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Committee adopts amended penalties for violations inside menhaden buffer zones
Summary
HB 757 — increasing penalties for knowingly taking menhaden inside department-designated restricted areas — was reported as amended after the committee adopted lower graduated fines and removed automatic corporate-license revocation language.
The House Natural Resources Committee on April 8 reported HB 757 favorable as amended after debating penalty levels and enforcement mechanics for violations of closed or restricted menhaden areas.
Representative Cox, the bill sponsor, said the measure sets penalties for knowingly taking menhaden in areas designated by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and that the change is intended to deter deliberate boundary violations. Industry and parish officials urged caution; several witnesses described the economic role of the reduction fishery in coastal parishes.
Representative Bryant proposed an amendment to replace the bill’s original, larger fines and automatic corporate-license revocation with a graduated civil-penalty schedule (first offense $2,500; second $5,000; third $7,500) and to remove automatic revocation of corporate permits. Bryant’s amendment was adopted with the sponsor’s agreement.
Department staff described current enforcement tools, noting a class-2 civil penalty already exists for buffer violations and that restitution rules for illegal take can produce substantial monetary consequences. The bill as amended was reported favorable by the committee.
