About the Program
Post-Hurricane Marine Debris and Underwater Obstruction Assessment and Marking in Calcasieu Lake, LA.
In August and September 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the infrastructure and livelihoods of Gulf Coast residents. The majority of damage occurred in the Louisiana Coastal Zone and had a profound impact on people dependent upon the state’s commercial and recreational fisheries. Hurricane Rita, the fourth strongest storm on record, ravaged southwestern Louisiana on September 24, 2005, impacting, and in some cases demolishing, habitat for humans and wildlife. Rita caused a loss of recreational and commercial boats and gear, homes, automobiles and personal property, as well as industrial structures, solvents and supplies. Calcasieu Lake became the resting place for a large and unknown collection of this storm debris. The hurricane displaced both artificial and natural debris such as containers, boats, white goods and vegetation. As vessels left derelict from the hurricanes deteriorate, they create fields of marine debris
Located in Louisiana’s Coastal Zone, primarily in Cameron Parish, Calcasieu Lake is a brackish, open-bay system that tips north into Calcasieu Parish. The lake is roughly 18 miles long and 10 miles across at its widest point. Calcasieu Lake is part of a much larger estuary system fed by the Calcasieu River. It is heavily used by charter boat operators and recreational fishermen alike and also supports oyster beds and a shrimp fishery, contains a deep-draft shipping channel, and offers Gulf of Mexico access at the town of Cameron, Louisiana. Surrounding marsh and terrestrial areas support humans and wildlife with numerous hunting and fishing lodges, rookeries and other critical bird and estuarine habitats.
While terrestrial storm debris is being addressed by numerous local, state and federal agencies, there remains a tremendous need to address the persistent issues of marine debris.
This project uses side-scan sonar, visual surveys and user-group reports to identify marine debris deposited in a portion of Calcasieu Lake by Hurricane Rita. The project team will determine the location of debris using GPS technology. The project will also engage volunteers and resource managers to travel by boat to retrieve small debris wherever possible and mark larger debris, and collect and compile data on location and type of debris found. The immediate desired result of this project is to assist in Louisiana’s hurricane recovery by reducing storm-driven navigation hazards and environmental threats to the public, recreational and commercial lake users, and wildlife.
The long-term goal is to facilitate the removal of debris and to educate audiences on the nature, behavior and threats of hurricane debris through project participation and by accessing project research reports. Survey information may also be useful to fisheries and shellfish managers.
To date, 99 large debris items/obstructions have reported or documented by the project. This includes:
- 68 confirmed obstructions (water depth, images, descriptions, differential GPS);
- 31 obstructions reported, but unconfirmed during ground-truthing on September 1 and 15, and again on October 5, 2006
This program is funded through NOAA's Ocean Service, Office of Response & Restoration, Marine Debris Program.
