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Committee approves amendment narrowing hoop‑net ban after testimony from camp owners and fishermen
Summary
After amendment, HB 6 65 was reported favorably: the bill prohibits dumping dead fish from hoop nets in North Pass and Manchaca Pass and restricts tending from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset; supporters and affected commercial fishermen testified and the restaurant industry offered conditional support for the compromise.
The Senate Committee on Natural Resources on April 29 reported House Bill 6 65 favorably as amended. The original bill would have prohibited use of hoop nets and seines in North Pass and Manchaca Pass; amendment set 2344 narrowed that approach by making it illegal to dump dead fish from hoop nets, imposing restricted tending hours (30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset), and creating a class 2A violation for covered actions.
Representative Mack, the bill’s author, said constituents in the area have repeatedly observed “a lot of dead catfish” and that the carcasses often appeared to come from hoop nets, creating nuisance conditions for camp owners. He described the problem as recurring over multiple years and asked the committee to advance a measure to address the dead fish and resulting local impacts.
Senator Lambert sponsored the amendment and described it as a targeted fix to preserve traditional fishing while addressing the nuisance. In explaining the House changes to fines on a related bill, one representative noted penalties had been reduced in committee to $2,500 for a first offense, $5,000 for a second and $7,500 for a third; for HB 6 65 the amendment converts the broad prohibition to a focus on dumping dead fish and net‑tending windows.
Industry and local stakeholders spoke: Will Dubose, on behalf of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, thanked sponsors and called the amendment a “targeted solution” that better balances the fishery’s economic importance with local nuisance concerns. James Hickman, a commercial cat fisherman who identified himself to the committee, said he represents a “very small group of individuals that make a living catching catfish,” and told members he believes the amended bill “is going to eliminate a lot of the issues that we have had.”
Senator Lambert moved adoption of amendment set 2344; the amendment was adopted with no objection and the committee reported HB 6 65 as amended. The bill will proceed to the Senate floor for further consideration.
