The secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shall promulgate rules and regulations, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, which shall provide for a formula to determine the amount which each owner of a commercial fishing vessel shall receive to compensate for the increased costs of vessel fuel. Said formula shall take into consideration the amount of the fund for each fiscal year, the number of commercial vessels licensed by the department, the size of the vessel, the number of crew members employed on each vessel, and the average yearly catch per vessel. The regulations shall provide for the procedures to be used for application to the fund for assistance and the method of disbursement from the fund. These rules and regulations shall be subject to approval by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
La. R.S. § 56:575