According to a report Tuesday from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the aftermath of Hurricane Ida has left over two million acres of fish kills due to low dissolved oxygen. This “dead zone” stretched from the lower areas of Lake Maurepas eastward to creeks and bayous just east of Madisonville, south to Belle Chasse, and westward to Houma and Gibson.
While this is a significant kill, it pales in comparison to that of Hurricane Laura last year, and prior major hurricanes Andrew and Gustav. Laura experienced kills over nine million acres over western Louisiana, while Andrew and Gustav wiped out over 187 million freshwater fish – mostly across the massive Atchafalaya Spillway.
The Spillway and it’s eastern and western basins (Verret and Catahoula) were of great concern following Ida. These are some of the most productive warmwater fisheries in the country. Surprisingly, there have been some great crappie and bass catches coming from these areas since the storm. The arrival of a major cool front next week should eliminate any possibility of a late kill event.
