March 24, 2025 — Louisiana’s menhaden industry plays a critical role in the state’s coastal economy, providing jobs and generating millions in economic impact. Together, the industry supports over 2,000 direct and indirect workers, providing good wage jobs in rural coastal communities and contributing $25 million to state and local economies. In a state where commercial fishing is a backbone of our culture, these jobs help keep coastal communities alive.
At the same time, we recognize our responsibility as stewards of the Gulf menhaden resource and have taken proactive steps to ensure the sustainability of our fishery.
While net tears and fish spills are extremely rare, we acknowledge such incidents are unacceptable. That’s why we’ve invested in cutting-edge technology to further reduce occurrences. Over the past four years, the industry has made 65,000 fishing sets, of which only 44 experienced net tears—a minuscule 0.067% incident rate.
Net tears are largely caused by sharks which strike the nets attempting to access the captured fish inside them. The significant increase in the shark population along the Louisiana coast has resulted in an increased incidence of net tears in recent years.