Seeking Refuge Before the Storm: Needs of Commercial Fishermen
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Seeking Refuge Before the Storm: Needs of Commercial Fishermen Table of Contents Introduction . 4 Establishing the Problem: Meetings with Stakeholders in Vermilion Bay. 6 Survey Results: Commercial Fishermen in the Western Vermilion Bay . 8 Needs Identified for Harbor of Refuge by Intracoastal City Fishermen . 9 View from the Water: What Do the Waterways Look Like? . 10 The Numbers: Commercial Fishing Vessels in the Vermilion River and Delcambre Canal . 12 GIS Study: Storm Anchorage for the Intracoastal City Fishing Fleet . 14 Costs and Benefits Associated with Harbor of Refuge . 16 Next Steps for Harbor of Refuge. 18 Enclosed Maps: Large Map: Vermilion Bay Regional Map Insert 1: Waterway Features – Vermilion River Insert 2: Waterway Features – Delcambre Canal Acknowledgements The Louisiana Sea Grant College Program supports an innovative program of research, education, and extension services directed toward the improved understanding and stewardship of coastal and marine resources of the State of Louisiana and the Gulf coast region. The funding for this project and document came from the 2012 FEMA Community Resilience Innovation Challenge, funded by The Rockefeller Foundation and administered by the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation. The results presented in this report are possible because of a number of project collaborators, including Wendell Verret and Richard Primeaux (The Twin Parish Port District); and Thu Bui, Anne Dugas, Rusty Gaude, Thomas Hymel, Lauren Land, and Mark Shirley (Louisiana Sea Grant). GIS maps and information were developed by Maurice Wolcott (Louisiana Sea Grant). Additional information presented in the report was contributed by NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Port Agents in Vermilion, Iberia, and St. Mary Parishes; Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service and Waterways Management; and FEMA, Baton Rouge Processing Center and Region VI. Graphic design and visual layout was completed by Robert Ray (Louisiana Sea Grant). Photos were taken by Lauren Land, unless otherwise indicated. The front and back cover photos show the Delcambre Canal in the Port of Delcambre. These photos were taken by Roy Kron (Louisiana Sea Grant). 3 Introduction The Problem with Hurricanes and Commercial In the Vermilion Bay region of coastal Louisiana, no Fishing Vessels harbor of refuge plan exists for commercial fishermen to seek protection from storm damage and to prevent their vessels While Hurricane Rita was heading toward southwest from becoming water-borne debris during a storm. When Louisiana in September of 2005, the commercial fishing fleet Hurricane Ike approached the coast in 2008, most fishermen in Intracoastal City was unsure of where to go. Some vessels moved their vessels up the river and tied up to trees or traveled up the Vermilion River, tied to trees along the bank anything they could find. Hurricane Rita taught fishermen that and lashed two or three boats together, side by side, for staying in Intracoastal City was not a safe option. However, stability. A large number of shrimpers stayed on their boats methods of tying to old oak trees on the banks of the during the event to “ride out the storm” at one of the shrimp Vermilion River or tying to other boats creates stress on the docks in Intracoastal City. With engines at full throttle, most lines. As a result, storm tides carry fishing vessels onto private were able to hold position and keep the vessel in place, even property, and when the tides recede, the boats stay grounded during the height of the storm. Captains who left their vessels on private property. The question still remains, where is there and evacuated came back after the storm to find their boats a suitable place along the Vermilion River for commercial stranded on land. Eighteen shrimp boats and one oyster fishing boats to seek harbor of refuge during storms? Such lugger were stranded. One vessel still lies on its side more locations are needed to prevent vessel damage and vessel than 30 feet from the water’s edge. groundings, which create obstacles for hurricane response and recovery. Shrimp vessels docked in Intracoastal City under normal, calm weather conditions. As of 2014, one vessel is still grounded on the land along the Vermilion River. This boat has become part of the natural landscape. One example of a grounded vessel after Hurricane Rita in 2005. Photo by Thomas Hymel. 4 Seeking Solutions: The “Safe Harbor” Master Purpose of the Harbor of Refuge Document Plan Project As the Port of Delcambre became engaged in the To begin to address the issue of mooring locations Community Resilience Innovation Challenge, several challenges for commercial fishing vessels, the Port of Delcambre (Port) became apparent that are beyond the scope of the project sought funding through the 2012 Community Resilience timeframe and its funding source. For example, interagency Innovation Challenge. Through this competition, the Federal communication and coordination at local, state, and federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) gave money from levels is complicated and presents some challenges. The Rockefeller Foundation to the Los Angeles Emergency Additionally, the lack of available public land along waterways Preparedness Foundation to distribute to projects intended in Louisiana complicates the process to identify and implement to increase community resilience around the nation. The Port, additional sites for mooring infrastructure. Finally, part of the in conjunction with Louisiana Sea Grant, proposed to create solution involves reversing years of learned behavior with a safe harbor master plan by quantifying how many vessels commercial fishermen and guiding them towards alternative need safe harbor spaces, evaluating local waterway capacity tie-down locations and practices. The challenges of developing to accommodate vessels in the short term, and producing harbor of refuge locations and protocol will take time and maps of suggested locations to install moorings and pilings in monetary resources to address. Therefore, the following the long term. The Port successfully applied for and received document serves three purposes: grant funds in May 2013. 1. To present the process, methods and results for the The project team quickly learned that “safe harbor” is Community Resilience Innovation Challenge, which will a misnomer because no place is ever safe from hazardous serve as a model for engagement in other regions of events on the water. “Harbor of refuge” is a more appropriate the state: term. The harbor of refuge project contributes to community i. Meetings with local, state and federal stakeholders resilience because it seeks to organize a plan for vessels ii. Survey questionnaire for commercial fishermen to moor during a storm, ensuring that those vessels sustain iii. Data acquisition to quantify the number of vessels little damage and remain operational. In addition, a harbor needing harbor of refuge of refuge plan will protect employment and commerce in iv. Preliminary application of Geographic Information the region. When fishing vessels sustain damage during Systems (GIS) a storm, the effect ripples downstream by impacting small v. Estimated costs avoided by having a harbor of businesses through fishermen, seafood processors, wholesale refuge distributors, and restaurants. Loose vessels also create 2. To provide aerial maps and ground-level images of destructive barriers on roadways and bridges, disrupting total various points along the Vermilion River and the commerce. A harbor of refuge plan will minimize damage to Delcambre Canal for situational awareness for local equipment and disruption to employment, thereby increasing governments and private property owners; and community resilience. 3. To serve as an initial document to raise statewide awareness of the problem of harbor of refuge for commercial fishermen. Derelict vessels in the Vermilion River. Boats stacked in Delcambre as a result of Hurricane Rita. (Photo by the Port of Delcambre) Derelict vessel in the Delcambre Canal Derelict vessel in the Delcambre Canal. 5 Establishing the Problem: Meetings with Stakeholders in Vermilion Bay Community Engagement Most of the land on both sides of the Vermilion River is privately owned. In Intracoastal City, all the docks are privately In the summer of 2013, the project team held owned, so there is no easy way to use federal or state grant the first stakeholder meeting. Attendees included Sea dollars to update infrastructure for docks and pilings. Some of Grant personnel, directors of local Offices of Emergency the ideas for solutions that came up in conversation included Preparedness (OEP - St. Mary, Iberia, and Vermilion the following: 1) engage the U.S. Coast Guard to discuss Parishes), port representatives (Delcambre, Iberia, Abbeville adding a “Notice to Shrimpers” in the “Notice to Mariners” Harbor & Terminal District, West St. Mary), and several that goes out to all vessels 48 hours before landfall; 2) have Vietnamese commercial fishermen and dock owners. The shrimpers form a co-op to charge an annual fee and pool meeting began with a presentation on the importance of money to buy vacant land and install “harbor of refuge” publicly owned and operated waterfront property to serve as a infrastructure (slip locations can be dedicated to other uses staging site for damaged vessels after a hurricane. such as boat maintenance for the rest of the year); and We had a large group discussion to understand 3) develop a grant application template, with background how ports and fishermen have handled previous hurricane information on damage from past storms and cost-benefit forecasts. In the past, ports and OEP offices have not talked analysis of improving pilings, for dock owners to apply for with each other about their docking availability for commercial private funds to update their dock and mooring infrastructure. fishing vessels. One challenge that became clear after this Project team members also met with the Director of meeting is that no “one size fits all” or broad brush approach the Port of West St. Mary and the Director of the St. Mary exists for creating a harbor of refuge plan for the Vermilion Parish OEP.