By Julia-Claire Oubre

It’s been nearly 20 years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita decimated the Gulf Coast, impacting communities, habitat and wildlife mainly in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

The storms showed us just how important our coastal marshes and barrier islands are, as they serve as our first lines of defense to slow down storm surge and protect coastal communities.  However, these wildlife-rich estuaries and island habitats are also vital to recreational and commercial fisheries, as waterfowl wintering grounds and sustain a host of other habitats and wildlife that are so important to sportsmen. In the years since Katrina and Rita, the Gulf states buckled down on coastal restoration of these areas, building up islands that were nearly washed away, filling in marshland gaps and bolstering wetlands for coastal communities and the wildlife that call them home. 

These projects ensure not only that we’re protected, but also that we have a place to hunt, fish and call home for generations to come. 

1. Ship Island, Mississippi

Ship Island’s history reaches back to the 17th century, when it served as an important port for explorers and immigrants. Over the years, Ship Island has been a favorite destination for tourists and sportsmen alike. While Fort Massachusetts and the pristine white sand beaches draw the tourists, it’s the rich grass beds on the north side of the island and the many gullies and sand bars on the south side that lure fishermen in pursuit of speckled trout, bruising redfish, spanish mackerel and pompano. In 1969, the island was split in two by Hurricane Camille, creating a gap that would widen and fill back in from time to time as the island attempted to heal itself over the years.  However, more than 30 years later, Hurricane Katrina completely submerged the island, destroying all manmade structures besides Fort Massachusetts and deepening and widening Camille Cut to almost 3 ½ miles. The damage affected seabirds, but also the vital seagrass beds, which serve as nurseries and spawning grounds for a variety of game fish, and which made it such a popular destination for sportsmen. Fortunately, a large restoration project funded through the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program delivered 18 million cubic yards of sand to the island nearly 10 years later to reunite the two halves of the island. The project also provided large sediment deposits on the east end of the island that will provide an added layer of resiliency to allow the island to naturally heal itself after future storms. Hopefully, the restoration of Ship Island will ensure that it not only continues to provide coastal protection for the mainland, but also preserves this essential habitat for a host of shorebirds, sea turtles and gamefish that make it such a unique place.   

2. Dauphin Island, Alabama

Like Ship Island, Dauphin Island, a barrier island near Mobile Bay, Alabama, served as an important port for the French. The island’s shallow waters make it an incredibly popular fishing attraction for locals and Gulf Coast visitors alike, and redfish, flounder and speckled trout are plentiful. The island is also home to several bird sanctuaries and serves as an important stopover ground for waterfowl, as it’s one of the first pieces of land seen by migrating birds on their journey across the Gulf. When Katrina struck in 2005, it created a cut in the island that eventually widened to over 1.5 miles and eroded miles of important habitat on the west end. The gap was eventually closed in 2010, helping not only to restore the island but also to add an extra boost to oysters in Mobile Bay by maintaining adequate salinity levels. Follow-on restoration projects also bolstered the island’s resiliency through the West End Renourishment and East End Beach and Dune Restoration.

3. Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

Are you sensing a theme here? Another barrier island chain, this one off the coast of Louisiana near Mississippi, the Chandeleurs were all but gone after Katrina, having lost nearly 80% of the island chain’s land mass. Katrina heavily eroded the island, reduced dunes to sand flats, created cuts that widened to open water and damaged the immensely productive grass beds on the west side of the island. The famed seagrass beds around the Chandeleurs are the most botanically diverse collection of seagrasses in the northern Gulf and serve not only as prime habitat for a variety of gamefish (as evidenced by Johnny here), but they’re also home to several endangered species, including Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles. Upcoming restoration efforts aim to restore 13 miles of the islands, which have recently welcomed Kemp’s Ridley hatchlings back to their beaches. The project will add 12 million cubic yards of sediment back on the island, build dunes, restore beaches, marshes and mangroves, establish sand reservoirs that will allow the island to heal itself after future storms and provide protection for the seagrass beds that will allow them to regenerate. The importance of the islands as a wildlife habitat makes this restoration work even more important for our coast and our sportsmen!

4. Caminada Headlands

The Caminada Headland beaches are especially vulnerable to wave action and erosion. Before Katrina and Rita, the long beach that protects inland communities like Port Fourchon lost up to 40 feet of land per year, but post-2005 storm season, that number increased to more than 80 feet per year. The loss of wetlands behind the beach is also a cause of concern. Not only is this a dynamic fish and wildlife habitat, but strong back barrier marshes allow for headlands like Caminada to bounce back more quickly post-storm. The Caminada Headland Back Barrier Marsh Creation, a CWPPRA project, restores these brackish marsh areas, which are popular with anglers, especially for speckled trout. The project was completed in 2022 using sediment dredged from the Gulf, and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries runs a free shuttle service along the restored beach, allowing fishermen to access even more areas than before. 

5. Central Wetlands 

The storm surge that breached levees and caused devastating flooding in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina is now infamous. The surge affected many wetland areas, including the Central Wetlands. The area was once a thriving wetland, but erosion and saltwater intrusion from the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (“MRGO”) have turned it into mostly open water. A new project, led by Ducks Unlimited and supported by the National Wildlife Federation, has constructed earthen terraces in the area, which will continue to trap sediment and build, improve hydrology in the area and protect communities. The project builds up and enhances 200 acres of important waterfowl habitat and stopover grounds, positively impacting birds, fish and coastal sportsmen!