The devastation of hurricanes Ike and Gustav took a toll on the coastal fisheries in Texas and Louisiana, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has allotted $47 million in damage relief to revive local economies.
The administration this week appropriated $40 million to Louisiana, leaving Texas with $7 million in aid. Local fishery services from both states said the money will not sufficiently relieve their states’ struggling economies.
Damage to the oyster reefs, processing houses, docks, ice houses and other parts of the fishing infrastructure as well as storm debris have affected local economies in Texas and Louisiana.
Bill Balboa, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Galveston Bay researcher, said Ike’s tremendous storm surge knocked out many of the facilities for the oyster and shrimp industries.
“The small fishermen suffered the most damage,” Balboa said. “It has been somewhat problematic for them to find a place to dock after a day of fishing, but it’s amazing how fast they are recovering.”
He said the $7 million is not going to address all the issues but could be a good start if it is used for the right areas of reconstruction.
“If it’s intended for big projects like habitat restoration and infrastructure repairs, the money will be stretched thinly,” Balboa said.
He said the local economy is suffering because shrimp and oyster docks are big industries in Galveston and employ many people. Several seafood restaurants in Galveston are closed due to damage from Hurricane Ike, and some, like the Oysters Bar and Grill, will remain permanently closed.
“Galveston is the biggest producer of seafood on the Texas coast,” Balboa said. “People are struggling to make a living.”
He said it is a tough call whether the money will help, because the impacts of the storm are far-reaching.
“It’s important to stress that they will recover at some point,” he said. “This is their job, their livelihood. They may need a hand, but fishermen that live on the coast are as resilient as anything.”
Harry Blanchet, a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fishery biologist, said the damage that Louisiana suffered has not been as significant as the damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita but Gustav and Ike hit when the state was still trying to recover from the extensive damage of the previous storms.
The Louisiana economy has been devastated by the storms because local fisherman lost their ability to generate income, Blanchet said.
“They can’t make ice or fuel their boats. They don’t know how to get gas or where they will dock their boats,” he said. “We have seen significant damages from the recent storms from the mouth of the Mississippi to the Texas line.”
The major damage to resources has also affected the Louisiana economy because the production of oysters and shrimp is a large industry in Louisiana as well.
Blanchet said the Louisiana fishery is a $1 billion- to $2 billion-a-year industry between recreational and commercial fisheries.
“Yes, the $40 million is a good start, but it’s certainly not enough to make whole the damage that has been done,” Blanchet said.
Allen said the majority of the money went to Louisiana because the damage was more severe there, and the damage it withstood hurt the infrastructure habitat of oysters, which is a major Louisiana industry.
She said the damage of the impact on the Gulf Coast was in excess of $200 million and the aid will address immediate needs by restoring areas that were damaged. The effects of storm debris cannot be adequately alleviated.
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