William S. “Corky” Perret sits on the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council representing the State of Mississippi. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
Editors Note:
This article is part of a series of profiles on board members of the Gulf Seafood Institute.
by Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News Editor
William S. “Corky” Perret has experienced large-scale devastation and disaster in Gulf fisheries first hand. He is also one of the few experts having the skills and knowledge to help those fisheries successful recovery time and time again.
Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, as Assistant Secretary of Fisheries, Perret coordinated the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ efforts to assess damage to wildlife, fisheries and habitat. He supervised and administered proposals for funding to help offset these damages and successfully worked with Federal agencies, the State’s Congressional delegation, recreational and commercial fishermen, environmental organizations andother groups to secure supportto aid in the recovery.
During a Gulf Council meeting in Houston, Perret (center) meets with fellow council member and GSI chairman Harlon Pearce and Kristin McLaren, Executive Director of the Chef John Folse Foundation. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
As a result of these efforts, Louisiana was awarded in excess of $30 million for restoration efforts. This represented the largest amount of funding to date ever awarded to a state fish and wildlife resource agency following a natural disaster.
Fast forward 13 years and one state to the east; following Hurricane Katrina, Perret, now Deputy Director of Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, coordinated the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ efforts.He once again went into action working with Federal agencies, the State’s Congressional delegation, and both recreational and commercial fishermen. Mississippi was awarded in excess of $60 million for restoration efforts.
A Lifelong Interest in Fisheries
Perret has been interested in fisheries, primarily marine fisheries, for his entire life.
“As a small boy my family had a camp on Grand Isle. I would spend most of my summers there,” explained the Bayou State native. “I would go down to the shrimp boats and look at the specimens they had in bottles of alcohol. Those creatures fascinated me. I knew right then and there I wanted a career in fish and wildlife.”
“As a small boy my family had a camp on Grand Isle. I would spend most of my summers there,” explained Perret. “I would go down to the shrimp boats and look at the specimens they had in bottles of alcohol. Those creatures fascinated me. I knew right then and there I wanted a career in fish and wildlife.”
Sought out as a speaker for his expertise in the areas of shrimp management, finfish management, oyster resources enhancement, habitat restoration, by-catch and coastal wetlands issue, for more than fifty years he has regularly represented the Gulf States throughout the United States and in a number of foreign countries.
While at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, he was instrumental in the creation of the Marine Finfish Section and coordinated the department’s efforts to increase revenues from fisheries licenses to fund this new section.
“When I started my career, commercial fisherman only had to buy a license, and recreational fishermen weren’t even required to do that. Now we have licenses for everything,” Perret said. “Early on none of the Gulf States required a Saltwater Angling license, something now required by all five states. We have licenses for the for-hire sector, the charter boat sector, as well as a host of permits for the various federal fisheries.”
Management of fisheries a the state level is not nearly as complicated as the federal system, according to Perret. ”While managing fisheries at the state level we are able to be more flexible and react a lot quicker because state fishery commissions generally meet monthly, allowing for quicker changes as needed.”
Perret is the Mississippi At-Large Member for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, is a certified fishery scientist by the American Fisheries Society, a member of the Shellfish Restoration Committee for the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference and an advisor to Louisiana Sea Grant. He has also served on a wide variety of commissions, boards, teams and task forces and has authored some 50 technical publications and is the recipeint of numerous awards.
The current federal fishery management system (the Magnuson Act of 1976 as amended) in the United States came as the result of foreign fisherman harvesting fish in U.S. waters.
“The purpose of this federal legislation was to set up a 200 mile U.S. territorial zone, ensuring that domestic fishermen have access to these fish and preventing harvest by foreign fishermen”, he explained. “Current legislation is aimed at developing the U.S. fisheries, but the pie is only so big, so now allocation of these fisheries between commercial and recreational fishermen has moved to the forefront.”
Needs for Gulf of Mexico
As a member of the Gulf Council, he sees the continuous lack of accurate dependent and independent data as a major problem for management and timely fishery allocation decisions.
“As Council members we need timely, accurate scientific data for making decisions that impact both the recreational and commercial sectors,” he said. “Right now that real time data is just not there.”
Perret’s involvement with the Gulf Seafood Institute came as a result of the need for quality scientific data in the Gulf. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
Perret’s involvement with the Gulf Seafood Institute (GSI) came as a result of the need for quality scientific data in the Gulf.
“I got involved with GSI because I saw a need for a Gulf wide group that was committed to good science and accurate data that represented all the Gulf’s groups, including the consumer,” he said. “I have known and worked with GSI’s board members over the years and they are ‘go-getters’, they want action. I am that way too.”
He is extremely frustrated because National Marine Fisheries Service closed the red drum fishery in federal waters in the late 1980’s. Because of a lack of an accurate stock assessment the fishery remains closed. With the connections of the board of GSI, he hopes a new and accurate stock assessment can be accomplished in the near future. If a new assessment shows that red drum harvest can take place in the Exclusive Economic Zone, then fishermen should be allowed this harvest.
For Perret, habitat and water quality are two of the biggest issues the Gulf states currently face.
“Oysters are a very important resource, and oyster are sessile, they can’t move,” said the quiet spoken Perret. “Consequently they are dependent upon upland drainage from land area. They are very susceptible to an increased discharge and poor water quality, an unintended consequence of more people living in the coastal areas. Oysters are ‘the canary in the cave’ – the first to be affected by such conditions. And, alternatively, if you have healthy oyster reefs, you have a healthy environment for all fisheries.”
All About Habitat
The key to thriving Gulf fisheries for Perret is habitat. “If you don’t have good habitat you won’t have good fisheries,” he said. “It’s what you do to habitat first, then what you do to the fish. It is little consolation to have the right to fish if there are not enough fish to make the effort worthwhile.”
With his granddaughter Camille, when asked if fishery management in the Gulf has improved over his lifetime, Perret says it is a difficult question to answer. Photo: Perret Archives2
“There is a need for a more concentrated effort throughout the Gulf for conservation,” he went on to explain. “As additional piers and access for fisherman are being built, the need is even greater for more artificial reefs, especially oyster reefs. As the population continues to increase along the coast, we might in the future have to limit access to the Gulf to a number of groups. But, we are dealing with a renewable natural resource. With proper management we can maintain these fisheries for perpetuity.”
Conservation and mitigation efforts that started on land – when natural habitat was being lost to housing developments – has migrated to Gulf waters, according to the Gulf fishery expert. More Gulf fishermen, both recreational and commercial, are realizing the importance of maintaining good habitat in the Gulf, because without it the fish will disappear.
When asked if fishery management in the Gulf has improved over his lifetime, Perret says it is a difficult question to answer.
“You have to remember, 50 years ago we had little or no data coming out of the Gulf,” he explained. “Saltwater recreational fishermen in the Gulf states were not licensed and very little data was being collected. On the commercial side, there were licenses and seasons for shrimp and oysters, but there were very few bag limits, or size limits on fish.”
He believes today we can do a pretty good job in managing fish, however it is a lot more difficult to manage the people wanting access to the resource.
“There are many varying interests in the Gulf. Trying to keep everyone happy is a full time job,” he said. “That is why the Gulf Seafood Institute so important. We need to find common ground to work through our difference, so we can stand united if another crisis should arise.”
Great article. thanks for recognizing a true leader of leaders in the Gulf fisheries world.
Great article. Having known and worked professionally with Mr. Perret for over 40 years, I can attest to his accomplishments in this field. He has earned and deserves this recognition.