A new showdown is brewing over Louisiana's controversial menhaden fishing , with another round set to play out later this week when state commissioners consider a proposal to again alter industry regulations.

Recreational fishermen and conservation groups are girding for what they expect will be a proposal to partially ease the half-mile buffer zone off the coast where menhaden fishing is banned, the result of a painstakingly negotiated compromise last year. They say easing the buffer in those locations will damage Louisiana's fragile coast and ecosystem, while the industry argues that the current rules have eaten too deeply into their bottom lines, putting jobs and livelihoods at risk.

Both sides will arrive at Thursday's meeting of the state's Wildlife and Fisheries Commission with

See Full Page