Combination Of Rising Sea Levels And Subsiding Land Endanger Louisiana Coast

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, LA - AUGUST 26: Longtime shrimper Acy Cooper radios to another shrimp boat during a 12 hour plus overnight shift of shrimping on August 26, 2019 off the coast of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. The Cooper family are four generations of fishermen and shrimping is their family tradition. With the Mississippi River at historically high water levels earlier this year due to severe flooding in the Midwest, the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway in southern Louisiana has flooded the saltwater marshes with fresh water. The fresh water has driven crabs, shrimp and fish out of bays and marshes and out further to sea into saltier water where they can survive. According to a release from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the spring shrimp season catch was down over 60 percent compared to the five-year average putting a strain on the fishermen who make their livelihood on the water. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)