O yster culture in Louisiana is essentially a farming operation, with seed oysters from the state-managed seed grounds removed to private leases, where they are tended, cultivated, and fattened before being sold. D espite Hurricane Andrew's devastating toll on fish and oysters, DWF officials say the direct loss of wildlife is usually minimal in a hurricane. Animals can survive and will return, but they may not if the habitat is destroyed. I n fact, there are actually positive environmental aspects of hurricanes, according to wildlife and fisheries experts. Nutrients tied up in the water bottom can be stirred up and redistributed back into the aquatic system, and what is initially a disaster can have beneficial long-term effects.
T hat is particularly true when man takes a hand through stocking of new fish.
H owever, the threat to Louisiana's coastline by hurricanes has no silver lining. In normal times, the state loses as much as 100 square kilometers of wetlands each year, an area the size of the District of Columbia. But hurricanes can escalate this process significantly. V arious published reports indicate that as much as 90 percent of shoreline erosion is directly attributable to hurricanes, mainly because of the low-profile nature of the barrier and chenier coasts. Tarver, Administrator of DWF's Fur and Refuge Division, estimates that at least 100 feet of Louisiana's coastline is irretrievably lost during each hurricane.