has 5 shy of limit)

you are just mad your little dink ruler won't work here in TX

going sunday and have a spot open... just saying.