The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is a state agency of Louisiana that maintains state parks and wildlife and fishery areas. The agency is headquartered in the capital city of Baton Rouge.
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Mission
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is assigned the responsibility of managing, conserving, promoting, and supervision of Louisiana's renewable fish and wildlife resources and their supporting habitats, through the Constitution of the State of Louisiana of 1974 Article IX, Section 7 and in revised statutes under Title 36 and Title 56.
History
The LDWF was formally known as the Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries Commission.
Programs
The LDWF is involved with many programs
Waterfowl Program
The LDWF participates in the Waterfowl Program that includes waterfowl-wetlands management, research, and monitoring. Two biologists coordinate the program, the Waterfowl Study Leader and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). The program offers technical assisstance to improve wetland habitat on both public and private land that includes providing food for wintering geese and ducks, nest sites, brooding habitat, for breeding wood ducks. Biologists form the Mississippi Flyway Council Technical Committee collects technical data used to set annual waterfowl hunting regulations.
HIP
Louisiana, as well as all other states such as Texas, participate in the HIP Program. This is an acronym for Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program that is operated jointly by each state and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), for anyone wanting to hunt ducks, coots, geese, brant, swans, doves, band-tailed pigeons, woodcock, rails, snipe, sandhill cranes, or gallinules, all hunters must register, and the information is used to provide statistics on waterfowl harvesting in the US.