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Large Fish Kill At Alligator Bayou |
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Louisiana Environmental Action Network
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Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper |
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Email Alert!
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009
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Large Fish Kill At Alligator Bayou
Damages to the Spanish Lake Basin from change in water level continue
Dead Fish Float In Alligator Bayou
PRARIEVILLE, LA - A large number of dead fish floated up to the end of Alligator Bayou today near the control structure that connects it to Bayou Manchac. Foul odors had been noticed in the area starting around Wednesday of last week but the large numbers of dead fish were only noticed today. It appears that it could have been easily a few hundred fish that were killed. Species that have been seen include many catfish, gar and buffalo. These species, particularly the gar, are generally tolerant of adverse conditions.
Dead Gar Floating In Alligator Bayou
Unfortunately this is not a complete surprise. It was expected that, with the extremely low water levels that were recently implemented, the water would become starved of oxygen and choked with algae, phytoplankton and potentially higher concentrations of waste materials.
Dead Buffalo Fish In Alligator Bayou
We have never seen a fish kill like this in Alligator Bayou and we have no doubt that this fish kill is a direct result of the extremely low water levels that have been created by the actions of Iberville Parish President Mitch Ourso and Ascension Parish President Tommy Martinez at the request of Resource Environmental Solutions, Lago Espanol and Rivalake LLC.
Dead Fish Float In Alligator Bayou
We
think that it is a tragedy that this treasure, which has been used by
so many people over many generations to hunt, fish and recreate, is
being badly damaged and rendered unusable. There is no good reason for
the extreme de-watering that has occurred and the natural resources
that belong to the citizens of Louisiana are being destroyed at the
request of 3 private companies.
We hope that this issue can still be resolved in such a way as to maximize the ecological health of the Basin while also allowing the traditional uses to be enjoyed once more. |
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