SLS 18RS-585 ORIGINAL
2018 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 451
BY SENATOR MORRISH
FISH/FISHING. Institutes a permanent moratorium on oyster fishing in Sabine Lake.
(8/1/18)
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 56:435.1, relative to oyster harvest in Sabine Lake; to remove
3 provisions related to oyster harvesting in Sabine Lake; to prohibit oyster harvesting
4 in Sabine Lake; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 56:435.1 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
7 §435.1. Sabine Lake; methods of harvest; penalty; season; self-propelled vessels;
8 harvested oysters prohibition on harvesting of oysters
9 Oyster harvesting in Sabine Lake shall be prohibited.
10 A. Oysters may be harvested in Sabine Lake using only hand tongs.
11 B. Repealed by Acts 1986, No. 904, §4.
12 C. All vessels used for the commercial harvest of oysters on Sabine Lake
13 must be self-propelled. "Self-propelled" means, when used in this Section, that the
14 vessel shall travel under its own power to its harvest area and when loaded with
15 oysters, shall travel under its own power to the place where the oysters are unloaded.
16 D. Oysters, once harvested and placed upon any vessel, cannot be transferred
17 except to a shoreside facility.
Page 1 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 451
SLS 18RS-585 ORIGINAL
1 E. Repealed by Acts 1986, No. 904, §4.
2 F. With the proper licenses, no more than twenty-five sacks of oysters per
3 boat per day may be harvested. However, the recreational taking of oysters shall be
4 as provided in R.S. 56:424(C).
5 G. Open season dates and harvest limits shall be set by the commission after
6 consideration of recommendations by the Louisiana Oyster Task Force. In addition,
7 recreational fishermen may harvest oysters as provided in R.S. 56:424(C).
8 H. Any violation of this Section shall be considered a class four violation
9 subject to the penalties contained in R.S. 56:34.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Alan Miller.
DIGEST
SB 451 Original 2018 Regular Session Morrish
Present law authorizes harvesting oysters in Sabine Lake using only hand tongs, provides
season dates, harvest limits, and penalties.
Proposed law repeals present law.
Proposed law prohibits harvesting oysters in Sabine Lake.
Effective August 1, 2018.
(Amends R.S. 56:435.1)
Page 2 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.