David Cresson tells congressional panel spill impact to be long lasting

WASHINGTON—The Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana told a congressional subcommittee today that the BP oil spill will have long-term negative effects on recreational fishing in Louisiana and that an aggressive rebuilding effort involving construction of a large fish hatchery and artificial reefs will be a first step in overcoming the damage.

CCA Louisiana Executive Director David Cresson testified to an oversight hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife regarding the oil spill’s impact on recreational fishing. Cresson explained to committee members that fishing is ingrained in the culture of many Louisiana people and that CCA members have worked for 25 years to protect the state’s fisheries resources. He also discussed the enormous economic impact that recreational fishing has on Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.

“I am here to tell you that many of our members believe that all that work and effort and sacrifice is in mortal jeopardy,” Cresson said. “Many of our members believe that the future they were working so hard to secure, a future in which their kids and grandkids would have the same opportunity to enjoy coastal Louisiana in the same ways that they did, is threatened. Many of our members believe that the danger that faces not just Louisiana, but all of the Gulf states is beyond their ability to control, impact or influence. And they are scared. Scared and angry.”

Cresson proposed a $20 million program to build artificial reefs across the Louisiana Gulf Coast. The accelerated program would be in addition to CCA’s ongoing reef-building efforts, which have resulted in construction of a numbers reefs in areas stretching from Lake Pontchartrain to Calcasieu Parish. He also proposed a $50 million to $75 million program to build a fish hatchery in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

“Before the spill, the estuaries in Louisiana were some of the richest in the world, meaning there was no need for a hatchery system to supplement fish populations,” Cresson testified. “There is no question that the oil spill will have an effect on our current fish population, and an even greater effect on the next several years of species recruitment. Very simply, oily water cannot support fish spawning. Our fish population, and therefore our economy, will be devastated without a hatchery to supplement the process.”

Read the complete version of David’s testimony here. To view the video of it, please click here .