Posted on August 7, 2024
Robert Collins’ family has been producing dried shrimp in Grand Isle for five generations, dating back to the 1800s, but lately he’s had to leave the island for parts of his business.
His Louisiana Dried Shrimp Company exports to 47 states and four different countries from the port in Grand Isle, Louisiana’s only inhabited barrier island on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico.
He’s used to buying fresh shrimp from local fishermen straight off the dock — but ever since Hurricane Ida heavily damaged the port three years ago, he’s had to travel more often to other ports to get his supply, sometimes up to 100 miles away.
“Everything gets down to the bottom line,” Collins said. “If you got to spend an extra $500 to travel, that goes off the top.”
Grand Isle’s Port Commission, which oversees the commercial fishing docks, is still rebuilding after Ida demolished much of the island three years ago. Only about a third of the 70 boat slips are usable, and fishermen flock to surrounding ports to offload their goods.
While the commission has made strides to repair and expand in some areas, other repairs remain stalled as they seek more funding from federal, state and parish government entities.
According to Weldon Danos, executive director for the port commission, the damage is preventing about $12 million from going into the local economy each year, including $1.2 million in tax revenue for the town of 1,000 as the port operates at limited capacity.
Boats in the port of Grand Isle on Tuesday, July 23, 2024
While Grand Isle’s port does serve some industry, mainly petroleum, it isn’t nearly as mighty as others in the state. Five of Louisiana’s other ports rank in the top 15 ports in the country by total tonnage, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
But Danos says Grand Isle has the largest shallow-water port in the state, and Jennifer Marusak, executive director for the Ports Association of Louisiana, says it remains vital to the seafood industry.
“They are the heart and soul of our fishing industry,” Marusak said. “It’s easy to think because it’s a smaller port in a smaller town, it doesn’t have national impacts. But it does.”
Building stronger and reinforced bulkheads at the port of Grand Isle on Tuesday, July 23, 2024
‘That is money we’re losing’
Following the storm, the port commission requested between $4-6 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency — the exact number differed between the two agencies. FEMA said it gave about $1 million to the port commission, citing that some damage was not attributable to Hurricane Ida and that some damage was unconfirmed.
The Grand Isle Port Commission made about $360,000 in revenue for the last fiscal year, according to its most recent state audit. Only about 8% of that came from business activity, while most of it came from a local millage and grants.
While several repair projects have been completed with the funding provided — like fixing the port’s kayak launch and recreational fishing pier — major tasks remain stalled as they await additional funding.
The port’s western slips could house up to 30 fishing boats at a time before 2021, but damage to the bulkhead left much of the area “unusable,” Danos said.
Three years later, only six ships are able to dock on that side of the port.
Bayou Riguad near the port of Grand Isle on Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Danos estimated the damage on that dock alone to be about $2.5 million, but FEMA has provided the port commission with $241,232, less than a tenth of their request.
The port commission has previously appealed the amount to no avail, and is currently working on another attempt. The agency is also appealing for more federal aid on the commercial shrimp dock, home to the Louisiana Dried Shrimp Company.
The agency’s options are limited: either wait for the appeal, or try to find funding elsewhere. It recently secured an additional $500,000 from the Louisiana Legislature to assist with the west bulkhead project, though that money will not be available until next year, Danos said. They’re also working with state and congressional delegates to find more funds.
Danos said he’s hoping Jefferson Parish will match the state’s amount. Councilwoman Jennifer Van Vrancken said the council would assist where they could, but that she hopes the appeal can yield more federal assistance.
She plans to advocate for those funds during a trip to Washington, D.C., scheduled for later this year with the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, she said.
“As long as that stuff sits out of commerce, that is money we’re losing,” said Van Vrancken, who toured the port last month after a council meeting in Grand Isle.
Building stronger and reinforced bulkheads at the port of Grand Isle on Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Hurricane impacts from years past
When Hurricane Ida hit Grand Isle, damaging every structure in the town and destroying 700 buildings, the port was still feeling the effects of storms from a decade prior. The port recently began repair work on the main pier and bulkhead, which had about $4.3 million in damage from Hurricane Isaac in 2012.
That pier and bulkhead, which housed up to 50 boats, is estimated to bring in $14 million to the economy every year, which would put the total revenue loss at about $100 million thus far.
Initiated in 2017, the project was delayed several years because of increased repair costs and lack of funding, which were eventually secured through the state capital outlay budget, Jefferson Parish government and FEMA. Danos hopes the new pier will better withstand future storms with more storm-resilient materials and structure.
Repairs started in October 2023 and are expected to be completed later this year.
If every repair project were completed, the port could hold close to 70 boats at a time.
“And right now, we’re lucky to have maybe two dozen,” Danos said.
Grand Isle fishermen have to dock elsewhere, like Port Fourchon, which is primarily used for oil and gas trade. Some have moved out of Grand Isle entirely because of the lack of port space and affordable housing, Collins said.
Collins said the number of commercial shrimp docks in Grand Isle have dwindled in recent decades from eight to one.
“Grand Isle hasn’t been lucky lately,” Collins said. “But we’re fixing to bring it back.”
The future of the port
Grand Isle’s port does have projects on the horizon beyond storm repair — the commission received a $175,000 grant from the Louisiana Sea Grant to expand its oyster farms and create an oyster processing facility.
They’ve also received another $20,000 from the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission to advertise their oysters grown in cages, a process called Alternative Oyster Cultures.
And on their 130-acre property, visitors can now rent kayaks by scanning a QR code, done in partnership with Bayou Adventures.
But as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast predicts one of its most active hurricane seasons to date, leaders hope to fix the port’s previous damage before another storm rears its head.
“It’s a cycle,” Danos said. “I could never sit back and say, ‘Wow, I’m done.’”
