Crawfish season reopened on Monday, but fishermen who employ underhanded tactics to harvest the crustacean out of season continue to strain the resources of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Catching the culprits is particularly difficult Campbell said because they like to operate during the early hours of the morning.
He lays the blame for the high level of out of season catches squarely at the feet of restaurants.
He noted that stiffer penalties should be put in place to deter fishermen from harvesting crawfish out of season and deter restaurants from buying the seafood when the season is closed.
He further suggested that perhaps the closed season for crawfish needs to be extended beyond four months.
Presently, the season is opened for eight months from August 1 to March 31 and closed from April 1 to July 31.
Campbell however, said the crawfish season should be closed for six months and opened for six months.
