GRN Fisheries Reports
Peer Review of Exponent's Analysis of Icthyoplankton Assessment Modeling for Shell's Gulf Landing LNG Terminal Environmental Impact Statement, MRAG Americas for Gulf Restoration Network and Regional Marine Conservation Project (2006).
LNG Peer Review 211.92 Kb
Every Fish Counts: How the Gulf Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service Ignore Bycatch to Allow Overfishing, Gulf Restoration Network (2005).
Bycatch Report 2.24 Mb
Other Important Fisheries Reports
Rebuilding US Fisheries: Progress and Problems, Lenfest Ocean Program (2006)
From Sea to Shining Sea: Priorities for Ocean Policy Reform, Joint Ocean Commission Initiative (2006)
Wasted Fishery Resources: Discarded Bycatch in the USA, Oceana (2005)
An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (2004)
America’s Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change, Pew Oceans Commission (2003)
A BLIND EYE: The 'See No Evil' Approach to Wasteful Fishing, Marine Fish Conservation Network (2006)
SHELL GAME: How the Federal Government is Hiding the Mismanagement of Our Nation's Fisheries, Marine Fish Conservation Network (2006)
RAY OF HOPE: Successes and Shortcomings in Protecting Essential Fish Habitat, Marine Fish Conservation Network (2006)
REGIONAL FISHERY MANAGEMENT Gulf of Mexico Council Report: 2005 Marine Fish Conservation Network (Released April 2006)
Gulf of Mexico Council Report: 2004 Marine Fish Conservation Network (Released March 2005)
LESSONS FROM THE SCHOOL OF BIG STORMS
Hurricanes past teach us how to prepare for the future
NEW ORLEANS – The severity of hurricane season impacts in the present and future can be minimized if the lessons of hurricane seasons past are heeded, two environmental groups conclude in a new report released to coincide with the start of Hurricane Season 2006.
The Gulf Restoration Network and the Sierra Club Gulf Coast Environmental Restoration Task Force have collaborated to produce The School of Big Storms: The High Cost of Compromising Our Natural Defenses and the Benefits of Protecting Them.
The report examines the layers of protection nature provides – from barrier islands to natural flooding cycles – and what hurricanes of the past have taught us about the consequences of compromising and undermining natural systems.
“We hope to avoid making the same mistakes over and over that put our communities at greater and greater risk,” says Cynthia Sarthou, executive director of the Gulf Restoration Network. “If we allow the continued destruction of our natural barriers, such as coastal wetlands and barrier islands, then we take away nature’s ability to protect us by reducing the strength and impact of hurricanes.”
“The School of Big Storms provides examples of lessons that, when heeded, will benefit all communities on the Gulf Coast,” says Leslie March, author of the report and member of the Sierra Club Gulf Coast Environmental Restoration Task Force. “The lessons are a guide for public officials, government agencies and citizens living along the Gulf Coast. If we can learn from the lessons that past hurricanes have taught us, we will protect our natural coastal environment and the people and communities that live here.”
The lesson learned in Louisiana involves the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a seldom-used navigation channel built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a shortcut linking the Gulf of Mexico to the Port of New Orleans. During Hurricane Katrina, the MRGO acted as a funnel – increasing the height of the storm surge by several feet and sharply increasing its speed – causing levees to crumble under the assault. Legislation currently is pending before U.S. Congress to de-authorize the channel and develop a plan for it's closure. Click here to send a message to Congress, urging them to close the MRGO.
Examples of other lessons from The School of Big Storms include:
- Allowing development in the flood plain or upriver from a flood-prone area only puts more people at risk.
- Developing plans to reduce flooding impact are only successful when they are not weakened as a result of political pressure.
- Protecting barrier islands and coastal wetlands will protect communities.
- Encouraging development that is set back from the water front will protect communities.
- Exempting development from building codes or other storm protection requirements only weakens a community’s defenses.
- Protecting the natural habitat for endangered species along the coast also will protect communities.
- Strengthening oil and gas critical infrastructure will help protect people and the environment.
Download a pdf of The School of Big Storms
For a hardcopy of the report, you can either recieve a cd for a $5 donation, recieve a paper copy for a $10 donation, or join the GRN as a member (suggested membership level of $35, minimum $15) and recieve a complimentary copy.
