Prohibits hoop nets and seines from being utilized in North Pass and Manchac Pass

HB 665 creates a new statute, Louisiana Revised Statutes 56:322.3, that establishes a geographic prohibition on two specific types of fishing nets in the North Pass and Manchac Pass waterways. The statute prohibits the use of hoop nets and seines in these water passages from Interstate 55 to Lake Pontchartrain. The language includes a notwithstanding clause that makes this prohibition override any conflicting provisions in existing law, establishing an absolute ban with no exceptions or alternatives permitted under other statutes.

The prohibition directly affects commercial and recreational fishermen who currently use or intend to use hoop nets or seines in the defined geographic area. Hoop nets are wire or plastic mesh traps used to catch fish, and seines are large nets drawn through water to encircle fish. The practical effect is that fishermen operating in North Pass and Manchac Pass between the specified boundaries must use alternative fishing methods or relocate their operations to waters outside these passages. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, which enforces fishing regulations under Title 56 of Louisiana Revised Statutes, will be responsible for implementing and enforcing this prohibition.

This statute operates within the existing framework of Louisiana fishing regulations found in Title 56, which comprehensively governs fish and wildlife management across the state. The statute's placement in Chapter 3 of Title 56 aligns it with other regulations governing specific fishing methods and locations. The notwithstanding language ensures that this geographically specific prohibition takes precedence over broader fishing permits or licenses issued under other sections of Title 56 that might otherwise allow hoop nets and seines in open waters or under certain conditions.