MS Delta Flood Impacts; Blue Crab Harvest Down 35%; Oyster Beds "Effectively Dead"

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - More dolphins and sea turtles are washing up dead on Coast beaches, including at least four dolphins Tuesday. There is growing concern about the environmental impact of the Mississippi Sound from the second opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway in Louisiana, something that has never happened before.

All of this had led to an unprecedented meeting held in Biloxi Tuesday. The meeting was called by Biloxi mayor FoFo Gilich. In all, ten mayors attended, from Pascagoula to Waveland, as well as other elected officials. Marine experts were also on hand to outline the problems and answer questions.

At the meeting, the news from scientists was not good. Four dolphins washing up dead on our beaches just today. The blue crab harvest is down 35 percent. The oyster beds are effectively dead. Some are comparing this to another recent disaster. “This is a very serious situation. I think it’s worse than the BP oil spill. We have 94 dolphins as of today and 141 sea turtles,” said Moby Solangi with the Institute For Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS).

The economy of the Coast is taking a beating, according to Waveland mayor Mike Smith. “The seafood industry is suffering big time. And not only that, but the marine life too. We’re getting a lot of dolphins wash up on shore, a lot of other bigger fish, as well, and I think it’s time we get a grip on this,” Smith said.

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https://www.wlox.com/2019/05/28/coast-mayors-meet-discuss-spillway-impact/?fbclid=IwAR1vSbgvEtaPSvAEFPh7C25gbMGwujoZXuKERdVPeG6tOqCdwyJB6KPBTWs