(Louisiana Illuminator) - The fight is back on over regulation of menhaden fishing off the Louisiana coast, with the state legislature entering the fray. Lawmakers’ proposals so far favor recreational anglers and charter captains who have accused the industry of upsetting the balance of the offshore ecosystem.
Menhaden, a bony, oily fish also known as pogies, is primarily caught for its multiple uses rather than for direct human consumption. Once processed, it’s found in a variety of products including fish oil supplements, pet food, fertilizer and even lipstick.
Louisiana’s fertile and shallow coastal waters are a major draw for menhaden, making it the largest fishery for the species in the United States. Menhaden landings for 2025 came in at around 818 million pounds, according to the latest available data from the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, which logs commercial fishing hauls.
The Louisiana House Committee on Natural Resources approved four bills Wednesday dealing with commercial menhaden fishing.
The most contentious one, advancing on an 8-7 vote, would require menhaden boats to drop their nets, called purse seines, in deeper waters. The bill, authored by Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Cut Off, would set a minimum depth of 22 feet for harvesting pogies. He said the specific depth is based on data from a recent study on bycatch, the non-menhaden species accidentally caught in nets.
“I’m using the best available science to keep the business in line and preserve our resources,” Orgeron told the committee.
Fisheries biologist Scott Raborn, author of the bycatch study, testified that menhaden harvests from water 22 feet deep result in a 30% decrease in redfish bycatch.
Representatives from the menhaden industry said being forced to fish in deeper waters would place an undue burden on them, with greater depths leading to a leaner catch.
“This is not an unregulated fishery. This is the most tightly regulated fishery in the state. This action will destroy the menhaden industry,” said Francois Kutel, primary shareholder and president of Westbank Fishing, which operates a menhaden fishing fleet out of Plaquemines Parish.
Orgeron pushed back against testimony from menhaden boat captains and industry executives, saying his intent was not to drive them out of business.
“It’s an important industry for Louisiana,” he said. “I’m not trying to kill it. I’m just trying to put common-sense, science-based regulations on it.”
Orgeron’s bill follows a controversial decision by the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission allowing commercial menhaden boats to harvest closer to the shoreline, reducing what’s called the buffer zone.
As of March 20, most of the Louisiana coast has a quarter-mile buffer zone, down from a half-mile. Special buffer zones from one-half mile to 3 miles are in place for areas such as Grand Isle and the Chandeleur Islands, deemed more ecologically sensitive and in need of greater protection.
The buffer zones were shrunken despite widespread opposition among charter captains and recreational fishermen, who contend menhaden industry bycatch has taken a serious toll on redfish.
The other three menhaden-related bills were forwarded to the House floor without any opposition.
A second proposal from Orgeron would remove the confidentiality from reports the legislature receives on menhaden harvests.
Another bill would establish fines for menhaden fishing within the coastal buffer zone, starting at $2,500 for a first offense and reaching $7,500 for third and subsequent violations. The original proposal, by Rep. Vincent Cox III, R-Gretna, started fines at $50,000 and reached $100,000 before it was amended in committee.
Approval was also given to a proposal from Rep. Jerome “Zee” Zeringue, R-Houma, to require all menhaden boats to use tracking systems that share their location and heading with other pogy vessels.
Sen. Mike Fesi, R-Houma, has sponsored bills to establish buffer zones and seasonal catch weight limits for menhaden. His proposals have yet to be heard in committee.
