David Cresson, executive director and CEO of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) of Louisiana, was the guest speaker at the noon Lions Club meeting on June 22.
CCA got its start in 1977 when a group of recreational fishermen formed the association in an effort to protect the populations of redfish and speckled trout that had been decimated by commercial overfishing along the Gulf Coast. CCA has expanded and now has 30 chapters all along the Gulf Coast, the South- and MId-Atlantic regions, the California coast, and up into the Pacific Northwest. One of their largest chapters is located in Shreveport. Each chapter has regional fish that they help to manage and protect. But some species of fish are easier to protect than others.
“Many of our fish in the Gulf are managed by the federal government, and the federal government — without fail — does a pathetic job of managing fish,” said Cresson. Fish such as bluefin tuna, sailfish, red snapper, and marlin are considered offshore species and are managed by the federal government. “I wish we could get more of the management of those species into state management because, at least at the state level, we have more immediate access to that level; we can go to people like [Senator] Robert Mills and [Representative] Wayne McMahen, and they can help us start making a difference. Where, at the federal level, even though we’ve got great congressmen and women, the wheels of government in Washington D.C. grind extremely slowly.”
Beyond advocating for conservation at state and federal levels, CCA also helps scientists learn more about different species of fish including their habitats, migratory patterns, and population sizes; educates the public; awards scholarships; and helps restore habitats which have been destroyed either by nature or by man.
CCA has been building floating islands to expand wetlands as well as building artificial reefs.
“We build artificial reefs all along the coasts,” said Cresson. “One of the big issues we deal with in Louisiana is the loss of our reefs. There’s really two ways we lose our reefs. One, our oyster reefs across Louisiana are getting demolished. There’s a number of factors, but the number one factor is how we harvest them [dredging]. The other way that we’re losing habitat in Louisiana is the removal of the [oil] platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. And I call them reefs, because that’s what they become; the second they hit the water, they become a reef and a habitat for fish. They’re being removed, but that’s removing fish habitats along with them. So we’re going behind those spots and rebuilding reefs.”
CCA is using old construction materials to replace these habitats, giving the smaller fish a place to call home which, in turn, attracts the larger fish. “In the last five weeks, we have built five reefs. These are expensive projects. They cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We work with big companies like Shell and Chevron and ConocoPhillips and others to develop the funding for these projects. The state of Louisiana works with us and matches the dollars one-to-one,” Cresson said. “Once we build one of these projects, the fish show right back up.”
Cresson wants people to know also, that one of the biggest threats to fish is foreign owned industry. In particular, two companies, one out of Canada and the other out of South Africa, are coming to Louisiana’s shores and harvesting a very important forage species that we call pogy (menhaden) that other fish need to live. They do this about 12,000 times a year in Louisiana.
“The important thing about menhaden is that everything in the Gulf of Mexico eats these fish,” said Cresson. “So when you pull a billion pounds out of our water, clearly you’re going to have an impact on the other fish that rely on that forage. Not to mention they also take about 50 million pounds or so or bi-catch — things like trout and redfish and shrimp and other species that we depend on.
“We’re the only state in America that allows them to do what we’re allowing. There are other states that allow them to do it offshore, but they don’t allow them to do it on their beaches like we do here in Louisiana.” Cresson asks that you as a voter in this upcoming election year, ask candidates what they plan to do about the pogy situation.
The Lions Club has interesting speakers every week. They meet on Thursdays at noon in the American Legion Memorial Home at 119 Pine Street.