04/18/2024
SPEAK OUT FOR PROTECTING THE DELICATE ECO-SYSTEM OF THE BILOXI BAY
Do you care about the delicate eco-system of the Biloxi Bay and the Mississippi Sound? If so, please take a moment to read this article, written by me, Sarah Beaugez.
Environmentalism – concern about and action aimed at protecting the environment.
We, the people of this earth, have been given the charge by God, Himself, to take care of the planet and everything that has been created. This is not an option. It is not a choice. And it just so happens to line up with what we call “environmentalism.” It is our responsibility to take care of what God created when He gave us, mankind, the duty for safe keeping that which He created. It matters not if you identify as liberal or conservative. We are to obey this commandment that God did not lightly throw out for discussion. It is absolute imperative.
Genesis 2:26 “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping things that creeps over the earth.”
If you live anywhere around Ocean Springs, Mississippi, you probably have some awareness of the controversy surrounding the commercialization and over-development of our community. Right now, the focus is on the green space, formerly where Fayard Seafood used to be located on Front Beach which sits on the Biloxi Bay. While I am not a marine biologist, I do have a degree in Biology. One of the first things mentioned in every biology book, regardless of its focus, is that EVERY LIVING THING begins on the cellular level. All living things are made up of an infinite number of cells which are composed, on an even smaller component, of molecules. And, if we break down a molecule, we then are looking at the atoms that comprise the Periodic Table of Elements.
That’s enough of a science lesson for today.
I now jump to what the latest proposal is since the marina was voted down by the Board of Alderman on Tuesday night. Instead of a marina, the Board is now proposing we look at the possibility of a finger pier, jutting out from a bulkhead into the Biloxi Bay no more than 150 feet. A finger pier is a pier with “fingers” of other, shorter piers, extending out from a central long pier. In this case, it would be specifically for pleasure and/or charter boats to dock at the pier and have capability of going into Downtown Ocean Springs for food and beverages. This is presented as a better option than having a marina with food and beverages on the green space. It sounds like it might be a wonderful idea until one takes the time to look at what this action will do to the Bay of Biloxi.
Once all of the entities who have a voice on the Federal, State, and local levels have weighed in on building a finger pier, we will have more information as to how our Aldermen will ultimately vote. But, for just a minute, let’s look at what doesn’t take rocket science to clearly understand.
First, a deep-water channel will have to be dredged horizontally all the way from where the deep-water channel runs parallel to Deer Island to, what is now, a greenspace. That’s a given. Then, each finger of the pier will have to be dredged on both sides to accommodate large charter fishing boats and pleasure boats. That’s the only reason the deep-water channel exists out by Deer Island now. Shrimp boats don’t sit as low in the water as the other type of vessels do. We have a beautiful, one-mile manmade beach on the west end of town called Front Beach, and another one-mile manmade beach farther east called East Beach. We no longer dredge the Bay for sand for these beaches that otherwise, would have trees and other plant material right up to the water’s edge, but, instead, bring in river sand for both of those beaches. Those countless numbers of sand grains erode into the Bay and must be replaced on a regular basis in order to maintain the beaches. That is a lot of sand. Once in the water, those grains of sand cover the bottom of the rather shallow Bay (no more than about 13 feet) and just about the time the creatures who inhabit the sand adapt to yet another layer of eroded river sand, they must rearrange themselves and adapt to yet another layer which translates to all creatures living in the Biloxi Bay having to constantly attempt to keep up with adaptation of a new environment. This has been going on for decades and has had a negative affect on the environment for all things living under the water, not just what lives in the sand, itself.
If one breaks down the effect that dredging has on the delicate eco-system every time dredging occurs, either for a channel or for a single pylon to be placed for a new pier and anything in between, one can easily understand why the idea of a finger pier is not so smart. Plankton is considered the lowest form of living material in the water and comes from the Greek word for “drifter” or “wanderer.” According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, aka, NOAA, an organism is considered plankton “if it is carried by tides and currents and cannot swim well enough to move against these forces.”
“Scientists classify plankton in several ways, including by size, type, and how long they spend drifting. But the most basic categories divide plankton into two groups: phytoplankton (plants) and zooplankton (animals). Phytoplankton are microscopic plants but play a huge role in the marine food chain. Like most plants on land, phytoplankton perform photosynthesis to convert the sun’s rays into energy to support them, and they take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Because of their need for the sun’s energy, phytoplankton are found near the water’s surface.
On the other hand, “zooplankton includes microscopic animals (krill, sea snails, pelagic worms, etc.) and the young of the larger invertebrates and fish, along with weak swimmers like jellyfish. Most zooplankton eat phytoplankton, and most, in turn, are eaten by larger animals or by each other. Krill may be the most well-known type of zooplankton; they are a major component of the diet of the humpback, right, and blue whales. During the daylight hours, zooplankton generally drifts in deeper waters to avoid predators. But, at night, these microscopic creatures venture up to the surface to feed on phytoplankton. This process is considered the largest migration on Earth; so many animals make this journey that it can be observed from space.”
“Plankton are incredibly important to the ocean ecosystem, and very sensitive to changes in their environment, including temperature, salinity, pH level, and nutrient concentration in the water.” We have seen this in recent years with what happens when the decision is made for freshwater over-flow in the Bonnet Carré Spillway that end up in the Mississippi Sound. The lack of salinity can, and has, caused harmful algal blooms with red tides as the result. This seemingly subtle act of dredging and removing plant and animal material from the bottom of the Bay has consequences we may not see immediately but eventually will cause a major disruption in the ecosystem that needs to maintain a balance, albeit a delicate one.
We have already lost the majority of the once-prolific oyster population in the Biloxi Bay due to over-harvesting and disrespect for the bottom feeders every time dredging is implemented. And, while there are still shrimp and other crustaceans, they decrease in volume with each passing year.
This is the simplest way I can think of to look at what we are now considering. It’s as though we don’t care about our environment and how we treat our God-given resources. If you should be like me, and care about the environment of which comprises the Biloxi Bay, please take the time to contact the Alderman for your ward and other wards. They are Jennifer Burgess - Alderman Ward 1, Ricky Authement, Kevin Wade, Ken Papania, Rob Blackman, Mike Impey Alderman Ward VI, and Bobby Cox; Mayor Kenny Holloway's Office; your state legislative representatives, Jeff Guice and Hank Zuber; our U.S. Senators, Cyndie Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker; and our U.S. Representatives to include Mike Ezell, Trent Kelley, Bennie Thompson, and Michael Guest. Also, we need to let Governor Tate ReevesT, know we do NOT want GOMesa Funds used for any such project. This proposal is in its infancy, or so I am told by my alderman, Ricky Authement, and needs to be taken off the table as a proposition before too much time and money is invested. It is, quite simply, a bad idea. Let your voice be heard loud and clear that we want clean water which will continue to support all living creatures in the Biloxi Bay. We DO NOT need a finger pier.
©speakOutForProtectingTheDelicateEco-SystemOfTheBiloxiBay_sarah_beaugez_2024
