---

This summer, anglers have enjoyed another bountiful season fishing off Louisiana’s coast. In August, many legislators will be in Grand Isle to show off their angling prowess at the annual CCA Legislator’s Rodeo.

Fortunately, smart federal policy and abundant natural resources mean that legislators and fishers can fish anywhere in America, but they will catch fish in Louisiana. But it hasn’t always been this way.

Last summer, the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shared early findings from a study on their survey methods. This report confirmed what people in Louisiana have known for about 20 years: NOAA’s way of estimating how much we fish is flawed.

NOAA’s system, called the Marine Recreational Information Program, estimates how much recreational anglers are fishing and catching. Last year’s report showed that NOAA has been overestimating fishing effort by 30-40 percent. Unfortunately, these incorrect estimates feed into NOAA’s decision making to set annual catch limits, which are the limits on how much fishing Louisianans can do each year.

It’s simple: if NOAA thinks we’re fishing 40 percent more than we actually are, they will set overly strict limits. This happened this year in the South Atlantic, where anglers were limited to a one-day red snapper season, even though the stock is the most abundant it’s been in living memory. Sound familiar?

In 2017, Louisiana faced a similar situation with a three-day red snapper season. We worked with other Gulf Coast representatives and achieved two major wins: 1) We got Louisiana and other Gulf states to collect our own data on recreational fishing, rather than relying on NOAA; and 2) we secured $10 million in federal funds for the Great Red Snapper Count, the most comprehensive fish count ever done for any species, which found three times more snapper in the Gulf than NOAA had thought.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries knows our anglers and our waters better than any NOAA employee in Washington. Their version of MRIP, called LA Creel, collects data more accurately and quickly on how many fish we are catching. This allows us to fish closer to sustainable limits while ensuring the longevity of the species.

Proving the point, last year Louisianans fished from Memorial Day through the end of the year, while staying 6 percent below the ACL, leaving extra fish to grow and reproduce. All of this was possible because of better data.

The bill we just introduced, the Fisheries Data Modernization and Accuracy Act, builds on our success from 2018. Transitioning to state data has had some growing pains, but it’s worth it. Our bill will help smooth out these issues, further empower the states to run their successful programs, and get NOAA to work more with independent researchers and universities.

Providing NOAA with accurate data on fish populations and fishing activities will lead to better access for Louisiana fishers and, most importantly, healthy and sustainable fisheries for us, our kids, and our grandkids.

Congressman Garret Graves represents Louisiana’s 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Editor’s note: This column has been lightly edited for style.

Know the most important news affecting Louisiana

Get our free weekly newsletter that covers government, policy and politics that impact your everyday life—in 5 minutes or less.

Sign Up