Restoration Enhances Habitat for Fish and Fowl
Breaux Act Projects Give Wetlands a Sporting Chance

Recreational fishing boats dot the waters around Raccoon Island, following resurgent populations of speckled trout and redfish. Shorebirds cluster along sand flats, while pelicans, egrets, herons, spoonbills and ibis nest in stands of black mangrove.

In the last decade, this tiny island has become one of the premier saltwater fishing spots in Terrebonne Parish and a boon to birders. As do many other Breaux Act projects, Raccoon Island exemplifies how sportsmen and other outdoors enthusiasts benefit from coastal restoration.

Breakwaters Build Barrier Island Habitat

Raccoon Island supports the greatest diversity of nesting birds in the state and provides crucial habitat for migrating neotropical birds. But like the rest of the Isles Dernieres barrier island chain, Raccoon Island faces the threat of erosion.

A 1997 Breaux Act project, Raccoon Island Breakwaters Demonstration (TE-29), sought to reduce that threat by building eight rock breakwaters to buffer wave action and collect sediment. Positioned in shallow water off the island’s eastern end, the segmented breakwaters form a dashed line 300 feet from the island’s fragile shore.

“Sand flats accreting between the breakwaters and the island provide additional bird nesting habitat. The breakwaters also provide a reef-like environment that attracts small marine organisms — and the redfish, trout, flounder and croaker that feed on them,” says Marty Floyd, wildlife biologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

In January construction began on a second project, Raccoon Island Shoreline Protection/Marsh Creation (TE-48), that will continue the line of breakwaters and deposit dredged sediment on the north side of the island to create 60 acres of wetlands, further protecting and expanding bird habitat.

“Because both birds and fish are very mobile, outdoor enthusiasts will see benefits from this project not only on Raccoon Island but also quite a distance away,” says Floyd.

Terraces Give Fish an Edge

For white shrimp, brown shrimp, blue crab and other invertebrates near the bottom of the food chain, edge habitat is “the name of the game,” says John Foret of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

That’s why terracing, a coastal restoration technique that creates thin strips of land in open-water areas, makes good fisheries habitat — and good fishing. “Terraces are virtually all edge,” Foret explains. “They provide food and refuge for small invertebrates, whose presence attracts the game fish that feed on them.”

Completed in 2004, the Four Mile Canal Terracing and Sediment Trapping project (TV-18) consists of 90 terraces arrayed along the shores of Little White Lake and Little Vermilion Bay. Designed to accrete sediment and reduce shoreline erosion, the terraces already benefit area fisheries and may eventually provide habitat for numerous species of birds.

“Waterfowl often nest in marsh plants along terraces, and woody plants provide resting perches for migratory birds,” Foret says. “Ducks are drawn to the submerged aquatic vegetation that often colonizes the shallow water between terrace edges.”

Keeping Salt Water at Bay, Structures Benefit Plants, Wildlife

More than 300 species of birds use the 125,000-acre Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, making the site popular with hunters, bird watchers and other outdoorsmen.

But saltwater intrusion from shipping channels and canals threatens vegetation in the refuge’s freshwater and intermediate marshes. The submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) on which many ducks feed is especially sensitive to salt — and if the SAV dies, the ducks won’t return.

By replacing undersized, outdated water control structures at three key locations, a 2001 Breaux Act project — Replace Sabine Refuge Water Control Structures at Headquarters Canal, West Cove Canal and Hog Island Gully (CS-23) — allows greater control over water flow through the refuge’s eastern third.

“The new structures have sliding gates that allow precise control over the amount of water entering or leaving the refuge,” explains Darryl Clark of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “That lets us maintain the right salinity levels in our marshes and allows fish and shellfish access to the area.”

Water can now move in and out of the refuge in a way that mimics tidal flow, Clark says. “That preserves marsh habitat, fish and wildlife for the enjoyment of duck hunters, bird watchers and the thousands of others who fish, crab and shrimp here every year.”