Emergency Oyster Work Program
Fresh water from the Bonnet Carre Spillway is rushing toward the Sound and the Department of Marine Resources is urgently trying to save the oysters. Today, they held two meetings to recruit fishermen to move oysters into safe waters.
As News 25’s Shelby Myers reports, many fishermen are just excited to have a job again.
Urgency: that’s the key to saving oysters in the Mississippi Sound from the freshwater in the Bonnet Carre Spillway that’s headed this way. Department of Marine Resources Executive Director Jamie Miller said, “We have a number of days to go work. We want to get those oysters from the far western part of the Sound and begin to move them. So, the clock is ticking and so we want to get working as early as Saturday.”
This year’s oyster season hasn’t been a profitable one to say the least. Now that the DMR is initiating phase one of an emergency oyster work program, fishermen are jumping on the opportunity for any chance at income. Oyster fisherman Randy Lesso said, “This will put us to work for a couple of weeks anyways. We can make enough money to maybe pull us through until we start shrimping.”
Under the program, commercial fishermen who had a license in 2011 will be paid by DMR disaster funds to relocate oysters from the west part of the Mississippi Sound and move them to the eastern sections of the Sound and Biloxi Back Bay. Those funds couldn’t come at a better time for commercial fisherman Samuel Seals. Seals said, “Distribute them. Send them out. I mean, I know I need them. I’m behind on my bills. I’ve got two kids in school, one in the oven. We need them.”
It wasn’t all excitement during the two meetings at the Bolton Building. Some fishermen expressed frustration upon realizing they would not qualify for the program. “Unfortunately, everyone won’t be eligible for the program. We invited their comments and their recommendations, see who is falling into those gaps so we can maybe build future programs or other opportunities for them,” said Miller.
Keeping fishermen from joining in on the effort is not what Miller wants because ultimately time is ticking on saving the Coast’s oyster population.
If you are a fisherman and are still unsure if you qualify to join in on the emergency oyster work program, there will be seminars at the DMR tomorrow and Friday.
As News 25’s Shelby Myers reports, many fishermen are just excited to have a job again.
Urgency: that’s the key to saving oysters in the Mississippi Sound from the freshwater in the Bonnet Carre Spillway that’s headed this way. Department of Marine Resources Executive Director Jamie Miller said, “We have a number of days to go work. We want to get those oysters from the far western part of the Sound and begin to move them. So, the clock is ticking and so we want to get working as early as Saturday.”
This year’s oyster season hasn’t been a profitable one to say the least. Now that the DMR is initiating phase one of an emergency oyster work program, fishermen are jumping on the opportunity for any chance at income. Oyster fisherman Randy Lesso said, “This will put us to work for a couple of weeks anyways. We can make enough money to maybe pull us through until we start shrimping.”
Under the program, commercial fishermen who had a license in 2011 will be paid by DMR disaster funds to relocate oysters from the west part of the Mississippi Sound and move them to the eastern sections of the Sound and Biloxi Back Bay. Those funds couldn’t come at a better time for commercial fisherman Samuel Seals. Seals said, “Distribute them. Send them out. I mean, I know I need them. I’m behind on my bills. I’ve got two kids in school, one in the oven. We need them.”
It wasn’t all excitement during the two meetings at the Bolton Building. Some fishermen expressed frustration upon realizing they would not qualify for the program. “Unfortunately, everyone won’t be eligible for the program. We invited their comments and their recommendations, see who is falling into those gaps so we can maybe build future programs or other opportunities for them,” said Miller.
Keeping fishermen from joining in on the effort is not what Miller wants because ultimately time is ticking on saving the Coast’s oyster population.
If you are a fisherman and are still unsure if you qualify to join in on the emergency oyster work program, there will be seminars at the DMR tomorrow and Friday.
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