Louisiana releases first stocking of redfish

30 day old juvenile redfish. 
Photo courtesy of Gena Lyons & USFWS

Over this past week, over 150,000 hatchery-raised red drum were released into Louisiana waters, marking the first redfish stocking in state history.  The releases were conducted by CCA Louisiana, the Recreational Fisheries Research Institute (RFRI) and the Lousiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

The fingerlings were raised at the Gulf Coast Research Lab at The University of Southern Mississippi, and released at West Cove near Sabine Wildlife Refuge, the Rigolets and at Grand Isle.  At each location, the fingerlings were first acclimated to local water temperature and salinity before being released.

According to CCA and LDWF, the purpose of the stocking is to enhance Louisiana's redfish population, which has been on the decline for a decade.  New regulations were passed in 2024, which narrowed the slot size, reduced the daily limit from 5 to 4, and eliminated the harvest of redfish over 27 inches.  However, several conservation groups supported a lower 3-fish limit since modeling showed that recovery of the spawning stock under a 4-fish limit would be 2 to 3 times longer.  

According to Randy Pausina of RFRI, using genetic identification, strategic release sites and long-term monitoring, they will be able to measure how many of these fish survive, and what level of contribution they make to the spawning stock.

Not everyone was impressed. Tony Friedrich, President of American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA), quickly pointed out that studies in Texas and elsewhere, where millions of fingerlings have been stocked annually for many years, have shown that only 2 percent of hatchery-raised redfish make it into the breeding population.

Glen Cormier, Conservation Director for the Fly Fishers International (FFI) Gulf Coast Council, referred to this as a "band aid" solution.  "We don't have a 'catch' problem, we have a 'breeding' problem. Hatcheries are pivotal in that they provide opportunities for anglers in ecosystems where there would be little or no viable fisheries.  But never in history have they been more effective than an existing wild population."

Things are about to get interesting...