Oysters likely to be wiped out

BILOXI, Miss. - As record amounts of freshwater head down the Mississippi River toward the Mississippi Sound, the oyster industry can expect to face extreme losses, an official with the Department of Marine Resources said Tuesday. Oysters will be hit hard because they're a stationary species; shrimp, finfish and crabs, which are mobile, are expected to be able to move ahead of freshwater entering the salty waters of the Sound, and the effect on the adults should be minimal, said Scott Gordon, director of the Shellfish Bureau, Office of Marine Fisheries. (Source: Sun Herald, 05/17/11)

Some fish healthy, some not

Alabama researchers fishing within 15 miles of Dauphin Island last week caught more than 300 red snapper and found no sign of infection. The Alabama scientists also caught vermillion snapper, lane snapper, triggerfish and ruby red lips, none of which showed any visible abnormalities. A team from Louisiana State University working off Alabama earlier in the week reported catching some fish in the same area that showed signs of disease, either lesions on the skin or internal damage to the liver. Concern over marine life increased in the wake of last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/15/11)

Another concern for Gulf?

The Army Corps of Engineers plans to open the Bonnet Carre Spillway Monday, sending fresh water through Lake Pontchartrain, through a strait and into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s rarely done because of the effect it has on the marine life and the Mississippi Sound. But the Mississippi River is rising, and it is an attempt to divert some of the water before it gets to New Orleans. One concern, in addition to marine life, is it could impact the oil spill research. (Source: Sun Herald, 05/06/11)