LRA fishes for public opinion on $19M aid

A public information session regarding the Fisheries Infrastructure and Assistance Program will be held today, Oct. 2, at the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government Building.

“We really do want folks to come on out and give us their opinion and tell us what they think of the program and what concerns they have,” said Louisiana Recovery Authority Infrastructure Policy Director Chris Vanorsdel. “I’d love to hear them.”

The LRA with the Office of Community Development, the LSU Ag Center and the Sea Grant Program will host the meeting.

The hosts encourage individual, private, non-profit and public entities geographically capable of serving Louisiana’s coastal fishing community to attend.

At the meeting, LRA and OCD representatives will discuss the proposed guidelines for the Fisheries Infrastructure and Assistance Program, as well as answer questions and concerns from stakeholders in Louisiana’s fishing communities that were affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Also, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will give a presentation on its $41 million project for direct aid for the fishing industry.

The Fisheries infrastructure and Assistance Program is part of a $19 million LRA allocation of CDBG funds, designed to provide funding assistance for projects to improve the viability and long-term sustainability of Louisiana’s coastal commercial and recreational fisheries.

“It’s not just to repair from Rita and Katrina, but it’s also to position ourselves to bounce back much faster when the next storm hits us,” said Vanorsdel.

The funding can go to projects that:

• Enhance and ensure continued access to the state’s coastal waters for commercial and recreational fishing, eco-tourism, and development of “working waterfronts;”

• Create/maintain employment in the commercial and recreational fishing industry

• Preserve the commercial and recreational fishing culture of coastal Louisiana

• Improve the economic efficiency of the fishing industry

• Create storm harbors that provide vessels with temporary refuge during future storm events

Estimates put that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed more than $528 million in fisheries infrastructure in the Louisiana fishing communities.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the TCGB’s second floor in the council room.

This meeting follows three other meetings that have been held in Plaquemines, Cameron and Vermilion parishes.

Vanorsdel encourages members of local government in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes to attend the meeting.