Louisiana is now included under a federally declared fishing disaster, which makes state fishermen and businesses eligible to request assistance from a 165 million dollar Congressionally approved fund.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Biologist Administrator, Jason Froeba, says the state is one of seven states included due to the devastating impact of the Bonnet Carre Spillway’s lengthy opening resulting from record high Mississippi River levels.
“A lot of the freshwater that is coming out of those areas is flowing into areas where we have oysters and other organisms that the fishermen rely on, that rely on that saltwater,” said Froeba.
Mississippi and Alabama were the only other southern states to receive the declaration.
Congress approved NOAA for management of the fund. Froeba says they plan to work closely with the agency to help out struggling anglers.
“By having access to that disaster funding, we can put programs in place, help restore the fisheries, and help provide financial assistance to those in the commercial fishing industry that have been suffering,” said Froeba.
He says it's still unclear how much the state will receive, but it’s safe to say anglers have lost a lot of money from the Spillway’s opening. How that’s effected the state’s larger economy is also unclear.
“What are the secondhand dealers losing, what are the restaurants losing, what is tourism losing if the seafood is not available? There’s all kinds of factors that play into that,” said Froeba.