HLS 24RS-405 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 4
BY REPRESENTATIVE BOYER
WILDLIFE/RESOURCES: Suspends requirements for record keeping regarding wild-
caught freshwater fish
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To suspend until sixty days after final adjournment of the 2025 Regular Session of the
3 Legislature of Louisiana R.S. 56:303, 303.1.1, 303.4, 303.7, and 306 through 306.6
4 to the extent these provisions require record keeping and receipts regarding wild-
5 caught freshwater fish.
6 WHEREAS, R.S. 56:303, 303.1.1, 303.4, 303.7, and 306 through 306.6 require
7commercial fishermen, wholesale/retail dealers, and retail dealers to make records of every
8fish transaction among them, often referred to as the "trip ticket program"; and
9 WHEREAS, the trip ticket program implemented by the department is onerous, time-
10consuming, and of questionable value for the commercial seafood trade in the state; and
11 WHEREAS, commercial fisherman and dealers are required to complete receipts in
12triplicate and keep records regarding the following:
13 (1) The fisherman's first and last name.
14 (2) The fisherman's license number.
15 (3) The fisherman's signature.
16 (4) The gear the fisherman used that day.
17 (5) The vessel used.
18 (6) The primary location of where fish were caught.
19 (7) The duration of trip.
20 (8) Permit numbers for species requiring a permit to harvest.
21 (9) Records of the quantity and species of fish acquired.
Page 1 of 3 HLS 24RS-405 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 4
1 (10) The date the fish was acquired.
2 (11) The name and license number of the wholesale/retail seafood dealer or the out-
3 of-state seller from whom the fish was acquired.
4 (12) The number by head count of species subject to creel limits.
5 (13) The quantity and species of fish sold.
6 (14) The date the fish was sold.
7 (15) The name and license number of the person to whom the fish was sold.
8 (16) The quantity, species, and date sold for all fish sold directly to a consumer.
9 (17) The size and condition of each species.
10 (18) The unit price of each species.
11 WHEREAS, it has become an economic and time-trying hardship on both the part
12of the commercial fisherman and the dealer to properly and precisely record all of the
13information required; and
14 WHEREAS, the penalties for not properly recording such information are steep,
15where a fisherman can be fined and their whole catch and even their vessel can be seized;
16and
17 WHEREAS, in addition to record keeping, commercial fishermen are also required
18to obtain several licenses for the privileges of fishing, using vessels to fish, and using gear;
19and
20 WHEREAS, this system is a deterrent to progress for commercial sale of wild-caught
21seafood; and
22 WHEREAS, the freshwater fisherman have a significant economic impact on the
23state; and
24 WHEREAS, freshwater industries, such as the wild-caught crawfish industry, is one
25of the industries that defines Louisiana and its culture; and
26 WHEREAS, the information gathered regarding fisheries through this process has
27many times benefitted commercial saltwater fishermen, dealers, and fish farmers with
28disaster relief funding based on the data gathered; and
29 WHEREAS, commercial freshwater fishermen of the state have not received the
30same benefits; and
Page 2 of 3 HLS 24RS-405 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 4
1 WHEREAS, for all they do for our state and culture, commercial freshwater
2fishermen should not be burdened with having to perform all of the record keeping duties
3for management of these fisheries in addition to the numerous other obligations they have
4to work under, especially if the task creates an unnecessary hardship and provides no benefit
5for them; and
6 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana hereby suspends
7the provisions of R.S. 56:303, 303.1.1, 303.4, 303.7, and 306 through 306.6 to the extent
8these provisions apply to wild-caught freshwater fish.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this suspension shall become effective upon
10adoption of this Resolution and shall extend through the sixtieth day after final adjournment
11of the 2025 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 4 Original 2024 Regular Session Boyer
Suspends R.S. 56:303, 303.1.1, 303.4, 303.7, and 306 through 306.6 to the extent these
provisions require record keeping and receipts regarding wild-caught freshwater fish.
(Suspends R.S. 56:303, 303.1.1, 303.4, 303.7, and 306 through 306.6)
Page 3 of 3