Tag Archives: Plaquemines Parish
Gov. Jeff Landry denounced a $3 billion coastal restoration plan. Shrimpers are thrilled.
It’s becoming harder to get by as a shrimp boat captain. The cost of fuel is up, but the price of shrimp is going down. And in grocery stores, cheap imported shrimp is outcompeting their wild-caught product, shrimpers say. On top of that, the shrimpers see a massive coastal restoration project as a threat to their livelihood. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, 
the cornerstone of the state’s plan to protect Louisiana’s rapidly eroding coastline, proposes to slice open a section of the levee that keeps North America’s largest river from its natural wanderings and allow freshwater and sediment to enter the Barataria Basin, where the shrimpers work. “The scientists, they’re working toward one main goal,” said Andry, and “it is not to preserve culture here.” But lately the fishermen have had reason for optimism after Gov. Jeff Landry signaled his opposition to the project, which has been in limbo for the last several months. Echoing many shrimpers, he said the project would “break our culture.” Many of those whose livelihoods depend on the basin share Landry’s assessment. 23 photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:46
Agents Cite Three Men for Commercial Fishing Violations in Plaquemines Parish
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement agents cited three men for alleged commercial fishing violations in in Plaquemines Parish on Feb. 7. Agents cited Thanh Dang, 45, and Khai Bui, 62, both of Biloxi, Miss., and Phong Thai, 53, of Gautier, Miss., for taking commercial fish without a commercial fisherman’s license. Agents were on patrol when they boarded a vessel with the three subjects on board in the Mississippi River near Pilottown for a commercial license and turtle excluder device inspection. Upon boarding the vessel the Captain, Thanh Dang, produced commercial fishing licenses for another person who was not on board the vessel. Agents also found that none of the men possessed non-resident commercial licenses for the 2023 fishing year. >click to read< 14:24
The Controversial Plan to Unleash the Mississippi River
“There’s not a son of a bitch in this parish, or within this industry, that doesn’t want coastal restoration,” Acy Cooper, the president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association tells me when I find him repairing his boat in Venice, the southernmost harbor on the Mississippi River. Cooper is a third-generation shrimper; he knows that if the marshland is not saved, that chain will come to an end. The necessary gradient of water will disappear, replaced by salty ocean. So Cooper supports some projects—using dredged mud to build marsh, for instance—but worries that the diversion will make the water near Venice too fresh, pushing shrimp out into the Gulf. The small boats used by many shrimpers can’t travel that far. He compares the diversion to a gun held to his head: “Either let me die slowly and I can adapt, or you just pull the trigger and kill me now. That’s the way I feel about it,” he says. “If you pull the trigger now, I’m dead.” The Army Corps’ draft environmental impact statement, released in spring 2021, confirmed many of Cooper’s worst fears,,, Big article, big read. >click to read< 19:22
Parish to parish: The latest on what we know a week after Hurricane Ida
It’s been one week since Hurricane Ida made landfall off the coast of Southeast Louisiana. The past week, residents have been waiting for flood waters to recede, power to return, and the green light to return home from evacuation. Keeping up with the latest resources and updates in your parish may be difficult. Here’s what we know is happening in your parish. >click to read<, with lots of information 19:32
The host parish for Mid-Barataria diversion just voted 8-0 thumbs down against it – would destroy economy, culture
The Plaquemines Parish Council has decided to oppose Louisiana’s $2 billion plan to channel land-building sediment and nutrient-laden water from the Mississippi River,,, Members said the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project would destroy their parish’s seafood-based economy and culture. The 8-0 thumbs down from the governing authority in the project’s home parish marks an expected rebuke for Gov. John Bel Edwards, his coastal planners and their nonprofit advocates, who see Mid-Barataria as the flagship project in the state’s 50-year, $50 billion effort to stave off the disappearance of much of the bottom third of Louisiana into the Gulf of Mexico. >click to read< 11:13
Commercial fishermen in Plaquemines Parish take financial hit after active hurricane season
A voluntary evacuation will go into effect Thursday at 3 p.m. for parts of Plaquemines Parish. You will once again see hundreds of boats in Safe Harbor in Empire on Wednesday night. It’s something commercial fishermen have had to do for storm after storm and they’ll tell you they had to take a big financial hit because of that this active hurricane season. . “Chaos, start up, shut down, start up, shut down. We’ve missed at least 31 days out of the season,” said Chance Lay, a commercial fisherman. “Barely, I’m barely sliding by,” Lay said. >video, click to read< 09:15
Three Men Cited For Tuna Violations in Plaquemines Parish
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) agents cited three men for alleged commercial tuna violations in Plaquemines Parish. While on a Joint Enforcement Agreement (JEA) patrol in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, LDWF agents made contact with James A. Gerakines, 41, and Charles Updegraff, 52, both of Chalmette, and Perry Menesses, 58, of St. Bernard. The men were on the commercial fishing vessel “Jasmine” in the area of Tiger Pass located in Venice. Read the rest here 16:08
Poachers: Jefferson Parish fishermen plead guilty in Plaquemines to red snapper violations
Four Jefferson Parish fishers fishermen pleaded guilty this week in Plaquemines Parish to red snapper violations. They admitted to intentionally concealing fish that were over their red snapper limit or undersized. more@nola 11:33
