[StBernard] LDWF Announces New Fishing Closures

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Announces Further
Recreational and Commercial Fishing Closure due to Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill 

 

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
announced today it will be closing recreational and commercial fishing in
further areas of state waters as a precautionary response to the oil spill
in the Gulf of Mexico.   

 

This action expands the previously announced emergency commercial and
recreational fishing closure to include an area of the state's territorial
sea west of the Mississippi River to Point au Fer and the beaches that
border any of the closed areas. 

 

New fishing closure map here

 

LDWF Secretary Robert Barham announced the closure of both recreational and
commercial fishing in the state territorial seas, and the bordering beaches,
extending from the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River
westward to the eastern portion of Atchafalaya Bay at Point au Fer at 91
degrees 20 minutes 44 seconds west longitude.  This closure will take place
at 6 a.m. May 10, 2010.  

 

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig accident has resulted in a significant
release of oil into the offshore waters of Louisiana and the area of impact
is expanding. Oil has the potential to impact fish and other aquatic life in
portions of Louisiana's coastal waters.  

  

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is working closely with the
Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Health and Hospitals
and the Governor's Office for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
as the situation unfolds. Updates on any further closures or changes in the
status of areas closed will be posted at emergency.louisiana.gov.

 

For more information related to the oil spill, visit
http://www.emergency.louisiana.gov
<http://keelson.eatel.net/websites/la2.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=
addClick&msg_ID=5874&ID=l%29f6l%22n2pj&redirect=http://www.emergency.louisia
na.gov> . Connect with us on www.facebook.com/GOHSEP
<http://keelson.eatel.net/websites/la2.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=
addClick&msg_ID=5874&ID=l%29f6l%22n2pj&redirect=http://www.facebook.com/GOHS
EP>  and on Twitter @GOHSEP. View photos in from the state's response
efforts at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lagohsep
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/lagohsep> 

 

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