Traditional Fishing Techniques of South Louisiana
2013
Tidal Graph Calendar
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program
Barataria-Terrebonne
National Estuary Program
Established in 1991, the mission of the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary Program (BTNEP) is the preservation and restoration of the Barataria-Terrebonne estuarine system, the 4.2 million acre region between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi River basins. The BTNEP strives to rebuild and protect the estuary for future generations through the implementation of a science-based, consensus-driven plan that utilizes partnerships focused on the estuary’s rich cultural, economic and natural resources.
BTNEP strives to rebuild and protect the estuary for future generations through the implementation of a science-based, consensus-driven plan that utilizes partnerships focused on the estuary’s rich cultural, economic and natural resources.
Fishing then and now
Native Americans Harvesting Fish and Shellfish, Illustration by Diane Baker
Hand foraging, hand lining, fish trapping, hook and line fishing, construction of fishing weirs and even fishing nets date back in human history and prehistory
for thousands of years, probably to the beginning of humanity over 100,000 years ago. Archaeologists find bone and stone hooks; barbed fishing arrows; and the remains of funneled fish traps. Some of the earliest fish traps were made by simply pushing poles, arranged in a V-shape, into muddy water bottoms. These structures are associated with some of the earliest archaeological sites in Louisiana and North America. Fish and shellfish made up a substantial portion of these early people’s diets, which is evident in the proportion of fish and shellfish remains making up refuse piles or middens, found throughout southern Louisiana.
Early records indicate that the Mississippi River Delta region of southeastern Louisiana was an abundant and almost limitless fisheries resource at the time
Dr. Don Davis
of European contact. As the Cajuns, Germans, Croatians, Spanish, Italians, Filipinos, Africans, and other groups arrived in Louisiana, fishing moved from subsistence to a commercial industry. Likewise, techniques changed to become more efficient, enabling fishermen to harvest vast quantities of fin fish and shellfish from the estuaries and the Gulf of Mexico.
Passive Versus Active Fishing Techniques
To help distinguish between different methods, the terms “active” and “passive” are used to describe various fishing techniques. For the purposes of this calendar, “active” means that the fishing gear is moved through the water to catch the fish. However, if the gear is designed for the fish to “catch themselves,” it is considered a “passive” technique.
Dr. Carl Brasseaux
Special thanks to Dr. Donald “Don” Davis, Director Emeritus of Oral Histories for Louisiana’s Sea Grant Program at LSU. He and his colleague, Dr. Carl Brasseaux of ULL, Lafayette, provided most of the photographs found in this calendar and they have contributed a wealth of information to the field of Louisiana Coastal Oral Histories. Together, they have more than 90 years of experience working on cultural issues in the state’s coastal plain.
Bigorneaux Poling and bush lining
Bigorneaux, Urosalpinx cinerea, poling and bush lining are fishing techniques that utilize
natural vegetation tied either to poles or trot lines and used to attract oyster drill snails and molting blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, so that they could be easily harvested. Bigorneaux poling is unusual in that it was used to protect oyster reefs from the predatory oyster drill, in addition to being a food harvesting method. Bigorneaux poling is an active fishing technique first used by the Native Americans and later by Louisiana oystermen. Bigorneaux poles were constructed using large palmetto leaves, Sabal minor, tied upside down to long poles that were pushed down into sediments near oyster reefs in saline bays and bayous. Bigorneaux poles were used to harvest bigorneauxs or oyster drill snails. Palmetto leaves attracted the bigorneauxs and acted as a natural surface for the snails to climb up and lay eggs on. The poles were checked frequently by the fisherman and any snails attached to the leaves were deposited into the boat. Afterwards, the poles were pushed back into the mud. The snails were either destroyed because they were major pests of oysters, or eaten. If eaten, bigorneauxs were boiled with seasoning, similar to other types of seafood. Bush lines are a type of trot line made by tying wax myrtle bushes, Myrica cerifera, upside down at intervals along a main line. Molting blue crabs were attracted to the bushes because they resemble natural protective habitat for the crabs to hide inside and molt, protected from predators. The trot lines were checked frequently and as the fisherman pulled up the bush, a dip net was held under the bushes to net crabs that might fall out of the bushes.
Bigorneaux Poling, Illustration by Diane Baker Bush Lining, Illustration by Diane Baker
January 2013
Sunday 6
n
Monday
6
6
n
6
Tuesday
6
n
6
6
0.8
9:41a -0.2
0.4 -0.0 -0.4
Spotted Sea Trout
-0.8
Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
-0.0
6
3:46a -0.2
5:23p 0.8
Thursday 6
n
6
2 9:45a -0.1
11:37p 0.6
3 9:23a 0.1
11:42p 0.4
Friday Saturday
6
n
6
6
n
6
4
FIRST
7:44a 0.1
6:15p 0.3
5 3:37a 0.0
5:00p 0.5
4:57p 0.6
New Year’s Day
6
ft
0.4
n
1
ft
0.8
January 2013 Wednesday
Monthly High & Low High January 9, 7:46p 1.1 ft Low January 10, 6:51a -0.7 ft
7 4:25a -0.4
6:04p 0.9
8 5:11a -0.6
6:53p 1.0
9 6:00a -0.7
10
7:46p 1.1
6:51a -0.7
11
NEW
8:39p 1.1
7:40a -0.6
12
9:31p 1.0
8:25a -0.5
10:20p 0.9
-0.4 -0.8
13
ft
14
0.8 0.4
9:04a -0.4
-0.0
9:30a -0.2
11:03p 0.7
-0.4
15 9:30a -0.1
11:38p 0.5
11:42p 0.3
16 8:39a 0.0
17 6:18a 0.1
5:03p 0.3
18
LAST
3:57a -0.1
4:07p 0.4
19 3:57a -0.2
4:14p 0.5
4:44p 0.6
High Tide: January 9 7:46 pm • 1.1 ft
-0.8
20
ft 0.8 0.4 -0.0
4:24a -0.3
21 4:58a -0.4
5:24p 0.6
6:09p 0.7
22 5:34a -0.4
6:55p 0.7
23 6:10a -0.4
24 6:44a -0.4
7:39p 0.8
8:20p 0.8
25 7:15a -0.4
8:58p 0.7
26
FULL
7:43a -0.4
9:34p 0.7
Low Tide: January 10 6:51 am • -0.7 ft
-0.4 -0.8
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
27
ft
28
29
30
31
0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4 -0.8
8:06a -0.3
10:11p 0.7
8:25a -0.3
10:49p 0.6
8:34a -0.2
11:30p 0.4
10:26p 0.1
7:48a 0.1 8:29a -0.1
12:17a 0.3
2:42p 0.2
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
Crab lining
Crab lining
Crab lining is a fishing technique that uses a single line of twine or a trot line with
bait attached on the ends used in combination with a dip net to catch blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus. A single line has a piece of bait tied to one end and the other end is either permanently tied to a structure or held in one’s hand. Trot lines are tied to structures, such as a tree or post, on both ends, or have bait lines attached along the length of the main line that hang down to a depth of two to three feet. Crab lining is an ancient, active, hand lining technique utilized by people throughout the world for catching crabs. A person travelling across southern Louisiana during the summer months can still find this technique being used extensively in coastal areas. Native Americans in Louisiana used a version of this technique to catch crawfish but used frog legs for bait. Historically, bait, such as chicken necks, turkey necks, chicken legs, fish, or animal spleens are tied to single lines or trot lines and used to catch blue crabs. Once a crab is eating on the bait the fisherman steadily pulls the line in toward his dip net positioned under the water. Once the crab or crabs are in the mouth of the net the fisherman scoops them up. Trot lines can be worked by hand, similar to a single line, or run with a boat, where the main line is run over a hook or roller attached to the side of the boat. The crabs are netted with a dip net or a netting device when the trot line and bait are pulled over the hook or roller. Historically, various types of netting devices were also pulled along crab trot lines (automatic crab trot line dipnet) or through standing and submerged natural vegetation (crab scraper or dredge) to automatically net crabs.
Crab trot line roller
Molting crab scraper or dredge
Automatic crab trot line dipnet
Molting crab scraper or dredge
February 2013
Sunday 6
n
Monday
6
6
n
6
6
Tuesday Wednesday February 2013 n
6
6
n
6
Monthly High & Low
Thursday 6
n
6
6
High February 6, 6:43p 0.9 ft Friday Saturday Low February 6, 4:59a -0.6 ft
n
6
n
6
1
ft 0.8
1:52a 5:15a 0.1 0.1
0.4 -0.0
red drum
-0.4
2 1:19a -0.1
2:32p 0.4
2:57p 0.5
Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
-0.8
ft
6
3
FIRST
4
5
6
7
8
9
0.8 0.4 2:18a -0.3 -0.0
3:41p 0.7
3:12a -0.4
4:37p 0.8
4:06a -0.6
5:39p 0.9
4:59a -0.6
5:50a -0.6
6:43p 0.9
7:47p 0.9
6:38a -0.5
8:48p 0.8
7:21a -0.4
9:46p 0.7
-0.4 -0.8
ft
10
NEW
11
12
0.8 0.4
7:58a -0.3
-0.0
8:18a -0.1
10:42p 0.6
11:38p 0.4
-0.4
2:01p 0.1
6:53a 0.1 12:44a 0.3
Mardi Gras
-0.8
ft
5:34p 0.1
8:06a 0.0
13
17
LAST
18
14
9:02p 0.1
1:04p 0.3
19
12:14a 0.0
1:12p 0.4
Ash Wednesday
15
16 1:42a -0.1
1:43p 0.5
High Tide: February 6 6:43 pm • 0.9 ft
2:27p 0.6
Valentine’s Day
20
21
22
23
0.8 0.4 -0.0
2:39a -0.2
3:28a -0.2
3:20p 0.6
-0.4
4:13a -0.3
4:20p 0.7
24
ft
25
FULL
0.8 -0.0 -0.4 -0.8
5:32a -0.3
6:24p 0.7
7:19p 0.7
6:06a -0.3
8:09p 0.7
6:34a -0.2
8:57p 0.7
President’s Day
-0.8
0.4
4:54a -0.3
5:23p 0.7
Low Tide: February 6 4:59 am • -0.6 ft
6:58a -0.1
9:47p 0.6
7:14a 0.0
10:43p 0.5
26 3:49p 0.2
7:18a 0.1 12:51p 0.2
11:52p 0.4
27 6:53a 0.2 11:48a 0.3
6:25p 0.1
28 5:22a 0.3 1:52a 0.3
11:46a 0.4
8:33p 0.0
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
Drop Netting
Drop nets are either nets sewn to round metal hoops used for catching blue
crabs or flat, square nets attached to wire arches, used for trapping crawfish.
Drop netting is an active fishing technique. Nets are baited with chicken necks, turkey necks, chicken legs, fish, or animal spleens, placed in the center of the net to attract crustaceans. These nets are placed on the edges and bottoms of lowenergy water bodies, like bayous and bays, in both salt and fresh water habitats. The round, drop nets are usually used to catch blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, in deep water to avoid being snagged on oyster reefs occupying shallower water and are marked with a float. Round nets have nested hoops that form sides when they are pulled up though the water, trapping the crabs inside. Commercial crab fishermen now use cubical wire traps instead of the round drop nets. The square drop nets, used along the shallow edges of fresh water bottoms to catch both the red swamp crawfish, Procambarus clarkii and white river crawfish, Procambarus zonangulus, are put in place and pulled up with long poles. The flat, square net has to be pulled up fast enough to keep the crawfish on the net as it is pulled up through the water. Today, commercial crawfishermen use the wire, mesh pyramid traps, or pillow traps instead of the square drop nets. Crab Drop Net, Illustration by Diane Baker Drop net, Historic Lafourche Parish, LDWF Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Nicholls State University
March 2013
Sunday 6
n
2013 Tuesday MarchWednesday
Monday
6
6
n
6
6
n
6
6
n
6
Monthly High & Low High March 31, 12:01p 1.1 ft Low March 6, 3:38a-0.4 ft Friday Saturday
Thursday 6
n
6
6
Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
12:10p 0.6
3
ft 0.8 0.4 12:12a -0.2 -0.0 -0.4
1:42p 0.8
6:34a 0.1
3:56p 0.9
2:38a -0.4
11 6:39a 11:22a 4:31p 0.2 0.3 0.2
6 5:14p 0.9
3:38a -0.4
12
12:12a 5:48a 10:33a 0.5 0.4 0.4
6:35p 0.9
4:32a -0.3
13
10:36a 0.6
6:21p 0.2
7 5:22a -0.2
7:55p 0.8
n
11:35a 0.8
6
2
12:50p 0.7
Groundhog Day
6:03a -0.1
9 9:14p 0.7
15
9:15p 0.0
11:01a 0.7
10:33p -0.1
8
14
7:50p 0.1
1
6
16
10:38p 0.0
12:16p 0.8
11:59p 0.0
Daylight Saving Time Begins
17
18 1:11a 0.0
1:03p 0.8
19
LAST
2:12a 0.0
1:58p 0.8
Mardi Gras
20 3:04a 0.0
3:00p 0.8
24 5:16a 0.2
9:21p 0.7
Palm Sunday
31
ft 12:01p 1.1
Easter Sunday
Ash Wednesday
21 3:47a 0.0
4:12p 0.8
Valentine’s Day 5:28p 0.8
22 4:24a 0.0
6:44p 0.8
23 4:54a 0.1
8:00p 0.7
First Day of Spring
St. Patrick’s Day
ft
0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
5
2:45p 0.9
NEW
10:35p 0.6
ft
0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
4
FIRST
1:31a -0.3
10
ft
0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
6
SHEEPSHEAD
ft
0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
n
11:41p -0.2
25 5:26a 0.3
9:47a 0.5
3:21p 0.3
President’s 10:40a Day 0.4
10:54p 0.6
5:10a 0.4
26 5:04p 0.2
FULL
9:38a 0.7
1:27a 0.5 3:38a 0.5
27 6:27p 0.1
28 9:55a 0.8
7:46p 0.0
29 10:29a 1.0
9:04p -0.1
30 11:11a 1.1
Drop net, Historic Lafourche Parish, LDWF Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Nicholls State University
High Tide: March 31 12:01 pm • 1.1 ft Low Tide: March 6 3:38 am • -0.4 ft
10:23p -0.2
Good Friday Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
fish trapping
Whether it is a hoop net, slat trap, crab trap, crawfish trap, bait trap
or shrimp box, all fish traps work similarly. They are all designed with a cone-shaped entrance, or flue that leads to a central baited area where the fish or crustacean becomes trapped. Fish trapping is a passive fishing technique that is at least 9,000 years old. For ancient people and Native Americans in Louisiana, fish traps provided much of the protein in their diets. Various types of fin fish and shellfish can be captured using different types of traps. Following scent streams from bait through the water, fin fish and shellfish move along surfaces on the outside of the trap until they get funneled through the flues to the interior of the trap, where the bait is located. Once inside the trap, the fish move along interior surfaces of the trap. Again the flues redirect the fish back towards the baited interior, making it unlikely for the fish to leave the trap the same way they entered. Slat traps and hoop nets are examples of commonly used fish traps. A slat trap is a rectangular or circular cross-sectioned wooden box made of thin hardwood boards. On one or both ends of the trap, there is a funnel entrance made of pointed slats leading to the baited interior of the box. The advantage of a slat trap is that the wooden slats become waterlogged, enabling the trap to stay immobile on the bottom of a waterbody. As a result, slat traps are used exclusively to capture various species of freshwater catfish, such as channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. A hoop net is a series of rings or hoops with netting stretched over the rings forming a large tube or cylinder. On at least one end of the cylinder, there is a funnel entrance made of stretched netting that leads fish into the center of the net and often through a second funnel entrance to the baited interior. The advantage of hoop nets is that they are collapsible, light in weight, and can catch higher quantities and more species of fish than a slat trap. Its light weight enables the fisherman to carry multiple hoop nets and gives him the ability to set the nets at a variety of depths in the water column, which increases the species of fish that he can target.
APRIL 2013
Sunday 6
n
April Wednesday 2013
Monday
6
6
n
6
6
1
ft 1.2 0.8
12:57p 1.2
0.4
Tuesday n
6
6
n
6
2
FIRST
1:58p 1.1
12:52a -0.2
-0.0
Thursday 6
n
6
6
3 3:08p 1.0
1:57a -0.1
Monthly High & Low High April 28, 11:47a 1.4 ft Low April 2, 12:52a-0.2 ft Friday Saturday n
6
6
4 4:35p 0.9
2:53a 0.0
n
5 3:40a 0.1
6:29p 0.8
6
6 4:13a 0.3
8:44p 0.7
April Fool’s Day
7
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4
5:21a 0.4
11:05a 0.5
8 4:26a 0.6
5:08p 0.4
12:22a 0.6
-0.0
6:26p 0.3
10:07a 0.7
14
ft 1.2 0.8
12:22p 1.1
0.4
9 7:26p 0.2
9:55a 0.8
15 1:04p 1.1
11:55p 0.1
10
NEW
10:11a 0.9
8:19p 0.1
16 1:49p 1.0
12:52a 0.1
17 2:37p 1.0
1:44a 0.1
11 10:37a 1.0
12
9:10p 0.1
11:08a 1.1
10:02p 0.1
18
LAST
3:30p 0.9
2:30a 0.2
13 11:44a 1.1
19 3:07a 0.2
20 3:32a 0.3
4:39p 0.8
6:45p 0.7
-0.0
21
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0
3:46a 0.4
3:53p 0.6 11:01a 0.6
9:36p 0.7
22 3:33a 0.5
9:44a 0.7
23
5:11p 0.4
6:11p 0.3
9:18a 0.8
24 9:21a 1.0
7:08p 0.1
25
FULL
9:44a 1.1
8:06p 0.0
26 10:18a 1.3
9:07p -0.1
10:57p 0.1
27 11:01a 1.4
High Tide: April 28 11:47 am • 1.4 ft Low Tide: April 2 12:52 am • -0.2 ft
10:10p -0.2
Earth Day
28
ft 1.2
29
30
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org
0.8 0.4 -0.0
11:47a 1.4
11:13p -0.2
12:36p 1.4
12:15a -0.1
1:25p 1.3
DOLPHIN Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
shrimp trawling A shrimp trawl is a cone-shaped net that is towed behind a
boat called a “trawler” and primarily used in Louisiana to catch brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus and white shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus. Trawling is an active fishing technique used in saline waters. The first trawlers, called Doggers, were sailing vessels developed for fishing in the North Sea by the British in the 1600s. As the trawl is towed behind the trawler, the trawl is kept open at the top with a float line, on the bottom with a lead line and on the sides with trawl boards, first used in Louisiana in 1917. The boards are angled against the water, which forces the trawl to spread open. Shrimp and fish collect at the narrow, tapered pointed rear end of the net, referred to as the bag or tail. A “tickler chain,” which is attached to the lead line, “stirs” shrimp partially buried in soft mud and sand up into the mid-water column where they are captured by the net. In general, the tow time length of the trawl depends on the fisherman and the species that is targeted. For example, a fisherman targeting live bait for hook and line fishing will empty the net after short “drags;” whereas, a fisherman targeting shrimp for the commercial market may drag for longer periods, and stop to empty the net at regular intervals to insure the quality of the catch or when he feels that the net is sufficiently full. Once the shrimper decides to empty the net, it is pulled up with a mechanical hoist or pulled in by hand. The bag is untied and the catch is dropped into a culling or separating box. With a culling box, the catch is separated by hand. With a separating box, a concentrated, dense, saline solution is used to float non-target species or bycatch having swim bladders. Trawling is a highly effective technique that is capable of capturing a wide variety of crustaceans, cephlapods, finfish, etc.
May 2013
Sunday 6
n
6
Monday
6
n
6
May 2013 Wednesday
Tuesday
6
n
6
6
n
6
Thursday 6
n
6
1
ft
Monthly High & Low High May 26, 10:51a 1.5 ft Low May 25, 9:13p-0.3 ft
Friday Saturday 6
n
2
6
6
1:13a 0.0
0.4 -0.0
Red Snapper
-0.4
Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
5
ft 1.2 0.8
1:29a 0.6
0.4 -0.0 -0.4
9:22a 0.8
2:11p 1.2
6:06p 0.4
6 8:52a 0.9
6:40p 0.3
2:02a 0.1
7 8:54a 1.0
7:17p 0.2
8 9:12a 1.1
9 9:38a 1.2
7:54p 0.1
12
1.2 11:15a 1.3
0.8 0.4
10:33p 0.0
13 11:51a 1.2
11:14p 0.1
14 12:25p 1.2
15
11:52p 0.1
16 12:25a 0.2
12:58p 1.1
-0.4
-0.0
10:45a 0.7
10:08a 1.2
9:22p 0.6
11 10:41a 1.3
9:11p 0.0
9:51p 0.0
17
LAST
18 1:06a 0.3
1:43p 0.9
High Tide: May 26 10:51 am • 1.5 ft
12:30p 0.8
Mother’s Day
19
ft
0.4
5:59p 0.6
10
12:51a 0.2
1:27p 1.0
-0.0
0.8
2:43a 0.4
2:02p 0.8
NEW
8:32p 0.0
4
Cinco de Mayo
ft
1.2
2:36a 0.3
2:50p 1.0
6
3
1.2 0.8
n
12:59a 0.4
9:34a 0.8
11:45p 0.5
20 8:30a 0.8
5:33p 0.4
21 8:12a 1.0
5:59p 0.2
22 8:20a 1.1
23 8:46a 1.3
6:40p 0.0
24
FULL
9:22a 1.4
7:27p -0.1
8:19p -0.2
25 10:05a 1.5
Low Tide: May 25 9:13 pm • -0.3 ft
9:13p -0.3
-0.4
26
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
10:51a 1.5
10:07p -0.3
27 11:37a 1.5
Memorial Day
10:59p -0.2
28 12:21p 1.4
11:47p -0.1
29 12:58p 1.2
30 12:24a 0.1
1:13p 1.0
31
FIRST
12:41a 0.3
11:45a 0.8
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
Angling
Angling, also called hook and line fishing, is a technique that uses a
baited hook or lure on the end of a line made of twine, braid or monofilament, used alone as a hand line or connected to the tip of a flexible pole. Fishing gear or tackle can range from the simple, classic, cane pole to the highly sophisticated rod and reel. Angling is used to target a large variety of fin fish. Some of the more popular fish sought after by anglers in Louisiana include red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, spotted sea trout, Cynoscion nebulosus, largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides and blue gill, Lepomis macrochirus. Angling is an active and ancient fishing technique. In Louisiana, bone and stone hooks have been found in archaeological sites associated with cultural artifacts dating to 8,000 years ago. These ancient hooks were probably combined with twisted plant fibers and cane poles to complete their tackle. Later, hooks were made of iron and steel combined with cotton twine and monofilament line. The hook usually has a barb near the pointed end to keep fish from unhooking themselves.
Phot o by Henr
y C. Hartman
1952
Hook and line fishing tackle often consists of the hook with a cork set on the line above the hook, attached to the tip of a flexible pole. The hook is baited with live, cut or artificial bait to attract fish. Thin line is harder for the fish to see and allows for more “play”in the bait. Angling depends on tension applied to the line by the buoyancy of the bait, how the line is weighted, the amount of weight on the line, the stretchiness of the line, the buoyancy of the cork (if used), the flexibility of the pole and the skill of the angler. These different components of the tackle can be adjusted depending on the target species. Tension on the line from the pole through the line to the cork and bait all work together towards helping the fish to “hook itself.” This is why beginning fishermen are encouraged to keep a “tight line.”
June 2013
Sunday 6
n
6
6
1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
8:06a 0.9
6:15p 0.3
n
6
6
n
6
6
n
6
High June 23, 10:03a 1.5 ft Friday Saturday 6
n
6 Low June 22, 8:21p-0.4 6 nft
12:11a 0.4
3 7:49a 1.0
9
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
10:28a 1.3
9:39p -0.1
8:26a 0.7
9:37p 0.4
Father’s Day
1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
10:03a 1.5
FIRST
11:00a 1.2
6:39a 0.8
9:10p -0.3
30 5:39p 0.3
7:58a 1.1
7:16a 0.8
10:11p 0.0
5:40p 0.3
11:31a 1.2
11:59a 1.1
10:38p -0.1
8:49a 1.2
7:17a 1.1
11:01p 0.1
6:01p -0.1
12:24p 1.0
11:08p 0.1
9:21a 1.3
11:16p 0.2
12:36p 0.9
20 6:43p -0.2
7:48a 1.3
26 12:15p 1.1
7:58p -0.1
7
13
19
25 11:37a 1.3
7:25p 0.0
6
12
10:38p 0.0
5:30p 0.1
7:03a 1.0
9:57p -0.3
8:20a 1.2
18
24 10:51a 1.4
6:54p 0.1
5
11
17
23
FULL
6:26p 0.2
4
10
16
LAST
1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
6
2
ft
ft
6
Monthly High & Low
Thursday
Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
ft
n
Tuesday JuneWednesday 2013
cobia (lemon fish)
ft
ft
Monday
8:28a 1.4
12:36p 0.9
9:54a 1.3
8:20p 0.5
9:06p -0.1
14
15
11:20p 0.3
11:02p 0.4
11:48a 0.8
7:31p -0.3
22 9:14a 1.5
28 11:23a 0.7
1 8
NEW
21
27 11:13p 0.2
8:32p -0.1
9:11a 0.8
6
10:27p 0.4
8:21p -0.4
29 7:39a 0.7
High Tide: June 23 10:03 am • 1.5 ft Low Tide: June 22 8:21 pm • -0.4 ft
7:38p 0.4
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
River Shrimp Trapping R
iver shrimp boxes are wooden fish traps that are used along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers to catch the river shrimp, Macrobrachium ohione. River shrimp trapping is a passive fishing technique that dates back to the middle 1800s in written records (Comeaux, 1972). Like many types of fish traps, some forms of river shrimp boxes were probably in use long before records indicate. Shrimp boxes were constructed with bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, boards and fine-meshed wire. Like all fish traps, the boxes were constructed with one or more wooden or wire flues, forming an opening from the outside of the trap that led the shrimp towards the baited interior of the trap. Because of the way shellfish move along surfaces, the shrimp were unable to find their way back out through the funnel openings of the box. The traps were baited with vegetables, like squash, squash mixed with cornmeal, or pressed oily seed cakes (eg., pressed cotton seed cake). Light, buoyant, bald cypress wood was used in the construction of the traps. This caused the traps to float and the fisherman would partially weight them down so that they were semi-submerged near the top of the water column, enough for the flues to be underwater. Traps were usually anchored near the river bank or chained to willow trees. Apparently, the old floating shrimp boxes built this way are able to catch more river shrimp than modern wire bait traps that sit on the bottom of the channel. Either the shrimp prefer to feed near the top of the water column, or they can better follow the bait’s scent trail, if the trap is in the upper water column. Traditionally, people along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers utilized river shrimp as a regular food source, eating meals of river shrimp once or more per week. Common dishes included river shrimp with white beans or lima beans. Some people still use the boxes to catch river shrimp for food, but mostly they are used as bait for fresh water fish.
Checking the River Shrimp Box, Illustration by Diane Baker
River shrimp box, New Sarpy, Courtesy Suzanne Sriloux and Don and Wayne Keller
July 2013
Sunday 6
n
July 2013 Tuesday Wednesday
Monday
6
6
n
6
1
ft
6
n
6
2
6
n
6
3
Thursday 6
n
6
4
6
Monthly High & Low High July 21, 9:14a 1.5 ft Friday Saturday Low July 20, 7:26p-0.3 ft n 6 6 n 6
5
6
1.2 0.8
6:33a 1.0
0.4 -0.0
5:45p 0.1
6:52a 1.1
6:11p 0.0
7:22a 1.2
6:43p -0.1
-0.4
7:57a 1.2
7:16p -0.1
8:34a 1.2
7:51p -0.1
9:12a 1.2
8:24p -0.1
Independence Day
7
ft
8
NEW
9
10
11
12
1.2 0.8
9:48a 1.2
0.4
8:54p -0.1
10:21a 1.2
9:21p 0.0
10:52a 1.2
9:42p 0.0
11:21a 1.1
9:59p 0.1
11:47a 1.0
10:07p 0.2
12:09p 0.9
13
10:03p 0.3
9:37p 0.4
12:02p 0.8
Macrobrachium ohione, by Dr. Raymond T. Bauer, ULL
-0.0 -0.4
14
ft 1.2 0.8
6:35a 0.7
8:14p 0.4
0.4
15
LAST
4:54p 0.3
5:34a 0.8
-0.0
16 4:35p 0.2
5:33a 1.0
17 5:58a 1.1
5:06p 0.0
18 6:38a 1.3
5:50p -0.2
19 7:27a 1.4
6:37p -0.3
20 8:20a 1.5
7:26p -0.3
-0.4
21
ft
22
FULL
23
24
25
1.2 0.8 9:14a 1.5
0.4 -0.0
8:14p -0.3
10:08a 1.4
8:58p -0.2
9:36p 0.0
10:59a 1.3
11:47a 1.1
10:01p 0.2
12:27p 0.9
9:59p 0.4
26
27
9:00p 0.5 12:42p 0.7
4:53a 0.7
6:03p 0.5
High Tide: July 21 9:14 am • 1.5 ft Low Tide: July 20 7:26 pm • -0.3 ft
-0.4
28
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4
4:25a 0.9
4:06p 0.3
29
FIRST
4:41a 1.0
4:27p 0.2
30 5:15a 1.1
5:02p 0.1
31 5:59a 1.2
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org
5:40p 0.1
Black DRUM Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
Cast netting
A cast net is a circular net with weights attached around its circumference that is thrown and closed into a bag, used for catching a wide variety of bait fish, crustaceans and fin fish in saline and fresh water habitats. People in southern Louisiana primarily used cast nets to target brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus and white shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus.
Cast netting is an active fishing technique that dates back several thousand years based on historical writings, pictorial depictions and archaeological evidence throughout the world. Roman gladiators called Retiarius used a cast net, trident and dagger as their weapons. Historically, cast nets were made, repaired and utilized by people throughout southern Louisiana and used as a regular method for collecting food species. Traditional cast net makers were very skilled artisans, individually tying each knot that made up the mesh, lead line and brail lines of the net. Cast nets are circle-shaped nets with a weighted line around its perimeter. When the net is thrown, the goal is to open the net as wide as possible to a near perfect circle, thereby increasing the possibility of catching the maximum number of fish. The fisherman then pulls on the hand line, which is attached to the brail lines and closes the net into a bag and traps the fish inside. Cast nets have been used to collect, shrimp, crabs, and mullet. In modern times, the cast net is principally used as a means of collecting bait for hook and line fishing. However, it is still an effective technique for catching enough shrimp for an ĂŠtouffĂŠe.
August 2013
Sunday 6
n
AugustWednesday 2013 Tuesday
Monday
6
6
n
6
6
n
6
6
n
6
Monthly High & Low
Thursday 6
n
6
Friday Saturday High August 17, 7:12a 1.5 ft 6
6 Low August 17, 6:20p-0.1 6 n ft
n
1
ft
2
6
3
1.2 0.8
6:47a 1.2
0.4
Black tip shark
-0.0
Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
4
ft
5
6
NEW
6:18p 0.0
7
7:36a 1.2
6:56p 0.0
8
9:04a 1.2
0.4
8:02p 0.1
9:43a 1.2
8:27p 0.1
8:47p 0.2
10:19a 1.2
8:59p 0.3
10:53a 1.1
9:01p 0.4
11:28a 1.0
12:06p 0.9
10
8:47p 0.5
12:49p 0.8
-0.0
11
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0
3:11a 0.8
5:59p 0.6
11:08a 0.6 1:55p 0.6
12 1:59p 0.4
3:06a 0.9
18
ft
13 2:54p 0.3
3:31a 1.1
19
14
LAST
4:12a 1.2
3:46p 0.1
20
FULL
15 5:06a 1.3
4:38p 0.0
21
7:30p 0.0
9
1.2 0.8
8:22a 1.2
16 6:07a 1.4
22
8:05p 0.6
17
5:30p -0.1
7:12a 1.5
23
6:20p -0.1
24
Cast Net Making, Illustration by Diane Baker
High Tide: August 17 7:12 am • 1.5 ft Low Tide: August 17 6:20 pm • -0.1 ft
1.2 0.8
8:17a 1.5
0.4
7:09p 0.0
9:21a 1.4
7:53p 0.1
10:24a 1.3
8:29p 0.3
11:27a 1.1
-0.0
25
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0
1:44a 1.0
12:43p 0.5
26 2:18a 1.1
2:11p 0.4
27 3:03a 1.2
3:12p 0.3
FIRST
3:56a 1.2
12:34p 1.0
8:48p 0.5
28 4:06p 0.3
8:30p 0.6
2:01a 7:20a 0.7 0.7
29 4:57a 1.3
4:53p 0.3
2:07p 6:56p 0.8 0.7
1:29a 0.9
10:16a 0.6
30 6:01a 1.3
5:37p 0.3
31 7:04a 1.3
6:15p 0.3
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
Paupiére Fishing
A paupiére, or butterfly net, is a net attached to a frame that is mounted on a stationary platform on the edge of a bayou or on the side gunnels of a boat and used to catch brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus and white shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus.
Paupiére fishing can be both a passive and active technique. It is used in brackish and salt water areas. If the paupiére is mounted on a platform it is passive; whereas, if it is mounted on a boat, it is an active technique. The word paupiére is from French meaning “eyelid” and probably comes from the action of raising and lowering the framed net being similar to the opening and closing of an eyelid. The paupiére net is a large cone-shaped net. The opening of the net is permanently attached to a square frame that can be lowered and raised from the paupiére platform or the side gunnels of a boat. On the back end of the net the tail tapers to a small narrow opening, called a bag, which can be tied off to hold in catch, or opened, to release catch. Paupiére fishermen use a wench or manual lever to lower or raise the net. Paupiéres are usually fished only during an outgoing tide or flow from the estuary. For stationary platforms, a fisherman must attend the paupiére as long as the frame of the net is down in the water. Boats with paupiéres mounted on their sides are used in inshore waters by motoring against an outgoing, falling tide. In this way, shrimp are caught in the net as they move out of the estuary. Once the net is full and the paupiére is raised, the bag is untied and the catch is released into baskets or ice chests for storage and transport. Instead of hauling the paupiére frame out of the water, sometimes a “cheater line” is used, which is a rope line attached directly to the net in front of the bag and is used to pull the tail and bag out of the water onto the platform or boat, where the catch can be emptied and the net can be returned to the water.
Color photos of paupiéres by Don Davis
September 2013
Sunday 6
n
6
6
1.2
8:01a 1.3
0.8 0.4
6:48p 0.3
6
6
n
6
6
n
9:41a 1.2
6
4
7:33p 0.5
Thursday
6
3
7:15p 0.4
8:52a 1.3
Wednesday
6
6
n
6
5
NEW
7:42p 0.6
10:31a 1.1
n
Friday Saturday
11:25a 1.1
7:33p 0.7
6
8
1.2 12:25a 1.0
9:19a 0.6
9 12:48a 1.2
1:04a 5:14a 0.8 0.7
12:33p 1.0
6:58p 0.8
7 12:23a 7:25a 0.9 0.7
11:08a 0.5
10 1:26a 1.3
11 2:15a 1.4
12:41p 0.4
15 6:57a 1.4
16
12
LAST
3:13a 1.5
1:58p 0.3
8:21a 1.4
5:48p 0.3
17
6:29p 0.5
9:46a 1.2
0.4
18
13 4:20a 1.5
3:05p 0.2
14 5:36a 1.5
4:04p 0.2
22
ft
0.8
10:17a 0.5
23 12:20a 1.4
11:35a 0.5
4:59p 0.2
6:58p 0.6
11:20a 1.1
6:59p 0.8
12:49p 0.4
25 1:48a 1.4
1:56p 0.4
20
5:53p 0.9
11:49p 0.9
24 1:01a 1.4
19
FULL
5:45a 0.7
-0.0
1.2
5:17p 2:40p 0.9 0.9
Yom Kippur
ft
0.8
6
6
-0.0
1.2
n
Labor Day
ft
0.4
Tuesday
2
-0.0
0.8
n
1
ft
September 2013
Monday
Monthly High & Low High September 13, 4:20a 1.5 ft Low September 13, 4:04p 0.2 ft
1:20p 1.0
11:18p 1.2
7:30a 0.7
26
FIRST
2:40a 1.4
11:10p 1.0
2:55p 0.4
21 8:57a 0.6
27 3:40a 1.4
3:46p 0.5
11:45p 1.3
28 4:48a 1.3
4:29p 0.5
High Tide: September 13 4:20 am • 1.5 ft Low Tide: September 13 4:04 pm • 0.2 ft
0.4 -0.0
First Day of Fall
29
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0
6:02a 1.3
30 7:20a 1.2
5:03p 0.6
5:28p 0.6
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org
Greater Amberjack Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
GILL NETTING
Gill nets are long, rectangular nets that have a mesh
designed to catch specific-sized fin fish. Gill nets work by entangling fish in the mesh with openings just large enough to fit over fish gill covers or opercula; wedging the fish body into the mesh; or entangling the fins and teeth of the fish. Gill netting is an ancient, passive fishing technique. Gill nets were used prehistorically throughout the world and in North America for thousands of years. These prehistoric nets were originally made of twisted and twined natural fibers and used by fishermen in boats or standing in the water. Later, the nets were made of cotton twine, nylon twine or monofilament line. Gill nets are kept open and upright with float lines at the top and weighted ground lines on the bottom of the net. Drift gill nets are allowed to float freely in currents, attached only on one end to a boat. Set gill nets are attached to weights, boats, or structures on both ends. Encircling gill nets, or strike nets, are used to surround schools of fish, after which the fishermen scare and drive the fish into the net. Gill nets are very effective at entangling and capturing fish that are within a narrow size range - small fish swim through the net and large fish go around the net. Larger mesh nets added in layers to the outside of the smaller mesh netting can be used to make trammel nets. The fish swims through the large mesh, hitting the smaller mesh panel and dragging it through the large mesh panel on the other side. A pocket or pouch is formed and the fish is entrapped. If not properly used, gill and trammel nets can dramatically reduce various fish populations and continue to catch fish even if left unattended as “ghost nets.�
Gill Net, Historic Lafourche Parish, LDWF Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Nicholls State University
October 2013
October2013 2013 October
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
6 ft ft 1.6 1.6
n
6
6
n
6
6
n
6
6
n
6
1
Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
6
n
2
6
6
3
MonthlyHigh High&&Low Low Monthly HighOctober October10, 10, 1:32a 1:32a1.6 1.6ft ft High Friday Saturday LowOctober October10, 10, 1:21p 1:21p0.2 0.2ft ft Low n 6 6 n 6
4
NEW
5
1.2 1.2 8:38a 8:38a 1.2 1.2
0.8 0.8 0.4 0.4
10:03a 10:03a 1.1 1.1
5:42p 5:42p 0.7 0.7
-0.0 -0.0
11:42a 10:30p 10:30p 11:09p 4:41a 11:42a 5:40p11:09p 5:07p 1.0 5:40p 4:41a 1.0 5:07p 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.9
7:23a 7:23a 0.6 0.6
10:26p 10:26p 1.2 1.2
6:09a 6:09a 0.7 0.7
10:43p 10:43p 1.3 1.3
Gulf Flounder
6
ft ft 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2
8:34a 8:34a 0.5 0.5
0.8 0.8 0.4 0.4
7
11:13p 11:13p 1.4 1.4
9:46a 9:46a 0.4 0.4
8
11:53p 11:53p 1.5 1.5
10:59a 10:59a 0.3 0.3
9 12:39a 12:39a 1.6 1.6
12:12p 12:12p 0.2 0.2
10 1:32a 1:32a 1.6 1.6
11
LAST
1:21p 1:21p 0.2 0.2
2:29a 2:29a 1.6 1.6
12
2:24p 2:24p 0.3 0.3
3:34a 3:34a 1.5 1.5
3:19p 3:19p 0.3 0.3
-0.0 -0.0
Gill Net, Historic Lafourche Parish, LDWF Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Nicholls State University
13
ft ft 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2 0.8 0.8
4:51a 4:51a 1.4 1.4
4:06p 4:06p 0.5 0.5
0.4 0.4
14 4:37p 4:37p 0.6 0.6
6:38a 6:38a 1.2 1.2
15 9:04a 9:04a 1.1 1.1
16
10:47p 4:42p 10:47p 4:42p 1.0 0.8 1.0 0.8
-0.0 -0.0
9:50p 9:50p 12:08p 5:07a 12:08p 3:35p 3:35p 5:07a 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.9
17
6:24a 6:24a 0.6 0.6
18
FULL
9:42p 9:42p 1.2 1.2
7:23a 7:23a 0.5 0.5
19
9:59p 9:59p 1.3 1.3
10:26p 10:26p 1.4 1.4
8:18a 8:18a 0.4 0.4
Columbus Day
20
ft ft 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2
9:10a 9:10a 0.4 0.4
0.8 0.8 0.4 0.4
21
10:59p 10:59p 1.5 1.5
10:04a 10:04a 0.3 0.3
22
11:36p 11:36p 1.5 1.5
10:58a 10:58a 0.3 0.3
23 12:15a 12:15a 1.5 1.5
11:54a 11:54a 0.4 0.4
24 12:56a 12:56a 1.4 1.4
12:48p 12:48p 0.4 0.4
25 1:38a 1:38a 1.4 1.4
1:37p 1:37p 0.4 0.4
26
FIRST
2:22a 2:22a 1.3 1.3
2:18p 2:18p 0.5 0.5
High Tide: October 10 1:32 am • 1.6 ft Low Tide: October 10 1:21 pm • 0.2 ft
-0.0 -0.0
27
ft ft 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2 0.8 0.8 0.4 0.4 -0.0 -0.0
2:07a 2:07a 1.2 1.2
1:49p 1:49p 0.5 0.5
28 2:56a 2:56a 1.1 1.1
2:08p 2:08p 0.6 0.6
29 4:33a 4:33a 1.0 1.0
2:11p 2:11p 0.7 0.7
9:38p 8:08a 1:40p 9:38p 8:08a 1:40p 3:30a 0.9 3:30a 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8
30 8:30p 8:30p 1.0 1.0
31 4:25a 4:25a 0.7 0.7
8:08p 8:08p 1.1 1.1
Halloween
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
Seining
Seining
A seine is a rectangular, non-entangling net with a floatline on the top and a
weighted groundline on the bottom. Seines are used to entrap fish or crustaceans into a bag when the ends are pulled together on a vessel or on shore. Seining is an ancient, active fishing technique that is usually used to catch and collect schooling finfish, bait fish, crabs and shrimp. Seine nets were used prehistorically throughout the world and in North America for thousands of years, being pulled and closed by people standing in the water or by boats. Originally, seines were made of twisted and twined natural plant fibers. Later, the nets were made of cotton or nylon twine. With a normal seine, people on either end of the net stretch the net between poles and either push or pull the poles as they walk through the water without allowing too much slack in the netting. Both ends of the net are brought together into shallow water and then up on the shore forming a bag where the catch is removed from the net and sorted. Large purse seines or ring seines used on pogie or menhaden boats have brail lines that close the bottom of the net so as to capture the menhaden, Brevoortia patronis, inside the net. The nets are brought on board the net boat by winding the nets onto large drums and concentrating the fish where they can be pumped or netted into the refrigerated boat’s hold.
November 2013
Sunday 6
n
November 2013 Tuesday Wednesday
Monday
6
6
n
6
6
n
6
6
n
6
Monthly High & Low
Thursday 6
n
6
6
High November 5, 10:31p 1.6 ft Friday Saturday Low November 6, 9:51a 0.0 ft n
6
6
n
1
ft
6
2
1.2 5:13a 0.5
0.8
TarpOn
0.4
6:03a 0.4
8:35p 1.4
Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
-0.0
ft
8:13p 1.2
3
NEW
4
5
6
7
8
9
LAST
1.2 0.8
6:55a 0.2
0.4 -0.0
7:51a 0.1
9:07p 1.5
9:47p 1.6
Daylight Saving Time Ends
10:31p 1.6
9:51a 0.0
11:18p 1.6
10:52a 0.0
12:07a 1.5
12:53a 1.4
11:48a 0.1
12:37p 0.2
Election Day
10
ft
8:50a 0.0
11
12
13
14
15
16
1.2
0.4 -0.0
ft
4:54a 0.5
1:13p 0.4
0.8 1:32a 1.2
1:20a 1.0
1:22p 0.5
9:38p 0.9
12:19p 0.7
7:37p 1.0
8:08p 0.9
5:28a 0.4
7:40p 1.2
6:07a 0.2
8:01p 1.3
6:48a 0.1
8:30p 1.3
High Tide: November 5 10:31 pm • 1.6 ft
23
Low Tide: November 6 9:51 am • 0.0 ft
Veteran’s Day
17
FULL
18
19
20
21
22
1.2 0.8
7:28a 0.1
0.4
9:02p 1.4
8:09a 0.0
9:37p 1.4
8:51a 0.1
10:12p 1.3
9:33a 0.1
10:13a 0.1
10:48p 1.3
11:22p 1.2
10:50a 0.1
11:21a 0.2
11:53p 1.1
-0.0
24
ft
25
FIRST
26
27
28
29
30
1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0
12:20a 1.0
11:43a 0.3
12:31a 0.9
11:49a 0.4
11:21p 0.8
11:33a 0.4
8:23p 0.7
10:07a 0.5
7:18p 0.8
Hanukkah Begins
4:45a 0.4
7:01p 0.9
Thanksgiving Day
4:56a 0.2
7:10p 1.1
5:31a 0.0
7:35p 1.2
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
OYSTER TONGING
Oyster Tongs are long-handled, scissor-shaped tongs with teeth on the mouth used
for scraping and collecting the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica from reefs on the bottom edges of bays and bayous in saline coastal areas.
Song of the
Tongs, courte
sy of Don Da
vis
Oyster tonging is an active fishing technique where the oysterman uses scissor-like rakes or tongs with 6 to 12 foot long handles to gather a batch of oysters into a pile on the water bottom. Then the tongs are used to collect, pick up and place the oysters into the hold of the boat. This procedure is repeated until the boat is full. The tongs are generally used for harvesting and working the reef but not for seeding oysters. Prior to combustion engines, sailing boats called luggers, locally-made, shallow-draft, wide boats were the main workboat and method to transport oysters to market. Sails, push poles and oars were used to move the luggers to the oystering area or oyster lease. Later, pull boats with combustion engines were used for pulling long trains of oyster boats into and out of bays and oystering areas. Some oystermen in coastal areas of Mississippi and Alabama still use tonging for working oyster leases and harvesting oysters. In Louisiana, the oyster dredge has replaced oyster tongs as the main harvesting technique for commercial oyster operations.
December 2013
Sunday 6
n
1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4 -0.8
6:14a -0.1
n
6
6
n
6
6
2
NEW
7:03a -0.3
n
6
6
3
8:53p 1.4
7:55a -0.3
Thursday n
6
6
4
9:39p 1.4
8:48a -0.3
n
6
6
5
10:26p 1.4
9:40a -0.3
n
Yellow Fin Tuna Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
6
6
11:11p 1.3
10:29a -0.2
7
11:52p 1.1
11:08a -0.1
Hanukkah Ends
8
1.2 0.8 0.4 12:20a -0.0 0.9 -0.4 -0.8
11:29a 0.1
9
LAST
11:09a 0.3
11:29p 0.7
15
ft
6:49a -0.3
8:15p 1.1
7:46a 0.4
8:00p 0.6
16 7:26a -0.3
10
8:51p 1.1
6:42p 0.7
11 4:49a 0.2
6:26p 0.8
17
FULL
8:03a -0.3
12 5:06a 0.0
6:39p 0.9
18
9:27p 1.1
8:37a -0.3
13 5:37a -0.1
7:06p 1.0
19
10:01p 1.0
9:09a -0.2
14 6:13a -0.2
7:39p 1.1
20
10:32p 1.0
9:36a -0.2
21 9:58a -0.1
11:01p 0.9
11:25p 0.8
First Day of Winter
22
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4 -0.8
10:10a 0.0
11:40p 0.7
23 10:07a 0.0
11:11p 0.5
24 9:42a 0.1
7:14p 0.5
25
FIRST
8:19a 0.2
5:54p 0.5
26
4:47a 0.1
5:43p 0.7
27 4:21a -0.1
5:59p 0.8
28 4:47a -0.3
6:32p 0.9
High Tide: December 3 9:39 pm • 1.4 ft Low Tide: December 31 7:01 am • -0.6 ft
Christmas Day
29
ft 1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4 -0.8
6
8:11p 1.3
ft
1.2 0.8 0.4 -0.0 -0.4 -0.8
Monday
6
1
ft
December 2013 Tuesday Wednesday
Monthly High & Low High December 3, 9:39p 1.4 ft Low December 31, 7:01a-0.6 ft Friday Saturday
5:26a -0.4
7:14p 1.0
30 6:13a -0.6
8:01p 1.1
31 7:01a -0.6
New Year’s Eve
8:51p 1.1
References • Washed Away? The Invisible Peoples of Louisiana’s Wetlands. 2010. Donald W. Davis. University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press. • Atchafalaya Swamp Life: Settlement and Folk Occupations. 1972. Malcolm L. Comeaux. School of Geoscience, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. • Historic Indian Tribes of Louisiana: From 1542 to the Present. 1994. Fred B. Kniffen, Hiram F. Gregory, George A. Stokes. Louisiana State University Press • How To Make and Mend Cast Nets. 1996. Ted Dahlem. Great Outdoors Publishing Co.
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program: P.O. Box 2663, NSU Campus, N. Babington Hall, Room 105, Thibodaux, LA 70310 1.800.259.0869 • www.btnep.org Tides from Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, East Point, 29d 15’48” N 89d 57’ 24” W Tides & Currents by Jeppesen Marine • www.nobeltec.com Tide adjustment table can be found on the back cover
Tide Corrections
To find the best time to fish your favorite locations, find a location that is closest to your area and add or subtract the time from the corresponding daily prediction.
LOW
High
AREA
(Hours:Minutes)
(Hours:Minutes)
Shell Beach, Lake Borgne
+5:10
+4:01
Chandeleur Lighthouse
+0:38
+0:05
Venice, Grand Pass
+1:28
+1:06
Southwest Pass, Delta
-0:29
-1:29
Empire Jetty
-1:35
-2:03
Bastian Island
+0:22
-0:19
Quatre Bayou Pass
+0:27
+1:18
Independence Island
+2:09
+1:29
Caminada Pass
+1:44
+1:14
Timbalier Island
+0:33
-0:41
Cocodrie, Terrebonne Bay
+2:50
+1:10
Wine Island
+1:12
+0:08
Raccoon Point
-0:10
-1:03
Ship Shoal Light
-1:40
-2:54
Charts in this calendar are intended for use solely as a reference guide to Louisiana fishing. It is not intended for navigational use. BTNEP makes no warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in these charts. BTNEP assumes no liability with respect to the use of any information contained in this document.
BTNEP thanks The Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District for their generous contribution in helping to print this calendar.
2013 Tidal Graph Calendar Project Manager: Andrew Barron Program Director: Kerry St. Pé
Text provided by: Andrew Barron Design and layout by: deGravelles & Associates Illustrations by: Diane Baker Design Photo credit for black and white photographs unless noted: The collection of Don Davis and Carl Brasseaux and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries P.O. Box 2663, NSU • N. Babington Hall • Thibodaux, LA 70310 800.259.0869 • www.BTNEP.org
Fishing Regulations
This is not a comprehensive or official copy of the laws in effect and should not be utilized as such. Size and creel limit regulations are presented for selected species only. These species as well as other species may be managed by seasons, quotas and permits. Different regulations for bass, catfish and crappie may apply within specific areas. Contact the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) for specific information.
SPECIES
Freshwater Species
Largemouth and Spotted Bass (Atchafalaya Basin and Lake Verret-Palourde Area) Crappie (Sac-a-lait) Striped or Hybrid Striped Bass White Bass Yellow Bass Channel Catfish Blue Catfish Flathead Catfish (Spotted, Yellow or Opelousas) Freshwater Drum (Gaspergou)
SPECIES
Speckled Trout* (Cameron & Calcasieu Parish**) Red Fish* Black Drum Southern Flounder Greater Amberjack Cobia (Ling or Lemon Fish) King Mackerel Spanish Mackerel Red Snapper***
size limit
None 14” Minimum (TL) None None: 2 over 30” (TL) None None 25 less than 11” (TL) 25 less than 12” (TL) 25 less than 14” (TL) 12” Minimum (TL)
Saltwater species size limit
12” Minimum (TL) 12“ Minimum (TL), two over 25” 16” Minimum (TL), one over 27“ 16” Minimum (TL), one over 27“ None State & Federal Reg. 30” Min. (FL) State & Federal Reg. 33” Min. (FL) State & Federal Reg. 24” Min. (FL) State & Federal Reg. 12” Min. (FL) State & Federal Reg. 16” Min. (TL)
DAILY limit
10 10 50 5 (Any combination) 50 50 100 100 total of these three 100 species 100 25
DAILY limit 25 15 5 5 10 1 2 2 15 2
* For Red Drum (Redfish) and Spotted Seatrout (Speckled Trout): Recreational saltwater anglers may possess a two-day bag limit on land; however, no person shall be in possession of over the daily bag limit in any one day or while fishing on the water, unless that recreational saltwater angler is aboard a trawler engaged in commercial fishing for a consecutive period of longer than 25 hours. ** (Cameron & Calcasieu Parishes) Daily take and possession limit of 15 Spotted Seatrout (Speckled Trout): no person shall possess, regardless of where taken, more than two spotted seatrout exceeding 25 total inches in length, which are considered part of the daily bag and possession limit in state and coastal territorial waters South of 1-10 at the Louisiana/Texas border to its junction with LA HWY 171, south to Hwy’s 14 and 27 near Holmwood, south along Hwy. 27 to Hwy. 82 to the Gulf of Mexico. *** There are specific regulations for Red Snapper and Shark. Contact the LDWF for more information. FORK LENGTH (FL): Tip of snout to fork of tail. TOTAL Length (TL): Tip of snout to tip of tail. This public document was published at a total cost of $19,400.00. 25,000 copies of this public document were published in this first printing at a cost of $19,400.00. The total cost of all printings of this document, including reprints, is $19,400.00. This document was published by the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, Nicholls State University Campus, P.O. Box 2663, Thibodaux, LA 70310, to provide the public with environmental information under the authority of La. R.S. 30:2011. This material was printed in accordance with standards for printing by state agencies established pursuant to La. R.S. 43:31.