The Effects
Intrusions Have Consequences
Mississippi River water intrusions into our Sound pose a grave threat to our Sound.
Four Ways the 2019 Bonnet Carré Openings Hurt the Mississippi Sound:
1.) A BLOW TO THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY
Low salinity caused wild-caught oyster reefs in the Mississippi Sound to die, and they have yet to return. In 2019, local fisherman Jerry Forte stated, “The shrimp industry has never seen a worse season. Not only from the effects of the Bonnet Carre’ on the ecosystem, but the algae warnings for seafood have also been detrimental to their business. The livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen were adversely affected”.
Watch the difficulties facing Mississippi oyster fishermen.
See how local shrimpers and fishermen are looking to the future after spillway impacts.
2.) ALGAE HARMED THE TOURISM INDUSTRY
The fertilizers in the released river water caused an algae bloom (eutrophication) that prompted Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to close the Sound for recreational use, which was perceived by visitors as also a closure of our beaches.
This closure dramatically lowered visitation, which translated into lost business, less state and local tax revenue, and less work for thousands of workers in the tourism industry. It also temporarily created Dead (Hypoxic) Zones in the Sound.
3.) RECORD DOLPHIN DEATHS
The dolphins are sentinels warning there’s something very wrong going on in the Sound. In 2019, 153 dolphins died (13 percent of our total dolphins and the highest loss ever on record in one year), and 201 endangered turtles died in the Mississippi Sound alone.
(Photo Source: IMMS)
4.) DOLPHINS DEVELOPED PAINFUL AND DEBILITATING CONDITIONS
The dolphins developed painful skin lesions due to low salinity and many became malnourished due the river water’s negative impact on the food chain.
Dolphins showed signs of malnutrition during the record releases of river water through the Bonnet Carré spillway in 2019. (IMMS)
