Mike Voisin: That's right, the biggest problem with freshwater diversion is with the 

 oyster industry. But the oyster industry is the best organized of the fishermen 

 groups. Oyster growers are for freshwater diversion in some situations and against 

 it in others. An oyster grower may have invested time and money or inherited a 

 lease and the Corps of Engineers might destroy it by opening up the Bonnet Carre 

 spillway or the Morganza spillway. The oyster fishermen are vocal and unified and 

 have more political impact than other fishermen groups. 



Helen Kennedy: Couldn't the oyster fisherman just move his grounds farther from the 

 source of freshwater diversion as salinity shifts? 



Mike Voisin: There are two oyster fisheries in Louisiana — a private fishery and a public 

 fishery. There are 800,000 acres set aside for the public fishery and 250,000 acres 

 of oyster grounds are privately leased. The leases do not shift with the salinity. 



Wendili Curole: The main problems confronting freshwater diversion are economic and 

 social. There are relatively few areas where freshwater can be economically 

 diverted, thus our attention should be practically focused on these areas. Secondly, 

 there are some social effects such as the dislocation of oyster growers as has been 

 discussed. 



Ray Varnell: In the case of the Bayou Lamoque structure, the purpose for this diversion 

 was to ameliorate some of the predation problems affecting adjacent oyster beds. 

 Some of the beds have been silted in, but a much larger area was opened to 

 production. On the other hand, the oyster growers are plagued by a pollution 

 problem as a result of poor river water quality. 



James Gosselink: Since the main source of fresh water is the Mississippi River, can that 

 pollution problem be solved? 



Ray Varnell: There are structural designs which will allow the introduction of water 

 through marshes which act as a filters for pollutants. 



John Teal: That mechanism depends on what the pollutants are. It is not very effective 

 for compounds which are soluble in water. 



Ray Varnell: Most of the Mississippi River pollutants are adsorbed on particulate 

 material which settles in the marshes. 



Scott Liebowitz: Aren't we fighting an uphill battle with lower river diversions, when the 

 natural tendency of the river is to shift to the Atchafalaya River and rapidly build a 

 delta? Might not we gain more by diverting more flow down the Atchafalaya and 

 concentrating on building that delta cheaply and effectively? 



David Fruge: I don't think lower river diversions are futile. These diversions can 

 markedly slow the rate of marsh loss and modification. The Atchafalaya delta 

 should be managed also and activities which interfere with the active marsh growth 

 in that area (such as the Avoca Island levee extension) should be avoided. 



Donald Landry: I represent Terrebonne Parish, an area greatly affected by the 

 Atchafalaya River. The issues surrounding flood control, navigation, and land 

 building are very complex. The rapid building of land at the mouth of the 



124 



