Mitigating Impacts of Natural Hazards on Fishery Ecosystems

Development and Implementation of a Large-Scale Debris Survey and Mapping Project after the Gulf Coast Hurricanes of 2005

Timothy R. Osborn, Howard Danley, and Edward L. Martin

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874011.ch8

Abstract.—Hurricanes Katrina and Rita critically impacted the northern Gulf Coast. Shrimping and other commercial fishing industries saw large scale destruction of vessels and shore based facilities in addition to a deposition of large amounts of debris on fishing grounds from Alabama to Louisiana. In 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Office of Coast Survey and Office of Response and Restoration started the implementation of a large scale hazards survey program to map the coastal waters of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The first phase of the effort involved surveying more than 600 square nautical miles of coastal bays and nearshore waters with sidescan and single beam acoustic sonar. Survey findings are posted each week on a NOAA public Web site displaying the location of each hazard and debris found. The survey work is also updating the NOAA navigation charts for coastal areas that are used heavily by fishing vessels, the navigation industry, and recreational boaters. Survey planning and implementation is conducted cooperatively with the marine fisheries agencies of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.