As the coast retreats, the saline marsh will expand reducing the range of the 

 brackish and intermediate marsh's three-cornered grass (Scirpus oineyi) that provides 

 90% of the muskrat's food supply (O'Neil 1949) and accounts for "the most productive fur 

 habitat along the northern gulf coast" (Palmisano 1972). Continued land loss will 

 eventually influence the canouch ( Panicum hemitomon ) and alligator grass (Alternanthera 

 philoxeroides ) that are a nutria favorite. Ultimately, this renewable resource will be 

 lost. As a result, an industry that has been an important part of the marsh dweller's 

 winter subsistence activity will be lost. A part of the region's cultural heritage will die 

 and a unique lifestyle will be lost. 



Fishing; By Weight or Value, the Wetlands Are a Seafood Factory 



Each year Louisiana fishermen catch more than 680 million kg (1.5 billion lb) of 

 estuarine-dependent fish and shellfish, primarily menhaden, oysters, shrimp, and the 

 nearly ubiquitous blue crab, representing more than one-quarter of the country's total 

 catch (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1975). The region's biological 

 wealth has provided a means of subsistence for its human inhabitants since prehistoric 

 times. Fishing is an important part of the region's cultural heritage. In the seasonally 

 oriented economy of the wetlands, the trapper finishes the fur harvest in February and by 

 May he has prepared his boat for opening day of the shrimp season. Though wetland 

 inhabitants long considered the marsh low in monetary value, they always profited from 

 an abundant seafood harvest. With time and increased demand, Louisiana's seafood catch 

 has escalated in value to more than $190 million annually; thus, the State is number one 

 by weight and second in value (Ringold and Clark 1980; Aquanotes 1981). 



This harvest is directly related to Louisiana's coastal wetlands. The State's 

 economicaly important fish species spawn or migrate into the coastal estuaries to take 

 advantage of the rich food supply, protective habitat, annual changes in meteorological 

 conditions and other favorable factors. Flooding and salt stress are particularly 

 important, since they determine the length of the growing season and the marsh's 

 productivity. This influences the fisheries resource, in as much as they are dependent on 

 the wetland's abundant food supply (Gosselink 1980). The reduction of this productive 

 habitat through land loss affects the commercial fisheries. This is particularly true in 

 the shrimp industry, where the yields are directly associated with the wetland area. 



The commercial seafood industry developed with the exploitation of shrimp and 

 oysters, harvested commercially since the late I800's. These two species account for 

 nearly half of the State's annual fisheries income, with shrimp landings representing from 

 20%-30% of the total shrimp harvest in the United States. 



Shrimp . Two species of shrimp are harvested: brown (Penaeus aztecus ) in the 

 spring and white (P^ setiferus) in the fall. These penaeid shrimp spawn and hatch 

 offshore, but grow to a marketable size in the region's estuarine environments. 

 Louisiana's extensive area of intertidal vegetation provides the necessary environmental 

 factors to insure the shrimp's survival. The estuarine-dependent shrimp need the 

 marshes, not open water to mature into a marketable size. Current changes from marsh 

 to open water will affect the resource by reducing the harvestable shrimp considerably. 

 Originally harvested by cast nets and haul seines, commercial fishermen now use a 

 Lafitte skiff outfitted with an otter trawl or poupier (butterfly net). With the 

 introduction of the otter trawl in 1915, the shrimping industry was revolutionized 

 completely. A larger area could now be harvested with fewer men, thus yielding a 

 greater production per man because of the increased efficiency of the gear (Padgett 



146 



