Mississippi Fishermen Get, Give Help To Stay Afloat
Release Date: August 8, 2007
Release Number: 1604-569
» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina
BILOXI, Miss. -- Cars, roof tops, an old rifle or two, family photos and tons of rotting vegetative matter make up the catch for some Mississippi shrimpers these days. It’s grueling work lifting Hurricane Katrina’s debris from Biloxi Back Bay and adjacent waterways. In the wake of the storm’s effects on fishing and with the onset of unrelated harsh economic realties, some fishermen consider it a welcome task.
“I was out of work for nearly a year before this contract came along,” said Steve Garlotte, a Biloxi shrimper who participated in marine debris removal in Pascagoula last fall and was recently hired as site supervisor for a debris cleanup staging area in D’Iberville. “This debris work is good,” said Garlotte. They’re on the job six days a week, 12 hours a day.
The debris assignment will keep Garlotte and 22 Mississippi shrimpers busy in Biloxi Back Bay until the end of the year when a contract with the U.S. Coast Guard expires for the project. The contract is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). About $237 million was obligated by the agency to help clean the Mississippi Sound and coastal inland waterways after Hurricane Katrina. Funds are being disbursed through an inter-agency agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard who manages and monitors the marine debris removal program for FEMA.
“More than 80 percent of the debris recovered so far is vegetative matter,” said Coast Guard Ensign James McKnight as shrimpers glided by on a skiff loaded with neatly stacked logs and branches from dead trees that they cut with a chainsaw. They’ve also found items like a toupee and leather coat from Dillard’s with the price tag still attached – good for a laugh in the sweltering summer sun.
But debris has adversely affected Mississippi’s fishing industry.
“Before the storm, I was catching 1,000 pounds of shrimp a night,” said Garlotte. Fishing slowed and shrimp and oyster landings spiraled downward after the hurricane left tons of debris in Mississippi waters. “Fishing nets cost between $700 and $1000,” said Garlotte. “They cost too much to get snagged in debris.”
The hurricane also bruised the industry in other ways. It destroyed docks, ice facilities and boats critical to commercial fishing. “There were $35.3 million in damages to the Mississippi fishing fleet,” said Dale Diaz, director of marine fisheries for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. “And while some ice plants have been repaired or replaced, getting enough ice to operate is still a major concern for commercial fishermen.”
The fishing industry contributed $1.1 billion to the state’s economy; its post-storm contribution is still being assessed. According to the DMR, during a five-year average before the storm, Mississippi shrimp accounted for five to seven percent of all the shrimp landings in the U.S. Soon after the hurricane, it dropped to about three percent, Diaz said. “There were 933 licenses issued for commercial fishing in Mississippi before Katrina; today, there are 313,” he added. More than two thirds of the state’s licensed fishing units are engaged in shrimping.
The record-breaking hurricane also destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 acres of oyster beds. “They took a hit,” said Diaz. “Between 90 and 95 percent of the beds were destroyed. There was no oyster season after Katrina.” Mississippi accounted for eight percent of all U.S. oyster landings for several years prior to 2005.
“We used to get about 400,000 sacks [of oysters] a season,” said Joe Jenkins, owner of Crystal Seas Seafood Processors in Pass Christian, the first one back in business after the hurricane. “I’ll be happy with half that this year.”
But help is on the way for the oyster harvest – and for Mississippi’s fishing industry.
Besides FEMA’s marine debris removal, about $37 million has been approved by Congress to be distributed to Mississippi over the next five years as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service Disaster Recovery Program. Nearly $3 million from the program was recently handed over to the Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources to help restore oyster beds.
Mississippi is the first state affected by Katrina to begin planting or “cultch” operations to restore oyster beds. The process involves spreading oyster shells or crushed concrete over areas in the Mississippi Sound to establish habitats for the tasty marine mollusks.
“We’ve restored 755 acres of oyster beds using 71,135 cubic yards of culture materials,” said Diaz. The restoration was completed by Mississippi fishermen. The DMR also hired 135 Mississippi commercial oyster harvesters to relay oysters from Biloxi Bay and Graveline Bayou to several reefs in western Mississippi Sound. Each harvester was paid for up to 40 sacks a day. Harvesters transported 75,000 sacks of live oysters and shells to provide additional brood stock for oyster larvae in areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina. As part of its disaster recovery program, the DMR has employed 400 Mississippi commercial shrimp and crab fishermen to monitor the recovery of fisheries.
The work brings needed income to the fishermen.
Fishermen are facing income woes unrelated to Katrina: high fuel costs and lower prices for their catches.
“It costs us about $350 for fuel for a 14-hour trip,” said Garlotte. “That and the price per pound for shrimp is less than it was a few years ago.” Imports have driven shrimp prices downward about 50 percent. Oysters are not affected by imports – yet. Given the choice, most fishermen would rather work the oyster beds than haul back shrimp; it’s more profitable.
But help continues. Besides restoring habitats, the DMR encourages working waterfront areas to receive and process seafood to help keep fishermen in business. “We’re working with the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District [the regional planning authority] to create or set aside land for working waterfront areas,” said Diaz who once fished commercially for ten years.
The DMR also helps fishermen through a marketing affiliation with Wild American Shrimp, an alliance of shrimpers of the South Atlantic and Gulf waters formed to increase public awareness about the quality of their shrimp and to educate the trade and consumers about seafood that grows naturally. “Mississippi shrimp are the Cadillac of shrimp,” said Irvin Jackson, director of seafood marketing for the DMR.
There is progress in the recovery of the state’s fishing industry. Mississippi fishermen landed 1.3 million pounds of shrimp in June 2006; shrimp landings increased to 2.4 million pounds in June 2007. “We’re not close to where we were before, but there are little successes going on all over,” said Diaz.
Successes can be attributed, in part, to the contingent of tough Mississippi fishermen who have endured the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, the economic pressures of imports and are willing to pick up debris, plant oyster beds and anything else to stay afloat.
FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 08-Aug-2007 12:01:49