La. fishers proposing legal action

Louisiana’s commercial fishing industry is suggesting legal action may be the last tool in fighting a $2B Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion restoration project that could alter a large section of the coast. “It’s going to be litigation,” Mitch Jurisic, an Empire oysterman and chairman of the Louisiana Oyster Task Force, told NOLA.com. “It’s the only way to stop this.” The Mid-Barataria diversion is the flagship project of a state-led plan to fight coastal land loss. Diversion would move the mud-laden Mississippi River through a section of levee on the west bank of Plaquemines Parish and sending it into Barataria Bay, potentially rebuilding 28 square miles of marsh. The project would mimic the natural riverine processes that created south Louisiana initially, diverting about 7M tons of sediment into the Barataria Basin annually. It will direly affect the region's fishing communities. The US Army Corps of Engineers' environmental assessment states that sediment and freshwater “would likely have major, adverse impacts” on oysters and brown shrimp. It would also harm populations of speckled trout and flounder, according to the Corps. The 30-day public comment period on the Corps’ impact statement ends Oct. 24. Officials expected to release a “record of decision” on three permits the project needs on Dec. 23. “Ten years I’ve been fighting this,” said George Ricks, a charter boat captain and president of the Save Louisiana Coalition, a group that opposes the diversion. “We’ve dotted our i’s and crossed our t’s. We’ve done everything we’re supposed to. But it didn’t work.” (NOLA.com 10/07/22) 'It’s going to wipe us out': Fishing industry vows to sue over $2 billion land-building project | Environment | nola.com