Midwestern Farm Runoff Creates Headache For Louisiana Shrimpers

[Sherman A1]

It’s only midmorning, but shrimper Thomas Olander is already calling it quits for the day in a small bayou in St. Mary Parish, on the central Louisiana coast.

There aren’t enough shrimp out there — especially the highly sought-after jumbo shrimp that fetch the highest prices at the market.

“It's just not worth it,” Olander said, of his morning burning fuel, supplies and time.

A bad day on the water typically isn’t something to fret about. Some days are good, some days are bad, Olander said, and in the end it all evens out. But over the past few years, the bad days are outnumbering the good ones.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/midwestern-farm-runoff-creates-headache-louisiana-shrimpers

[packman]

1. Same thing is happening to the Chesapeake Bay

Farm runoff from as far as the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania and pig farms and especially chicken farms degraded the water quality to a point where even the famed Soft-shelled Blue Crab is on a severe decline. I remember way back when piling my kids into a car and going out to a pier on the Eastern side of the bay and crab fishing. Throw in a line with a chicken neck tied to it or throw in a crab pot and just wait. Kids loved it and I loved it when we'd catch a bushel full of crabs and bring them home. Still remember my wife, the kids, and the dog chasing them over the front lawn after knocking over a tub of them.