The Times-Picayune: Southeast Louisiana fishing faces a very uncertain future
Feb 23
Bob Marshall’s column for the Times-Picayune is worth reading for anyone who cares about the future of fishing (and hunting) in Louisiana:
At current rates of erosion, subsidence and sea-level rise, most of the wetlands the pro fished in the last week will be part of the Gulf in 40 years.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is, the pros get it, they don’t like it, and they want something done about it.
Last week the B.A.S.S officials signed a national petition the National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation are sending to Congress urging funding for coastal restoration projects that could bump new life into these starved deltas.
At least 10 of the top-ranking pros also signed on because they’ve seen the changes first-hand during their four visits over nine years.
“The pond I caught my winning fish from (below Venice) is gone. It’s just part of one large bay now,” said Mike Iaconelli, a New Jersey angler who won the Classic in New Orleans in 2003. “When I got to the (GPS) waypoint that said I was on the spot, it just wasn’t there.
“We can’t let this happen to one of the greatest fisheries in the world. It’s good the Classic is here because maybe when people watching on TV see just how fabulous it is, they’ll want to help protect it.”
