HLS 21RS-318 ENGROSSED
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 26
BY REPRESENTATIVE COUSSAN
COASTAL RESOURCES: Urges and requests the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries to conduct a study to determine the final destination of oyster shells
removed from Louisiana waters
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to conduct
3 a study to determine the final destination of oyster shells removed from Louisiana
4 waters and submit a written report of its findings to the House Committee on Natural
5 Resources and Environment not later than January 5, 2022.
6 WHEREAS, oysters contribute to healthy estuarine ecosystems by providing habitat
7for a variety of commercially and ecologically important species; and
8 WHEREAS, oysters are a valuable commodity owned by the state of Louisiana on
9its leased water bottom and public oyster seed grounds throughout the coastal area; and
10 WHEREAS, Louisiana oysters are a commercially valuable species that have an
11economic impact of more than three hundred million dollars annually; and
12 WHEREAS, oyster reefs protect the coast against storm surge while simultaneously
13reducing coastal erosion; and
14 WHEREAS, natural oyster reefs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico have steeply
15declined from historic levels by fifty to eighty-five percent and are further threatened by
16climate change impacts and changing conditions in the ecosystem including changes in
17salinity, land loss, flooding events, hurricanes, and storm events; and
18 WHEREAS, the oyster population and their harvest is recognized as culturally,
19economically, and environmentally valuable by ongoing work by the Louisiana Trustee
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HCR NO. 26
1Implementation Group, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration (RESTORE) Council and the
2National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; and
3 WHEREAS, oyster reefs, as shoreline protections, are recognized as an important
4method of restoration and protection against land loss as identified in the Louisiana Coastal
5Protection and Restoration Authority Coastal Master Plan and the LDWF Oyster
6Management Plan; and
7 WHEREAS, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana's (CRCL) Oyster Shell
8Recycling Program has prevented nearly ten million pounds of shell from entering landfills
9through recycling shell from New Orleans metro area restaurants since 2014; and
10 WHEREAS, recycled shell collected from shucking houses and restaurants is
11currently being used by the CRCL, the LDWF, and oyster farmers to rebuild oyster reefs for
12protection, habitat improvements, and harvest-related activities; and
13 WHEREAS, oyster shells are a valuable commodity owned by the state of Louisiana
14that should not be wasted; and
15 WHEREAS, oyster shell is a superior substrate for use in remote setting, clutching,
16and reef restoration activities; and
17 WHEREAS, oyster shell is also a valuable substrate for projects to build coastal
18resilience; and
19 WHEREAS, a study to determine how much shell is diverted to landfills or
20transported out of state has not been conducted in the past sixteen years.
21 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
22urge and request the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to conduct a study to
23determine how many oyster shells are recycled or reused, transported out of state, or go into
24Louisiana landfills.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study shall determine what steps the agency
26recommends to further divert shells from landfills and into Louisiana waters to benefit the
27coastal ecosystem, coastal restoration, and protection, and to encourage oyster reef
28propagation.
29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and
30Fisheries shall submit a written report of its findings to the House Committee on Natural
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HCR NO. 26
1Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources not later than
2January 5, 2022.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
4secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 26 Engrossed 2021 Regular Session Coussan
Urges and requests the Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries to conduct a study to determine the
final destination of oyster shells removed from La. waters and submit a written report of its
findings to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate
Committee on Natural Resources not later than Jan. 5, 2022.
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