Analysis: Floods caused $258 million in losses to fishing industry

Another signature St. Mary Parish industry has taken a big hit.
The spring and summer flooding resulted in $258 million in losses to Louisiana’s fishing industry, the Governor’s Office said Monday.
The quarter-billion loss was determined through an analysis by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for submission to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Together, fishermen for brown and white shrimp lost more than $60 million, according to the analysis. Seafood processors lost another $47 million.
The state government is hoping to be eligible for $165 million in fisheries disaster assistance from Washington.
“I am committed to getting the funding this study says our people lost,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a press release.
“These hard-working men and women represent many facets of our important coastal heritage, from commercial fishermen, to charter fishermen, to seafood processors. We will work tirelessly to help our fishing businesses and families get back on their feet.”
The U.S. Department of Commerce approved Edwards’ request for a formal declaration of a fisheries disaster in September.
The estimated economic impact value far exceeds the amount of disaster assistance funding currently available at NOAA, the Governor’s Office said.
“It is important to note that fisheries disasters were also declared by the U.S. Department of Commerce in Alaska, California, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama, and those states are submitting similar economic impact analyses to NOAA in order to qualify for a portion of the $165 million in available disaster assistance.”
LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet pledged the department’s continued full commitment to the state’s fishing community. “With the input of the fishing community, we will develop a sound plan that provides the most benefit possible during this recovery,” Montoucet said. “Everything possible will be done for our fishing community.”
A breakdown of losses to fisheries and fishing sectors:
—Blue crab, $5.5 million.
—Brown shrimp, $28.7 million.
—White shrimp, $32.8 million.
—Private lease oysters, $121.7 million.
—Public ground oysters, $20.5 million.
—Black drum, $370,325.
—Charter fishing (offshore), $1.7 million.
—Seafood processors, $47 million.
Additionally, there were localized impacts to some fisheries that did not rise to a state-level basis or were mitigated by increases in those harvests elsewhere. For instance, the current estimates of losses do not capture the reduced charter activity in western Louisiana, as there was also an increase in central and eastern Louisiana.
Commercial trip ticket reports for each fishery were analyzed against historic records of harvest for that fishery. Years where the fishery was impacted by other events were not used in that analysis.
Based on days at or above flood stage at Baton Rouge, the 2018-19 Mississippi River flood is the longest lasting flood on record since 1900 (when records became available).
The flooding and fisheries losses occurred as the region continued to reel from depressed energy prices, which cost St. Mary thousands of jobs.