Southeast LA land loss news

[TarponTom]

Sad news to report NOAA has officially declared that Yellow Cotton Bay (Venice),Bob Taylors Pond (Venice), Scofield Bay (Empire), and 29 other famous fishing areas washed away and have officially been put in the historical areas book.

In other words "dey ain't dere no more."

http://theadvocate.com/news/neworlea...on-noaa-charts

There has been a dramatic drop-off in our fishery (Venice/Biloxi Marsh/Hopedale/etc) over the last 36 months and the loss of our wetlands seems intensifying in speed that is just mind boggling. Every time I drive over the Empire bridge or drive to Venice Marina I'm just astounded over how much land has disappeared.

Somone with the USGS told me last week that in five yearsthe Gulf of Mexico would be at Tidewater Drive in Venice and at the Empire locks with no land in between. Sadly I agree him & see this happening and I see absolutely nothing being done to prevent it.

[swamp snorkler]

It's carzy the amount we loosing. For every acre built we loose 50. Only solution is to get rid of the levees and let nature takes its course but that's not going to happen.

[Smalls]

I agree, SS. Problem is, no way that is going to happen. An area that should have never been settled was settled due to leveeing, and now there is no reversing that trend. Same thing with restoration over here on the west side. We have to work with what is there, and when what is there is not a good foundation, you're fighting a losing battle. We don't have it near as bad as ya'll do on the east side, but its pretty bad everywhere. Hurricanes in the last 10 years have excellerated our land loss rates to all-time highs. We lost more land on the west side between 2004-2010 than in the 10 or 20 years prior due to hurricanes. Even before that though, a CWPPRA study from the early 90's reported that the Sabine/Calcasieu Basin had the 2nd or 3rd highest landloss rate of any coastal region in Louisiana from the 50s to the 70s. The ones ahead of it were, of course, from the southeast.

The biggest issue for the east side is subsidence. Ya'll lose land because there is nothing building land. For the west side, we are losing land because of salt water intrusion. Kills the marsh and nothing can take it's place. Two big issues that have no remedy because they are caused by economic growth. When you have 2 of the largest ports in the country in these 2 systems, there is nothing you can do. If they remove the levees, the Mississippi will no longer exist as we know it. It has been trying to shift it's flow down the Atchafalaya for a while now, and the floods of last year almost accomplished that. If that did occur, one of the largest ports in the country would become obsolete.

By 2050, we will live in a toeless boot if the right things are not done to protect our resources.

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Smalls

I agree, SS. Problem is, no way that is going to happen. An area that should have never been settled was settled due to leveeing, and now there is no reversing that trend. Same thing with restoration over here on the west side. We have to work with what is there, and when what is there is not a good foundation, you're fighting a losing battle. We don't have it near as bad as ya'll do on the east side, but its pretty bad everywhere. Hurricanes in the last 10 years have excellerated our land loss rates to all-time highs. We lost more land on the west side between 2004-2010 than in the 10 or 20 years prior due to hurricanes. Even before that though, a CWPPRA study from the early 90's reported that the Sabine/Calcasieu Basin had the 2nd or 3rd highest landloss rate of any coastal region in Louisiana from the 50s to the 70s. The ones ahead of it were, of course, from the southeast.

The biggest issue for the east side is subsidence. Ya'll lose land because there is nothing building land. For the west side, we are losing land because of salt water intrusion. Kills the marsh and nothing can take it's place. Two big issues that have no remedy because they are caused by economic growth. When you have 2 of the largest ports in the country in these 2 systems, there is nothing you can do. If they remove the levees, the Mississippi will no longer exist as we know it. It has been trying to shift it's flow down the Atchafalaya for a while now, and the floods of last year almost accomplished that. If that did occur, one of the largest ports in the country would become obsolete.

By 2050, we will live in a toeless boot if the right things are not done to protect our resources.

The Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion IS the entire reason land is being lost on that side

[Wide Open]

I can remember back about 27 yrs, and the west side fom Venice to myrtle grove has damn near disappeared totally!
There is no doubt the hurricane in 05 and 12 sped it up drastically.
I strongly believe its too far gone

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

The Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion IS the entire reason land is being lost on that side

Yep, there ya go. I'm not as up and up on the southeast side of the state. I know a few things going on over there and the causes and all that, wouldn't have thought of that specific example though. Thanks.

[TarponTom]

There isn't any diversion from Myrtle Grove to Venice on the west side its rising water levels, land subsiding, oil/gas dredging, BP oil infiltration into the wetlands,and a few other factors causing the land loss to intensify. I don't know if anyone here fished or fishes what was once known as the Yellow Cotton Bay but that area has been dead for a couple of years now. In the 60s/70s/80s/& early 90's YCB was awesome for specks.

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Smalls

Yep, there ya go. I'm not as up and up on the southeast side of the state. I know a few things going on over there and the causes and all that, wouldn't have thought of that specific example though. Thanks.

No problem man

i would send you a link to the site but i no longer have posting privileges there, if you do find the site do not disagree and do not provide any studies or any opinions that may suggest otherwise, your long thought out responses and details will be removed and you will be called names in the emails that are set to you!

[Wide Open]

Originally Posted by TarponTom

There isn't any diversion from Myrtle Grove to Venice on the west side its rising water levels, land subsiding, oil/gas dredging, BP oil infiltration into the wetlands,and a few other factors causing the land loss to intensify. I don't know if anyone here fished or fishes what was once known as the Yellow Cotton Bay but that area has been dead for a couple of years now. In the 60s/70s/80s/& early 90's YCB was awesome for specks.

Sir you are correct about the major land loss in yellow cotton bay, but we still catch an over abundance of specs and reds there, especially in the fall.
Last year was one of the best years that I can remember!
It won't be long before its all gone though!!!

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by TarponTom

There isn't any diversion from Myrtle Grove to Venice on the west side its rising water levels, land subsiding, oil/gas dredging, BP oil infiltration into the wetlands,and a few other factors causing the land loss to intensify. I don't know if anyone here fished or fishes what was once known as the Yellow Cotton Bay but that area has been dead for a couple of years now. In the 60s/70s/80s/& early 90's YCB was awesome for specks.

I was being sarcastic, sorry for the misdirection

You are correct, it is getting ridiculous the land loss. There are plans in place also, and the money is very very close to getting here to start implementing the plans. However there is a contingency of folks that are blaming the Caernarvon Diversion on the loss of land below there, even though the diversion is not a sediment diversion and was never meant to be, and land right east of there is being lost at a much faster rate. Hopefully that will not hinder the plans as it is already law and we can finally get some of these projects underway

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Wide Open

Sir you are correct about the major land loss in yellow cotton bay, but we still catch an over abundance of specs and reds there, especially in the fall.
Last year was one of the best years that I can remember!
It won't be long before its all gone though!!!

Specks like water, less land = more water

[TarponTom]

It will be very interesting to see how all of these diversion projects alter the landscape of S.E. Louisiana over the next 30 years. I'll be long gone by then but I predict that Lake P, Borgne, Hopedale/Shell Beach and other outlier areas will be freshwater estuaries by then.

[Smalls]

Haha, same concept can be applied to shrimp. People kill me when they talk about how the shrimp production in Calcasieu Lake is nothing like it was back in the 80s or early 90s. That's 'cause the saltwater was killin the marsh ya' DUCK! Shrimp eat dead vegetation, Cameron-Creole was largely fresh marsh and the salt water intrusion from the modifications to the ship channel were killing it.

Sorry, I digress......

Yeah, you're right Tarpon, there are a lot of factors that go into land loss. Oil exploration is a big part of that. You can't expect to take something out of the ground, create this big cavity, and nothing happen. The oil field canals and trenasses make salt water intrusion even worse. I know some studies have pointed out that salt water intrusion isn't a big factor in wetland loss, but I think that's a load. You get enough salt water moving very quickly into an area that had very little and you're going to lose vegetation to salt burn. Then combine that with the highly organic soils of the deltaic region, and you get some major land loss, like we see today.

[jdunbar]

don't forget either, louisiana is sinking, and the ocean level is rising. Saw an article in last month's sportsman about it.

[Riceland]

Tons of factors causing land loss, and unfortunately there is going to be little anyone can do to change that. We might be able to slow it down or create a temporary fix, but land loss loss something that it going to happen, humans just made it happen faster.

[Sightwindow]

The Venice area - I'm talking downriver Venice, the famous spots like Blind Bay, Redfish Bay, Pass a Loutre, the Mud Lumps, the sandbars, Joseph's Bayou haven't been any good for trout of any size, much less trophy sized the past two years, maybe more. First it was the oil spill and the closures, next year the super-high river, then last year the super low river. This year is the trout are a non-factor and everybody anticipates running to Breton Island, west to Four Bayous or north to the water shared by Hopedale/Delacroix to catch trout.

It's a dang shame. That area is where I caught my 8 plus ten years ago and scads of four to six pounders trying to catch that fish. It's now in what may be a total collapse. There's just no marsh remaining for the babies to grow.

They had a great fall due to the low river. IMO, that was just the fish finding their way into the easiest food they could. Fool's gold it appears.

[specknation]

There is only ONE fix and is not going to happen take the Mississippi river levees down from New Orleans south to the Gulf. All these organizations come up with this waste of time things for coastal restoration christmas tress, planting certain grass, diversion the list goes on and on. The reason the levees will not go down is the Money that travels the river, and it would flood many people. So lets stop talking about it because its not going to happen.

[TarponTom]

Sightwindow

You are 100% correct. I remember when the forums were lit up with inshore Venice fishing guides showing off the specks they limited out on starting in Feb years ago. Now days when you see a Venice guide showing off fish its redfish, sheephead, and drum with on a lucky outing a couple of trout thrown in. The Venice trout bite historically started off in Feb but this year we are almost to May and I'm not seeing any reports of trout from the Venice area.

[Reefman]

The only delta that is growing in size is the Atchafalaya Delta. Notice there are no levies where the river empties into the Gulf. Free flowing over a wide area. No way to do this along the Miss River unless you relocate the residents along that levy then destroy most of those levies. Maybe keep Venice by building a bridge like in the Keys from just below NO to Venice.

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by specknation

There is only ONE fix and is not going to happen take the Mississippi river levees down from New Orleans south to the Gulf. All these organizations come up with this waste of time things for coastal restoration christmas tress, planting certain grass, diversion the list goes on and on. The reason the levees will not go down is the Money that travels the river, and it would flood many people. So lets stop talking about it because its not going to happen.

Now hold on man, I don't appreciate that very much. My work is in a coastal revegetation program and revegetation is successful in many cases. Its all about choosing your battles wisely. If you plant in an area that is not feasible, it will fail. There are several highly effective methods, and revegetation is one of the most cost efficient. Its all in the planning, anything can failed if poorly planned.

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