BATON ROUGE mdash; After it unanimously passed through the Louisiana Legislature, Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed a bill that would have designated the Atlantic tarpon as a Louisiana saltwater game fish.Advocates of the bill say they simply wanted protections for a "declining species," with Louisiana being the lone holdout of the Gulf Coast states to not designate tarpon as a saltwater game fish.nbsp;Tarpon, also known as the "silver king," is a widely sought-after sportfish across the Gulf Coast region. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries lists it as "vulnerable" and "at moderate risk" of going extinct in the state, two levels below "critically imperiled" species.nbsp;House Bill 688 by Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Cut Off, would have added tarpon to the Sportsman's Paradise's list of saltwater game fish, which currently includes sailfish, five types of marlin and red drum.ldquo;It is difficult to understand why we would not want the same protections for tarpon as already apply to so many species in Louisiana waters," Louisiana Wildlife Federation Executive Director Rebecca Trice said in a press release on Thursday.nbsp;Landry vetoed HB 688 on June 12, calling it "a solution in search of a problem.""I can discern no corresponding conservation benefit in this designation," Landry said in a veto letter. "There is no real harvest pressure on tarpon, and nothing in the science suggests we need new limits or restrictions to protect them. Louisiana's anglers do not need more regulatory hurdles for their recreational activities."Landry added that the legislation could lead to regulations on the number and size of tarpons that Louisiana anglers could catch."For tarpon, none of that would provide a real benefit, but it could limit our sportsman's time on the water," Landry wrote.nbsp;LWF Advocacy Director Rick Owens disagreed with the governor's veto message, saying that the bill would have corrected a common misconception.nbsp;ldquo;Many people in Louisiana believe tarpon is already being monitored and managed in Louisiana but it is not,rdquo; Owens said. ldquo;While the veto message frames HB 688 as unnecessary regulation, the bill did not create any new recreational limits, seasons, reporting requirements, or gear restrictions."Landry ended his veto message by promising to keep fighting for the accessibility and abundance of Louisiana's fisheries."I'm always willing to support more research when there's a real need, but I'm not willing to addred tape just for the sake of doing something," Landry said.nbsp;Permalink| Comments ...read more read less