The Louisiana Shrimp Association is suing the Biden Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service over their rule requiring skimmer trawl vessels to use Turtle Excluder Devices in Louisiana’s INshore waters. Colleen Crain has the details…
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State Wildlife is holding the first of three meetings to receive public input on the proposed return of a black bear hunting season tonight. Brooke Thorington has more.
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The Louisiana House passes a bill that would shift the state from a jungle primary system to closed party primaries. Jeff Palermo has the story..
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The Louisiana Shrimp Association has filed a suit against the Biden Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service over their rule requiring skimmer trawl vessels to use Turtle Excluder Devices in Louisiana’s INshore waters. James Baehr, a Lawyer with the Pelican Institute’s Center for Justice says the rule is an unnecessary, unconstitutional direct attack on Louisiana livelihoods and culture…
There are studies showing the devices can increase turtle mortality and Baehr says, another study on sea turtle interactions illustrates how unnecessary the new rule is…
The Turtle Excluder Device rule for Louisiana’s INshore waters was passed in 2019 but implementation was delayed by the pandemic. Then the State of Louisiana sued and won a temporary injunction but Baehr says…
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According to the Louisiana Seafood Board the Louisiana Shrimp industry generates $1.3 Billion and affects the livelihoods of over 15,000 people.
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The first of three meetings seeking public input on the return of a proposed black bear hunting season in Louisiana will be held tonight. State Wildlife Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks says potential hunters would enter a lottery for the ten tags and they must take a course.
The proposed season would be limited from December 7th through the 22nd.
Humane Society of Louisiana President Jeff Dorson believes bears shouldn’t be hunted and encourages those who agree to sign a petition and voice their opinion at public meetings.
He says his petition has received more than 8,000 signatures.
The last black bear hunting season in Louisiana was 1987. Hanks estimates the state’s population to be around 1,500 and the first proposed season would only be allowed where their population is the densest in northeast Louisiana.
Dorson is pushing for a more humane approach when it comes to the growing black bear population and encourages the state to follow Florida’s BearWise program that promotes co-existence by having residents bear-proof their property. Dorson says bears are foragers especially before they hibernate.
The BearWise philosophy in the Sunshine State has reduced conflicts with bears by 70 percent according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Tonight’s meeting is in West Monroe. A meeting in Delhi is scheduled for the 23rd and in St. Joseph on the 25th. They will all begin at 6 PM.
You can find a listing with details on the public hearings along with a link to the petition at our website LouisianaRadioNetwork.com.
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The Louisiana House has approved a bill that would change congressional, statewide, legislative and certain judicial elections to closed primaries. If it becomes law, the Republican and Democratic Party can set up a rule that says only registered voters of their party can vote in the primaries. Harahan Representative John Illg says he’s hearing from Independents who do not like this…
Carencro Representative Julie Emerson is the sponsor of the legislation. Emerson says the political parties should have more of a say on which candidate ends up on the general election ballot…
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Emerson’s bill passed on a 64-40 vote. But New Orleans Representative Matthew Willard says there was a recent poll that showed the public favors the state’s unique jungle primary…
Governor Jeff Landry says states that perform better than Louisiana have closed primaries. He says a closed primary system results in strong candidates on the general election ballot.
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The Louisiana Senate approves a redrawn Congressional map that creates a second majority-Black district currently held by Republican Garret Graves. The map makes it easy for Republicans Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise and Julia Letlow to win re-election. Lake Charles Senator Jeremy Stine on the importance of keeping Letlow in Washington D-C..
Graves opposes the legislation. The map stretches his sixth district from Baton Rouge to Shreveport. Shreveport Senator Thomas Pressly agrees this map makes no sense…
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Governor Jeff Landry is in support of this map that adds another black-majority district. The bill’s author is Catahoula Senator Glen Womack…
The measure passed on a 27-11 to vote and heads to the House for more discussion.
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Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis confirmed Dennis Allen will be back for a third season as head coach. Allen has failed to lead the Saints to the playoffs in his two seasons and his record as a head coach in New Orleans is 16-18. Loomis says there are several great coaches who struggled in their first few seasons…
There are also Saints fans who are down on quarterback Derek Carr. The veteran finished the season strong and Loomis says the veteran battled through injuries…
The Saints went 9-8 in 2023 and just missed making the playoffs. New Orleans has an aging defense and there are questions about the the team’s offensive line. But Loomis believes the franchise’s future is bright…
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