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Cedar Bayou
This was just published in the local paper. Perhaps if we call our state and federal representatives we can get Cedar Bayou and Vincent Slough open again. RFA and CCA have been very ineffective as has the group "Friends of Cedar Bayou". Every time I have fished there I have done well. I have also been stuck once or twice every time I go there in the silt or mud that has built up because of low or no water flow. Help if you can......
Judge Mills' letter intended to open Cedar Bayou talk
By: NORMA MARTINEZ, Managing Editor
Published: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 9:08 PM CDT
Cedar Bayou, the fish pass between St. Joseph and Matagorda islands, remains closed in spite of efforts to reopen it and Vinson Slough. County Judge C.H. “Burt†Mills recently sent a letter to the governor as well as several state and national legislators seeking assistance with this issue.
Mills said, “As County Judge of Aransas County and a fifth generation resident, I feel I have a responsibility to write this letter and plead for some involvement from your office in what I perceive to be a grave situation that has occurred here and caused by man.
“Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough are both natural old fish passes which were closed in 1979 to protect our bays from an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and were never reopened properly. In 1995 they suffered another setback when a sandbar was placed in the mouth of Vinson Slough, a viable state-owned pass, and Cedar Bayou began to close again and remains closed today. Vinson Slough wetlands consist of 22,000 acres of prime wetlands which, as you can imagine, are of extreme importance to the ecosystem.
“Cedar Bayou, as a natural fish pass, if opened again and protected would allow commercial and recreational viable species to migrate to and from the Gulf to restock, which is something that we have not seen in at least 12 years. I come from a fishing family and remember that these passes kept our bays flushed and clean and created a salinity balance which is necessary for a healthy system. The bays were clean and either blue or green most of the time. Now it is the other way around - muddy and dirty. Fishing and crabbing was unbelievable, and now, it is downright shameful.
“Quite frankly Sir, I do not understand why state and federal agencies are delaying permits to reopen both of these passes especially the Feds, since last year alone, we lost 52 whooping cranes because there simply was not enough food for them to eat, and their principal diet is blue crabs. With the dry season we have had this year, the likelihood that the crab and other food sources will improve is just not possible, unless we can get these bays flushed and clean.
“One other consideration is human health. As you can see in the (attached) letter dated May 5, 2006, vibrio vulnificus was a problem then and remains one today. The solution is to reopen the passes. I sincerely hope this will open the eyes of some state and federal agencies and that the problem is addressed. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.â€
The letter was addressed to Gov. Rick Perry with copies sent to U.S. Congressmen Ron Paul, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and John Cornyn; and state lawmakers Glenn Hegar, Todd Hunter, and Jerry Patterson.
The letter to which Mills refers was written by Rita R. Colwell, professor at the University of Maryland College Park and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In her letter, Colwell states:
“It is my understanding that 14 Texas coastal fish passes were closed in 1979 because of a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Ixtoc well in the Bay of Campechee Mexico, threatened coastal ecosystems so that the State of Texas was forced to take emergency action to avoid contamination from the oil spill, by closing all of the fish passes. I have learned that these passes still remain closed long after the danger of the oil spill has subsided, creating virtually closed systems, with the exception of major shipping ports along the coast.
“Based on discussions during my visit to Texas to give a lecture on vibrios and public health, I learned that the closed systems have experienced increased levels of fecal coliforms as well as significant increase in Vibrio vulnificus infections, including death and amputations in user groups. Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that thrives in warm water and low salinity. Opening the passes would be very important to reduce the periodic increase in temperature and salinity in the bay systems which are now closed. Fresh salt water inflows are critical to insure proper cleansing of the marine ecosystem. which is, in effect, relatively fragile.
“It is my opinion, based on 30 years of research on Vibrio choleree, Vibrio vulnificus, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, that restoring fresh salt water inflow to these Gulf of Mexico natural fish passes would be the single most important mechanism for reducing pollutants in these coastal environments that currently provide vibrio species and other microorganisms infectious to humans the opportunity to increase in numbers under conditions of warm temperatures.
“Healthy bays and estuaries are an important component of Texas coastal recreational areas. Having the fear of serious waterbome diseases, such as infections by Vibrio vulnificus, which can be fatal, certainly is not an attractive situation. I would urge that the Texas coastal fish passes that were closed in 1979 be reopened in order to provide a healthy and safe environment for residents and visitors to your community.â€
Mills said the situation to which Colwell refers has not improved since that letter was written. In spite of efforts to open Cedar Bayou by local groups, no action seems to be forthcoming from state agencies.
The judge hopes his letter will, at the least, begin a dialogue with federal and/or state officials in order to move forward with opening the pass in the near future.
Judge Mills' letter intended to open Cedar Bayou talk
By: NORMA MARTINEZ, Managing Editor
Published: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 9:08 PM CDT
Cedar Bayou, the fish pass between St. Joseph and Matagorda islands, remains closed in spite of efforts to reopen it and Vinson Slough. County Judge C.H. “Burt†Mills recently sent a letter to the governor as well as several state and national legislators seeking assistance with this issue.
Mills said, “As County Judge of Aransas County and a fifth generation resident, I feel I have a responsibility to write this letter and plead for some involvement from your office in what I perceive to be a grave situation that has occurred here and caused by man.
“Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough are both natural old fish passes which were closed in 1979 to protect our bays from an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and were never reopened properly. In 1995 they suffered another setback when a sandbar was placed in the mouth of Vinson Slough, a viable state-owned pass, and Cedar Bayou began to close again and remains closed today. Vinson Slough wetlands consist of 22,000 acres of prime wetlands which, as you can imagine, are of extreme importance to the ecosystem.
“Cedar Bayou, as a natural fish pass, if opened again and protected would allow commercial and recreational viable species to migrate to and from the Gulf to restock, which is something that we have not seen in at least 12 years. I come from a fishing family and remember that these passes kept our bays flushed and clean and created a salinity balance which is necessary for a healthy system. The bays were clean and either blue or green most of the time. Now it is the other way around - muddy and dirty. Fishing and crabbing was unbelievable, and now, it is downright shameful.
“Quite frankly Sir, I do not understand why state and federal agencies are delaying permits to reopen both of these passes especially the Feds, since last year alone, we lost 52 whooping cranes because there simply was not enough food for them to eat, and their principal diet is blue crabs. With the dry season we have had this year, the likelihood that the crab and other food sources will improve is just not possible, unless we can get these bays flushed and clean.
“One other consideration is human health. As you can see in the (attached) letter dated May 5, 2006, vibrio vulnificus was a problem then and remains one today. The solution is to reopen the passes. I sincerely hope this will open the eyes of some state and federal agencies and that the problem is addressed. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.â€
The letter was addressed to Gov. Rick Perry with copies sent to U.S. Congressmen Ron Paul, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and John Cornyn; and state lawmakers Glenn Hegar, Todd Hunter, and Jerry Patterson.
The letter to which Mills refers was written by Rita R. Colwell, professor at the University of Maryland College Park and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In her letter, Colwell states:
“It is my understanding that 14 Texas coastal fish passes were closed in 1979 because of a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Ixtoc well in the Bay of Campechee Mexico, threatened coastal ecosystems so that the State of Texas was forced to take emergency action to avoid contamination from the oil spill, by closing all of the fish passes. I have learned that these passes still remain closed long after the danger of the oil spill has subsided, creating virtually closed systems, with the exception of major shipping ports along the coast.
“Based on discussions during my visit to Texas to give a lecture on vibrios and public health, I learned that the closed systems have experienced increased levels of fecal coliforms as well as significant increase in Vibrio vulnificus infections, including death and amputations in user groups. Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that thrives in warm water and low salinity. Opening the passes would be very important to reduce the periodic increase in temperature and salinity in the bay systems which are now closed. Fresh salt water inflows are critical to insure proper cleansing of the marine ecosystem. which is, in effect, relatively fragile.
“It is my opinion, based on 30 years of research on Vibrio choleree, Vibrio vulnificus, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, that restoring fresh salt water inflow to these Gulf of Mexico natural fish passes would be the single most important mechanism for reducing pollutants in these coastal environments that currently provide vibrio species and other microorganisms infectious to humans the opportunity to increase in numbers under conditions of warm temperatures.
“Healthy bays and estuaries are an important component of Texas coastal recreational areas. Having the fear of serious waterbome diseases, such as infections by Vibrio vulnificus, which can be fatal, certainly is not an attractive situation. I would urge that the Texas coastal fish passes that were closed in 1979 be reopened in order to provide a healthy and safe environment for residents and visitors to your community.â€
Mills said the situation to which Colwell refers has not improved since that letter was written. In spite of efforts to open Cedar Bayou by local groups, no action seems to be forthcoming from state agencies.
The judge hopes his letter will, at the least, begin a dialogue with federal and/or state officials in order to move forward with opening the pass in the near future.
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