Archive for March, 2022
After protest by oystermen and the public, the Texas Parks and Wildlife has delayed a vote on the proposed closure of three oyster bays for harvesting. The three bays are Carlos Bay, Mesquite Bay and Ayres Bay near Rockport. State biologists had warned harvesting in those areas has increased over the past decade and reefs have shown a low abundance of oysters relative to neighboring bays.
As a child Margot Babin would join her eight siblings harvesting crawfish from their parents rice fields. Her parents Marin and Joanna Durand started the family rice and crawfish business in 1969. Fifty-three years later it is still the Durand family business, with the brothers handling the fields and the sisters operating Teche Valley Seafood, the crawfish processing facility.
Four hurricanes and two tropical storms later, hard hit areas of Louisiana will be the recipient of an unexpected $1.7 billion in federal hurricane relief dollars. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Gov. John Bel Edwards and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy announced the new funding that provided a major infusion to the $600 million previously approved, raising to more than $1 billion the total amount of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery money available for recovery from these storms.
Venice Marina hugs the Gulf of Mexico with some of the best fish being landed year-round. Anglers from across the globe bring rod and reel to the famed marina expecting to fill their fishing boats with daily limits. Recently the fishing boats and rods and reels were replaced with airboats loaded with camouflaged rifle-carrying men in search of an invasive species, the Nutria.
Signs of life are returning along Bayou Barataria. Crab boats laden with traps navigate the waterway, careful to avoid unseen debris. Workboats supporting offshore oilrigs also tread lightly through the minefield. Nowhere but nowhere are there signs of recreational fisher casting for their favorite catch. Partly this is because the marina at Jean Lafitte Harbor is barely open seven months after Hurricane Ida dealt its near-fatal blow.
Trapped between Bayou Barataria and The Pen, a lake known for great sport fishing, the docks of Chris Seafood have for more than 50-years been filled with crab boats hugging its piers. That was until Hurricane Ida changed everything for owner Chris Ronquille.
Permanent and temporary closures of oyster harvesting areas by the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife (TDPW) have brought protests by oyster fishermen and contributing to the shortage of Gulf oysters, as well as high prices. The department said the move was due to a variety of environmental concerns.
Standing on the porch of the tribal community center six months after Hurricane Ida pummeled his community, Donald Dardar still chokes-up as he remembers seeing the remains of his village for the first time. The area, home to a fishing community of more than 800 Point-au-Chien Native Americans, endured some of the hurricane’s worst destruction leaving in its path unanswered questions on whether to rebuild in an area that is ground zero for the climate crisis.
The annual Oyster South industry symposium isn’t a typical scientific conference. Besides being filled with relevant information on oyster aquaculture, it is also fun. The organization, a charitable foundation supporting shellfish aquaculture in the southern U.S., has members ranging from growers, chefs, wholesalers, gear suppliers, students and food writers.
A silent and deadly cancer is spreading throughout the bayous and rivers of Louisiana; as well as Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri all the way to Illinois, Minnesota and the gates of the Great Lakes. Asian carp has overtaken the Mississippi River System threatening the ecosystem, as well as multi-million dollar recreational and commercial fishing industries.
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