DMR, DEQ revised closed water areas in Mississippi
The state Department of Marine Resources and the state Department of Environmental Quality, in an abundance of caution, are closing an additional portion of Mississippi’s territorial marine waters, effective immediately to all commercial and recreational fishing, including all species of finfish, crabs, shrimp and oysters.Sun Herald
The closed area line is described as follows: starting at the northern most point of the Gulfport Ship Channel; eastward following the meanderings of the shoreline to a point on the shore due north of the western tip of Deer Island; due south to the western most tip of Deer Island; southeasterly following the southern shore of Deer Island to 88 degrees 51 minutes west longitude; due south to 30 degrees 19 minutes north latitude; due east to the East Biloxi Ship Channel; due south to the western most tip of Horn Island; easterly following the meanderings of the southernmost shoreline of Horn Island to 88 degrees 39 minutes west longitude; due north to 30 degrees 18 minutes north latitude; due east to the Bayou Casotte Ship Channel; due north to the CSX railroad; northeast along the CSX railroad to a point on the Mississippi/Alabama state boundary; due south following the Mississippi/Alabama state boundary to the Mississippi/Federal waters boundary; westerly following the Mississippi/Federal waters boundary to the Ship Island Bar Channel; northwest following the Ship Island Bar Channel; northwesterly following the channel until it becomes the Gulfport Ship Channel; back to the point of origin at the northern most point of the Gulfport Ship Channel.
Any individuals retaining any marine species from this closed area will be required to immediately return them to the waters. This precautionary closure is a result of oil sightings in this general area and the potential impacts on Mississippi’s coastal marine resources. The continuous monitoring of this situation is to ensure public safety and protection of Mississippi’s coastal resources.
BLOWBACK
Shifting winds will bring BP oil to state’s shores
BILOXI — Mississippi’s lucky streak appears to have ended, with oil from the BP disaster washing into the Mississippi Sound and likely to make landfall on mainland beaches within the next few days, said Trudy Fisher, director of the state Department of Environmental Quality.
“I think we all need to be mentally prepared to see some impact on our beaches,” Fisher said Thursday afternoon, with reports of several streamers or patches of oil and tar hitting barrier islands and making it into the Sound. “While we are making sure BP and the Coast Guard are doing everything they can, we don’t believe they are going to be able to get it all.”
Both Fisher and Department of Marine Resources Director Bill Walker said the BP/Coast Guard Unified Command in Mobile does not appear to have enough skimmer-equipped boats to handle all the oil headed to Alabama, Florida, and now Mississippi, beaches. State officials, including Gov. Haley Barbour, have recently urged President Barack Obama and federal and BP leaders to get more skimmer boats.
“We are going to take matters into our own hands,” Walker said. “The Unified Command does have skimmers in their task force, but we don’t have total control over those, so if there is more oil in Alabama or Florida, they move them over there, which they should. But the idea from the start was that they would have enough of those to provide for all the states, but that hasn’t worked out.”
Fisher said the state should have some of its own skimmers “in a matter of a few weeks.”
Sun Herald
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