Todd Masson, outdoors writer for The Times-Picayune, recently wrote a great article explaining the fisheries benefits of two planned diversions on the lower Mississippi River. Yes, there will be an initial negative impact on the fishing industry to adapt to the changed conditions of the marsh after the mid-Barataria and the mid-Breton diversions are completed and running. But the overall long-term impact will be greater than the initial loss. Preserving and restoring coastal habitat benefits fisheries.
Check out the full article here: http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2016/04/anglers_benefit_most_from_loui.html
So how might fish respond to changes from an influx of freshwater? Todd Masson’s article about how the speckled trout population in Lake Pontchartrain responded to the opening of the Bonnet Carre spillway this past winter provides a bit of insight. You might be surprised to learn specks stayed in the estuary. “How did Bonnet Carre Spillway opening affect speckled trout, redfish?” Here’s the article: http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2016/04/how_did_bonnet_carre_spillway.html
You can follow Todd Masson at www.nola.com for more of his hunting and fishing reports.