Shrimper Worries About Freshwater Diversion Impacts
Fisherman Nicky Alfonso with his wife Lisa at home in St. Bernard, Louisiana.
For every action, there is a reaction. Gulf fishermen learned that lesson every day as they coped with the constant changes in the management of Gulf waters during the massive BP oil spill.
For example, the unprecedented outflow of the freshwater diversions in Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parish, which redirects water from the Mississippi River to the coastal bays and marshes in Breton Sound.
Days after oil started gushing from the damaged BP well, the state sanctioned the opening of the Caernarvon diversion to push encroaching oil away from the fragile coastal wetlands. In May as many as seven other diversions, siphons and locks were opened.
For three months, fresh water poured out of the diversions at peak capacity — between 15,000 and 30,000 cubic feet of water per second – to flush away oil nearing the coast. Governor Bobby Jindal authorized the closing of the diversions on August 10.
Third generation shrimper Nicky Alfonso saw firsthand the impact the sudden, massive freshwater diversion had on brown shrimp. In June, when the Delacroix fisherman wasn’t on rotation working BP’s Vessels of Opportunity cleanup, he was out on the water checking the shrimp.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. The shrimp were 120s,” says Alfonso, referring to the size of the shrimp, measured by the number per pound. “At that time of year, the shrimp should be at least 50-60 count.”
“But there was so much fresh water, it makes the water cool. The shrimp don’t grow in cold water,” Alfonso says.
Brown shrimp season opened and closed with little catch for Alfonso.
“I can’t give up my BP clean-up work because you never know when or why they’re going to close the waters again,” Alfonso says.
“The shrimp were too small. It’s not profitable to go out. I sold what little I caught because I wanted a ticket saying I’ve been trying to shrimp,” says Alfonso. “I need that to file a claim.”
Alfonso is cautiously optimistic about the safety of Gulf shrimp. He’s less sure about whether BP will pay claims for a shrimping season destroyed by the freshwater diversion.
“The state opened Caernarvon with no data on the impact of running the diversion for that long at its highest capacity,” Alfonso says. “I’m just scared BP is going to say ‘We didn’t open that freshwater diversion. The governor ordered it to stay open’, and refuse to pay claims.”
Alfonso says white shrimp aren’t affected by the freshwater diversion because they’re caught farther out in the Gulf. Louisiana’s white shrimp season in Gulf of Mexico waters opened in mid-August.
Now Alfonso is in a Catch-22. He is eager to go shrimping as soon as the season opens, but he’ll have to split his time between catching shrimp and clean-up work.
“I can’t give up my BP clean-up work because you never know when or why they’re going to close the waters again,” Alfonso says.
Alfonso also knows he’s taking a risk on shrimping. The price hasn’t been set for white shrimp, and if processors can’t sell his shrimp because the BP oil spill has tainted consumer’s perception of Gulf seafood, Alfonso says he won’t make enough money to cover the cost of shrimping.
“I’ll do what I have to do, even if it means taking a loss to help keep the industry alive and those factories open,” Alfonso says.
Category: Fishermen
It has been so difficult for the fishermen. I wish you well.