La. researchers, oystermen at odds

In the last several years, the BP oil spill and diversions of water from the Mississippi River have compromised the balance of water and salt needed to sustain oysters off Louisiana’s southeast coast, according to a research study by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. Those scientists say they have identified areas where the water is just salty enough for oysters to flourish. The research study’s conclusions help oystermen shift harvesting production away from coastal areas that have been depleted; and could help the industry adapt elsewhere as the state tries to rebuild its coast with massive river diversions that would send freshwater and sediment into eroding wetlands, likely would kill more oysters. But, the state is “trying to create diversions, not to optimize oysters but to build land,” said John Lopez, director of the foundation’s coastal sustainability program. Oystermen aren’t buying it. Based on the locations of the state restoration projects, and this research, Lopez said oystermen should start harvesting in the Biloxi Marsh, closer to Bay St. Louis, Miss., than the Bird’s Foot Delta. The state’s plan to rebuild the coast calls for cutting holes in levees along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans, which will fill nearby bays with sediment-rich water from the river. Proponents of diversions say it’s a cost-effective way to rebuild land. Oystermen say the research should focus on controlling the amount of freshwater entering those bays. (Source: New Orleans Advocate 11/20/17)