value of wetlands in the Barataria Basin by Anthony J. Mumphrey ... [et al.], [Urban Studies Institute, University of New Orleans]

[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

COASTAL

RESOURCES PROGRAM

Louisiana
Department of Transportation and Development

OP ETtAlIDS

BARATARIA BASNI

HD
1683
.B3
V25
1978

THE VALUE OF WETLANDS IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

Anthony J., Mumphrey, Jr., Ph.D., P.E., A.I.P.
Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
Project Director

Jane Schleichardt Brooks, M.L.A., Assoc. A.I.P.
Research Associate and Instructor
of Urban and Regional Planning

Thomas D. Fox, B.A
Graduate Research Assistant

Cynthia B. Fromherz, M.U.R.P., Assoc. A.I.P.
Graduate Research Assistant

Robert J. Marak, M.U.R.P., Assoc. A.I.P.
Graduate Research Assist ant

James D. Wilkinson, B,A.
Graduate Research Assistant

Urban Studies Institute

University of New Orleans
A Member of the Louisiana State Univer sity'System

The preparation of this report was financed in part
through a grant from the U.S. DepartMentofCommerce
under the provisions of the Coastal Zone Management
Act of 1972.

This study was completed under State Project Number 741-02-39
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
George A. Fischer, Secretary

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship
of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and
Development in the interest of information exchange.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and
Development assumes no liability for its contents or
the use thereof.

JUNE 1978

A-1

PREFACE

This study is focused on the value of wetlands in
the Barataria Basin. To provide the reader with the
proper orientation, a discussion of the socio-economic
and ecological systems of the Basin is provided. Finally
several methods for computing the economic value and the
resulting values, in dollar terms, of the Barataria
wetlands are presented. Such information is useful in
evaluating developmental decisions in wetland areas.

In completing this study, individuals in several
organizations were very helpful. They include: Robert
Buisson, Nick Constan, Peter Hawxhurst, Suzanne Hawes,
E.K. Johnson, David Reese, R.N. Schroeder, and W.E. Shell
of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Gino Carlucci, John
Glenn, and Paul Templet of the Louisiana Department of
Transportation and Development; Frank Craig and Irving
Mendelssohn of the Louisiana State University Center for
Wetlands Resources; Ralph Latapie of the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Paul Wagner of
Burk and Associates. Additionally, the authors would
like to thank Ralph E. Thayer, Ph.D.,John K. Wildgen, Ph.D.
and Pandora P.'Grewe, Graduate Research Assistant, all of
the University of New Orleans,for -their advice and
consultation during this study. A debt of gratitude is
owed these people; however, any errors or omissions are
the authors' as well as total responsibility for the
contents of this study.

Finally, Mrs. Beverly Biggs has diligently typed,this
study as well as five Others. She has never received
recognition of any kind; yet she deserves much credit for
her faithful and patient work. Let these few sentences
serve to acknowledge her participation and deliver my
gratitude..

AJM, Jr.
June 1978

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

1. ABSTRACT OF THE STUDY ............................ 1

2. POPULATION AND ECONOMY OF THE BARATARIA
REGION ........................................... 5
INTRODUCTION .................................... 5
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE., ........ o ............... 5
THE BARATARIA 'REGION ... o....... o........... .... 8
PATTERNS OF GROWTH ......................... :.... 12
INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT ............... o ........... 22
MAJOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES ....................... 29
WETLANDS USE IN THE BARATARIA BASIN ............. 39
Introduction ................................. 39
Coastal Zone Management ........................ 40
Highway Construction ......................... 46
Hurricane Protection and Land Reclamation .... 50
Jean Lafitte Park ............................ 55
CONCLUSION ...................................... 57

3. THE ECOLOGY OF THE BARATARIA BASIN .............. 65
INTRODUCTION ........................ ............ 65
GEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION ........................... 65
HYDROLOGIC DESCRIPTION .................... o ..... 70
BIOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION .......................... 73
ENVIRONMENTAL UNITS ............................. 75
Swamp Forest ...... 75
Fresh Marsh ....... 78
Brackish IMarsh ............................... 79
Salt Marsh ................................... 80
Of"fshore Areas...... ......................... 81
Secondary Units .............................. 81
CONCLUSION ..................... ;
...........

4. ECONOMIC VALUATION OF WETLANDS ................... 85
INTRODUCTION ............ oo ...................... 85
GROSS BENEFITS TECHNIQUE ......................... 86
Commercial Fishing.: ........ o................ 86
Non-Commercial Fishing ....................... 89
Commercial Trapping .......................... 93
Recreation ................................... 101
CONSUMER'S SURPLUS TECHNIQUE .................... 108
Commercial Fishing ........................ 0.. 113
Commercial Trapping .......................... 115
Recreation ................................... 115

CHAPTER PAGE

CORPS OF ENGINEERS TECHNIQUE .................... 117
Commercial and Sport Fishing ................. 119
Commercial and Sport Wildlife and
Water-Oriented Recreation .................... 125
Review of Corps Methodology ............ ....... 132
SUMMARY.... i ....................................... 134
APPENDIX 4.1--Results of Regres@sion Analysis..... 138
Commercial Fishing ......................... _ 138.
Commercial Trapping .......................... 141
Pelts ..................................... 141
Meats .............................. 144
APPENDIX 4.2--Revised Gross Benefit Technique... 147'

INDEX TO FIGURES

FIGURE PAGE

2.1 Population Location in the Barataria Region ..... 10

2.2 Population Change: Louisiana, Barataria
Region and Jefferson Parish, 1870-1970 .......... 17

2.3 Proposed Coastal Zone Boundaries ................ 41

3.1 The Barataria Basin ............................. 66

3.2 Mississippi River Delta Complexes ............... 68

4.1 The Demand Curve ................. I............... ill

4.2 Equilibrium of Supply and Demand ................ 112

4.1.1 (APPENDIX 4.1) Estimated Demand Curve for
Louisiana Commercial Fish Products (1966-76) .... 140

4.1.2 (APPENDIX 4.1) Estimated Demand Curve for
Louisiana Commercial Pelts (1967-75) ............ 143

4.1.3.(APPENDIX 4.1) Estimated,Demand Curve for
Louisiana Meat Products (1967-76) ............... 146

(V)

INDEX TO TABLES

TABLES PAGE

2.1a Population of Louisiana, Coastal Zone,
Barataria Region & Jefferson Parish, 1920-1970.. 13

2.1b Population Change: Louisiana, Coastal Zone,
Barataria Region & Jefferson Parish, 1920-1970,
Percent ......................................... 14

2.1c Relative Population of Louisiana, Coastal
Zone, Barataria Region & Jefferson Parish
1920-1970 ....................................... 15

2.1d Relative Popu'ation Change: Louisiana, Coastal
L
Zone, Barataria Region & Jefferson Parish,
1920-1970 ....................................... 15

2.2 Population Change in the Barataria Region
by Parish, 1870-1970 ............................ 18

2.3 Population of the Barataria Region by
Parish, 1810-1970 ............................. 19

2.4 Projected Population of the Barataria Region,
by Parish, Through the Year 2000 ................ 21

2.5 Per Capita Income in the Barataria Region by
Parish, 1970-1975 (Dollars) ... ............... 23

2.6 Labor Market Participation in the Barataria
Region, by Parish, 1976 ......................... 25

2.7 Employment by Industry Division in the
Barataria Region, by Parish, Second Quarter,
1976 .......... .................................. 27

2.8 Employment by-'Industry Division in the
Barataria Region, by Parish, Second Quarter,
1956 ............................................ 28

2.9 Oil and Gas Production and Refining Employment
in the Barataria Region, by,Parish, 1974 ........ 30

2.10 Employment and Population in the'Barataria
Parishes Due to OCS Support Activity, 1967
and 1974 ........................................ 32

(vi)

TABLES PAGE

2.11 Sugarcane Acreage in the Barataria Region,
by Parish, 1.950-1975 ........................... 34

2.12 Soybean Acreage in the Barataria Region,
by-Parish, 1965-1976 ............................ 35

2.13 Projected Recreational Hunting and Fishing
Participation in Southeastern Louisiana
in 1975 .......................................... 38

3.1 Size of Environmental Units in the
Barataria Basin (in Square Miles) ............... 76

4.1 Estimated Value of Barataria Wetlands for
Commercial Fisheries ........................... 88

4.2 Estimated Population of the Barataria
Basin in 1970 by Parish ........................ 91

4.3 Fishing Licenses Sold in the Barataria
Basin for the 1976-77 Season (Estimated) ....... 92

4.4 Percentage of Trapping Harvest from
Louisiana Wetlands (by Species) ................ 95

4.5 Average Annual Harvest of Pelts from
Louisiana Wetlands (by Species) 1970-71
Through 1974-75 ................................ 96

4.6 Annual Harvest of Pelts in Louisiana
(All Species) 19,67-68 Through 1975-76., ......... 97

4.7 Average Annual Pounds of Meats from
Louisiana Wetlands (by Species) 1970-7-' -,
Through 1974-75 ................................. 99

4.8 Annual Harvest of Meats from FurbeaLing
Animals in Louisiana (All, Species) 1967-68,
Through 1976-77 .................................. 100

4.9 Commercial Trapping Values per Acre of
Barataria Wetland ........... ....................... 102

4.10 Hunting Licenses Sold in the Barataria Basin
for the 1976-77 Season (Estimated) ............... 1.04

4.11 Participation Rates for Louisiana Wet-lands
Oriented Recreational Activities, 1968
and 1974 ......................................... 106

(vii)

TABLES PAGE

4.12 Estimated User-Value of Wetlands-Oriented
Recreational Activities in the Barataria.*
Basin .......................................... 107

4.13 Estimated Gross Economic Contribution of a
Wetland Acre in the Barataria Basin ............ 109

4.14 Fish and Shellfish Landings and Value for
Louisiana 1966-1976 ........................... 114

.4.15 Estimated Net Economic Contribution of a
Wetland Acre in the Barataria Basin ............ 118

4.16 Types of Wetland Habitat in the Barataria
Basin .......................................... 120

4.17 Commercial Fishery Production and Value of
Major Estuarine-Dependent Commercial
Fisheries in the Barataria Basin ............... 121

4.18 Saltwater Commercial Fishery Production/Acre
and Value/Acre for Marsh and Swamp in the
Barataria Basin ................................. 122

4.19 Sport Fishing in the Barataria Basin in
Man-Days ........................................ 124

4.20 Total Sport Fishing Demand Where Demand
Exceeds Supply .................................. 126

4.21 Saltwater Sport Fishery Man-Days/Acre and
Value/Acre of Marsh and Swamp in the
Barataria Basin ................................ 127

4.22 Commercial Furbearer Value Per Acre for the
Louisiana Coastal Region ........................ 128

4.23 Sport Wildlife and Water-Oriented Recreation
Values in the Barataria Basin .................. 130

4.24 Total Annual Value Per Acre of Marsh and
Swamp in the Barataria Basin ................... 131

4.25 Summary of Values f rozp Alternative Methods for Val-
uing an Acre of Wetlands in the Barataria Basin.... 135

4.2.1 (APPENDIX 4.2) Revised Estimate of Gross
Economic Contribution of a Wetland Acre in
the Barataria Basin Based on U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers Regulations ....................... 148

(viii)

CHAPTER 1

ABSTRACT OF THE STUDY

A clear understanding of the economic value of
wetlands in their natural state is of great importance
in making informed decisions concerning proposed develop-
ment in coastal Louisiana. This study profiles a selected
unit of coastal wetlands--the Barataria Basin which
comprises Hydrologic Unit IV of Louisiana--and attempts
three methods of computing wetlands value.

Background information on the patterns of population
location and growth and the structure of the Barataria
Region'sl economy is presented in Chapter 2. Current
trends in income and employment reflect the continuing
growth and increasing complexity of man's wetlands-related
activities in the region. The resource reserves of oil and
natural gas within the coastal wetlands and offshore have
given rise to major oil and gas producing industries which
have in turn generated jobs in the petrochemical manufac-
turing and boat and shipbuilding fields. Commercial
fishing and trapping activities and related seafood
processing industries have 1"lourished as a result of the
area's natural productivity. Recreational aspects of the
Barataria Region, including both hunting and fishing, as
well as sugarcane cultivation and processing are also
directly or indirectly dependent on the wetland ecosystem.

This chapter includes an historical perspective and
geographic description of the area and its population
center. Population projections and regional growth
patterns are examined and income and employment figures
presented. Major economic activities in the region are
discussed in detail. The future of the Barataria Region
is explored in terms of such larger coastal issues as
development of a coastal zone boundary for the State of
Louisiana, establishment of a growth/conservation line
for the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, construction of an

The Barataria Region includes all or part of seven
Louisiana parishes: Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche,
Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the
Baptist.

interstate-system bypass highway (1-410), alignment of-a
state highway from Marrero to Lafitte to Larose, imple-
mentation of the Harvey Canal-Bayou Barataria hurricane
protection plan, and location of Jean Lafitte Park in
the heart of the Barataria country. In effect, this
chapter summarizes the growing conflict of competing
i-and uses--productive fish and wildlife habitats vs. urban
and industrial expansion-in the Barataria Region.

Chapter 3 provides a description of the Barataria
Basin's ecology in.terms of geologic, hydrologic and
biologic characteristics. Formation of the basin by a
combination of river deposition, wave erosion and sub-
sidence is discussed. The complex and delicate balance of'
hydrologic functioning and the processes creating an
integrated biologic ecosystem are explored.

As one of the most productive natural areas in the
world, the.Barataria Basin iscomposed of a number of
subareas or environmental units. The unique character@-
istics and independent physical systems of the various
units which include swamp forest, fresh marsh, brackish
marsh,'salt marsh, offshore areas, topographic high areas
and beaches are discussed separately as well in terms of
their interrelation.

The chapter also identifies the various activities of
man in the wetlands such as dredging of canals for
navigation and oil recovery; creation of spoil bankaby
deposition of dredged material; and actual land reclamation
for agricultural, urban and industrial purposes which have
greatly accelerated the rate of land lost to productive
natural use in the ecosystem. The negative impacts of
mants.intervention in coastal areas are presented as part
of the ecosystem discussion.

The dollar value per acre of the natural services
provided by wetlands has largely been disregarded in past
benefit-cost analysis of development propouals due to the
lack of a market mechanism for pricing those services.
Chapter 4 investigates three techniques for assigning a
.dollar value to a unit acre of wetland-in the Barataria
Basin. These techniques take into azcount benefits
derived from the fact that wetlands serve as nursery
grounds and a food source for aommercial fish species and
furbearing animals as well as provide important sport
fishing and hunting recreational opportunities.

The techniques for valuing wetlands presented in
this chapter involve three interpretations of the component-
function approach which basically requires summation of
the respective values for non-competing uses. The first
method, or "Gross Benefits Technique," developed by the
authors attacks the valuation problem from a point-of-view
focused on the question of gross impact on the economy of
the four activity categories of commercial fishing, non-
commercial fishing, commercial trapping and recreation.
Application of the second approach, or "Consumer's Surplus
Technique," also developed by the authors involves computa-
tion of the net economic value to society of the resource,
itself, measuring the amount that a,consumer would be
willing to pay to continue receiving a good or service
over and above what the consumer is already paying. Like
the first approach, the "Corps of Engineers Technique"
as developed and employed by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers also evaluates wetlands focused on their monetary
contribution to the state's economy. Each of the.three
methods identifies the major wetland service categories
as commercial fishing, commercial trapping and recreation.

This study, then, examines economic and ecologic
characteristics and contributions of the Barataria Basin
wetlands and explores three methods of evaluating the
diverse benefits of these wetlands. The study is intended
to provide federal, state and local governments with a
basis for realistic appraisal in planning situations of
the wide-ranging social, economic, and environmental
impacts generated by man's wetlands-related activities.

CHAPTER 2

POPULATION AND ECONOMY OF THE BARATARIA REGION

INTRODUCTION

Existing patterns of population location and growth
in the Barataria Region are the result of an historical
trend toward expansion of the human presence, and intensi-
fication of human activity, in the area. Current trends
in income and employment reflect the continuing growth--
and growing complexity--of the area's economy. The diverse
economic activities of the region include sugarcane culti-
vation, commercial fishing and trapping, recreational
hunting and fishing, oil and gas production and processing,
and petrochemical manufacturing. Plans for future economic
expansion include construction of an offshore oil superport
and development of a multiport facility on the Gulf of
Mexico at the outlet of Bayou Lafourche. Areas of conflict
in planning include such issues as highway construction,
reclamation of wetlands, establishment of growth boundary
lines and other problems related to accelerating urbaniza-
tion in the Barataria Region.

This chapter profiles the demographic and economic
characteristics of the Barataria Region. An historical
perspective is included along with a geographic description
of the area and its population centers. Patterns of
regional growth are examined and population projections
discussed as they will-afleect the seven-parish Barataria
Region. Income and employment figures presented give
background on the area's economy and major economic
activities are discussed in detail. An examination of
wetlands use in the Barataria Basin includes an introduc-
tion to various larger coastal zone management issues
affecting the area as well as more specific discussions of
highway construction, hurricane protection, land reclama-
tion and the Jean Lafitte Park projects planned for the
Barataria parishes.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Perhaps as late as little more than two thousand years
ago, what is now the State of Louisiana was an area
',fop uninhabited by man. The earliest inhabitants apparently

were hunters and fishermen who moved into the coastal areas
where fish and game were available in abundance. They
settled along the banks of the bayous and other waterways
which meandered southward to the gulf. About 500 years
after the arrival of man in what is now Louisiana, the
descendants of those original settlers began to build
villages and to work the softer metals. When the earliest
European explorers arrived during the first half of the
sixteenth century--that is, about a thousand years after
the Indians had begun to establish permaneht.settlements--
there were probably'about 15,000 persons living within the
present boundaries of the state. During the period of a
century and a half which separated the European discovery
of the Lower Mississippi Valley and settlement of the
Louisiana colony, the indigenous population actually
declined by.some two or three thousand persons to an
estimated 12,000 to 13,000. The Indians of the Barataria
Basin were members of the Cbitimacha group--Chitimacha,
Washa, Chawasha and other tribes--who lived along the
shores of the lakes and important waterways in the area.
They were expert fishermen, and the remains of.numerous
shell mounds indicate they consumed oysters and other
shellfish in great quantities (Davis, 1971: 13-15).

The first European settlements in the Barataria
Region were established in the eighteenth century along
the Mississippi, upriver from New Orleans,,in an area
which is now part of the parishes of St. Charles and
St. John the Baptist. The area cameto be known as the
German Coast because it was settled by farmers from
Germany who had originally been brought by John,Larv, the
Scotch-born speculator, to settle along the Arkansas
River. Abandoned at the collapse of Law's land develop-
ment scheme, they went to New Orleans hoping to inake
arrangements for transportation back to Europe. Instead
the colonial government granted them 'Land along both
banks of the Mississippi River beginning about, 20 miles
above the city (Martin, 1963 reprint: 148).

The German Coast rapidly became an important source
of food for the growing City of New Orlea--As. The area's
farmers were reinforced by French Acadian immigrants who
wandered to Louisiana after being deported from their
Canadian homeland by the British. Germans and Acadians
also established their farms along the upper part of
Bayou Lafourche (Davis, 1971: 71). But it was the rich
soil. along the banks of the Mississippi which made for
the@prosperity described by one early nineteenth-century
observer in the following terms: "both sides of the .
Mississippi from the city of New Orleans to the town of
Donaldsonville, a space of seventy-five miles,.are

occupied by the wealthiest planters in the state, prin-
cipally engaged in the culture of the sugar cane. This
part of the country has been denominated the German and
Acadian coasts, from its original settlers; and the wealth
of the present has procured to it the appellation of the
golden coast" (Martin, 1963 reprint: 11).

In settling along the banks of the Mississippi River
and Bayou Lafourche, the Germans and Acadians were conform-
ing to the pattern of population location their Indian
predecessors in the Barataria Region had established some
two thousand years earlier. The interior of the Barataria
Basin remained relatively unpopulated. At the time..
Louisiana was admitted to the Union as a state, the closest
thing to a permanent settlement in the inner-basin area
was the "community" of Jean Lafitte, the privateer, and his
cohorts, The Baratarians, as they were called, established
a market on the bank of Bayou Barataria and there sold
their bounty, duty-free, to Orleanians willing to venture
into the wetlands in search of bargains. However,
American officials were unfavorably impressed by this
economic activity; and in September 1813 Governor Claiborne
ordered naval forces to suppress the contraband exchange
and arrest the privateers. Many of the Baratarians were,
in fact, incarcerated at New Orleans and might have
languished in prison indefinitely but for the opportunity
to serve under General Jackson at Chalmette on January 8,
1814 (Davis, 1971: 180-181).

Writing in the early years of the American era in
Louisiana, historian Francois Xavier Martin described the
Barataria area as being virtually uninhabited, rich in
resources--and ripe for development (Martin, 1963 reprint:
12):

The whole country affords great
facility to new settlers, for providing
f ish, oysters, and game, all at hand;
even large droves of buffaloes are often
met with in the great cane brakes of that
fine country, which has remained so long
unsettled, only on account of the
difficulty of penetrating through them.

However, it is probable a communica
tion will soon be established: a great
portion of that country has been viewed
within the last five years, by the board
of internal improvements; roads have
been laid out, and a canal route traced
all the way to New Orleans, fit for

steamboat navigation, and having not more
than ten miles to cut; six miles@of which
pass through firm and floating prairies.
The fact is that thirty-seven arpents of
canal in the firm prairie would join the
waters of the Mississippi with those of
the Lafourche ....

Planning for the first roads and canals in theiarea,
established a basis for the rapid expansion of human
activity in the Barataria Basin which was to follow. In
1827 the Barataria and Lafourche Canal Company was
chartered by the Louisiana Legislature to dig'a canal,
forty feet wide and six feet deep, from the Mississippi
River to Bayou Segnette- -and from there, by means of other
natural and man-made waterways, to provide a continuous
navigable water route.to Berwick Bay. The Barataria and
Lafourche Canal never achieved the status of a major
waterway envisioned by its planners, who had been inspired
by the example of the Erie Canal and otherisuccessful
canals in the east. However, the canal did provide the
people of New Orleans their first means of direct communi-
cation with Grand Isle and the Barataria country. This
means of communication was maintained into the twentieth
century by packet boats which plied the Company Canal, as
the waterway came to be called, on regular schedules
(Chase, 1960: 247).

Today the Barataria Basin is criss-crossed by canals
of all sizes; from the ditches dug to accommodate pirogues
to the Intracoastal!Waterway which cuts through the heart
of the Barataria country, connecting the Mississippi
River and lower Bayou Lafourche.

THE BARATARIA REGION

The Barataria Region includes seven parishes, each of
which is intersected by one of the two waterways which,
along with the.Gulf of Mexico, form the bounds of the
Barataria Basin. The parishes of Assumption and Lafourche
are each divided by Bayou Lafourche which runs approximately
ninety miles in a southeasterly dire.ction from the City
of Donaldsonville on the Mississippi River, in Ascension

Parish, 1 to the Gulf. The parishes of St. James, St. John
the Baptist, St.. Charles and Jefferson are each divided by
a 60-mile stretch of the Mississippi River which runs in
an easterly direction from Donaldsonville to.New Orleans.
Plaquemines Parish is also split by the river which,
turning south again, runs some 75 miles in a generally
southeasterly direction to the sea. Plaquemines, Jefferson
and Lafourche are bordered by the Gulf of Mexico.

The larger towns and cities of -the Barataria Region
lie mostly along Bayou Lafourche and the Mississippi River
(see Figure 2.1). In Lafourche Parish--the largest of the
seven parishes, with a land area of 1,141 square miles,
and the second most populous (pop. 68,941-74,541)--all of
the principal population centers are located along the
western bank of Bayou Lafourche. Thibodaux, the parish
seat and site of Nichols State University, has a population
of 14,925. Other towns with populations in excess of 1,000
inhabitants, in order of size, are Raceland (pop. 4,880),
Larose (4,267), Golden Meadow (2,681) and Lockport (1,995).
All of these towns are located along the route of Louisiana
Highway 1 and lie just outside the Barataria Basin proper.

In Assumption Parish, the only population center of
more than 1,000 persons is the parish seat of Napoleonville
(pop. 1,008), located on the western bank of Bayou
Lafourche. Assumption has a land area of 356 square miles
and in 1970 was ranked as the least populous of the seven
parishes in the Barataria Region, with a population of
19,654. However, a more recent estimate (pop. 20,459)
indicates Assumption has since surpassed St. James Parish
in number of inhabitants. St. James (pop. 19,733-19,659)
is the second smallest of the seven parishes, with a land
area of 253 square miles. The parish seat of Convent,

1Although portions of Ascension and Orleans pari shes lie
within the technical boundaries of the basin, they are
very small and have been eliminated from consideration for
the purposes of collecting population and economic data.
However, it is worth noting that Doaaldsonville, with a
population of 7,367, is second in size only to Thibodaux
among cities and towns in the Barataria Basin outside the
New Orleans SMSA. (All population figures for cities and
towns in this section are taken from the 1970 Census.
Two population figures are given for each parish: the
first is from the 1970 Census; the second is the 1976
estimate by Louisiana Tech which appears in Louisiana
State Planning Office, 1977: 4-5. All figures for land
area are taken from Rand McNally, 1977.)

FIGURE 2.

POPULATION LOCATION IN THE BARATARIA REGIO14

T, JAM06,
000

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g. 11,111, 10

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THAN 1,06P lM"A0-l-Mwr,*
r004404 evea-V
Crop CvxSA-rw4LTpAM I'a"')
0 nx*m 4OA-r
(for. wm-rp TWA" 1,000.)

LAILMAMMOV,

0ource; t-lompiled lu-y 4-1,C A-thors from U.S. Bureau of the Census.
4, 1A

located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, is a
town of only 400 inhabitants. The largest population
center in the parish is Lutcher (pop. 3,911), followed by
Gramercy (2,567) and Vacherie (2,145). Vacherie is the
only sizable town located on the western bank of the river,
within the actual limits of the Barataria Basin.

St. John the Baptist Parish (pop. 23,813-25,478), with
a land area of 227 square miles, is the smallest parish in
the Barataria Region. The parish seat of Edgard, located
on the western bank of the Mississippi, is--like Convent in
St. James--a town of only 400 inhabitants. The larger
population centers in St. John the Baptist lie on the other
side of the river: Reserve (pop. 6,381), Laplace (5,953)
and Garyville (2,474). In St. Charles Parish (pop. 29,550-
32,973 with a land area of 294 square miles), the larger
towns are more evenly divided between the two sides of the
river. In fact, a majority of them lie on the western (or,
more precisely, southern) side of the Mississippi: the
parish seat, Hahnville (pop. 2,483), Luling (3,255), Des
Allemands (2,318) and Mimosa Park (1,624). The largest
population center in the parish, Norco (pop. 4,773) is
located on the eastern bank, as is the town of St. Rose
(2,106). Des Allemands--located along Bayou des Allemands,
straddling the parish line between St. Charles and
Lafourche--is the largest population center in the interior
of the Barataria Basin. The only other sizable locality in
the inner-basin area., Lafitte (pop. 1,223), lies beside
Bayou Barataria in Jefferson Parish, the most populous of
the seven parishes in the Barataria Region.

According to the 1970 Census, Jefferson Parish had a
population of 337,568. However, a more recent estimate
(pop. 407,106) indicates the population has already grown
beyond 400,000. A majority of the people in Jefferson
live on the East Bank (that is, in the area between the
Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain) in Metairie
(pop. 135,316), Kenner (29,858), Harahan (13,037), River
Ridge (15,713) and Jefferson Heights (16,489). The parish
seat of Gretna (pop. 24,875) is located on the West Bank,
as are the localities of Terrytown (13,832), Harvey (6,347),
Marrero (29,015@ and Westwego (11,402). In addition to
the inner-basin population center of Lafitte, West Jeffer-
son also boasts the only town of significant size located
on the Gulf of Mexico shore. Grand Isle (pop. 2,236) is
situated on a barrier island which stretches between
Caminada Bay and the Gulf. Much of lower West Jefferson is
under water; and the parish as a whole has a land area of
only 36'9 square miles, despite its considerable length.

Plaquemines, the delta parish, has the second largest
land area, 1,030 square miles; but in population (25,225-
26,168) it holds only the median rank. The parish seat,
Pointe a la Hache, is located on the eastern bank of the
river and has a population of 300. Larger population
centers--Port Sulphur'(pop. 3,022) and Buras-Triumph
(4,.113)--are located on the western bank of the Mississippi.

In summary, almost all of the important population:
centers in the Barataria Region are located along the major
waterways which enclose the Barataria Basin. However,
increasing urbanization--particularly in the area south of
the City of New Otleans--may herald a new trend toward
population of inner-basin areas.

PATTERNS OF GROWTH

In the fifty years from 1920 to 1970, population in
the coastal zone of Louisiana grew by slightly less than
1,000,000 inhabitants, representing an increase well above
100 percent (see Tables 2.1a and 2.1b). As a result of
this high.growth rate, the number of people living in the
coastal zone now exceeds the number living in all of non-
coastal Louisiana (see Table 2.1c). During the period
from 1960 to 1970, population growth in the coastal
zone--which includes approximately one-third of the state's
64 parishes--accounted for close to two-thirds of the total
population increase in the state (see Table 2.1d).

Population in the coastal zone increased by almost 15
percent between 1960 and 1970. At the same time,. the
number of people living in the seven-parish area which
includes the Barataria Basin increased by almost 45 percent.
Population growth in the Barataria Region--which includes
approximately one-third of the state's coastal parishes--
accounted for more than two-thirds ot the total increase
in the coastal zone between 1960 and 1970. Almost 80.
percent of the regional increase was counted in Jefferson
Parish, where a growth rate greater than 50 percent
prevailed.

Within the context of recent population trends (as
defined by the latest census-to-census figures) the coastal.
zone is the fastest-growing section of the state; the
Barataria Region is the fastest-growing area in the coastal
zone and Jefferson Parish is the f astest-growing parish in
the region. These growth relationships are part of an
historical trend which began more than half a century ago.

am dwi via - dw

TABLE 2.1a

POPULATION OF LOUISIANA, COASTAL ZONE, BARATARIA REGION & JEFFERSON PARISH, 1920-1970

AREA 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Louisiana 1,798,509 2,101,593 2,363,880 2,683,516 3,257,022 3,641,306
Coastal Zone1 857,273 943,926 1,057,835 1,256,780 1,616,729 1,855,868
Barataria2
Region 121,723 139,576 163,584 221,157 362,713 524,524
Jefferson
Parish 21,563 40,032 50,427 103,873 208,769 337,568

1. Coastal Zone is here defined as the 22-pari'sh area which includes the following parishes:
Ascension, Assumption, Ca.lcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis,
Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St.
John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion
(Based on coastal zone boundary proposed by McIntire et-al., 1975: 3).

2. Barataria Region includes the parishes of AssuMptioh, Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines,
St. Charles; St. James and St. John the Baptist.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1931, 1952 and 1973.

TABLE 2.1b

POPULATION CHANGE: LOUISIANA, COASTAL ZONE, BARATARIA REGION & JEFFERSON'PARISH,
1920-1970, PERCENT

AREA 1920-1930 3 1930-71940 1940-1950 1950-1960, 1960-1970 1920-1970

Louisiana 16.9 12.5 13.5 21.4 11.8 102.5
Coastal Zone 10.1 12.1 28.6 14.8 116.5
Barataria
14.7 17.2 35.2 64.0 44.8 330.9
Region
Jefferson
Parish 85.7 26.0 106.0 l0l..0 61.7 1465.5

3. Percent change 100 (P )-l
1930/pl920)-' 100 (pt+10/Pt

Source! U.S.. Bureau of the Cenpus, 19 31, 1952 and 1973.

owl 'M go$ "owl m!
I

IN so as so 11W as an so as on as as am

TABLE 2,lc

RELATIVE POPULATION OF LOUISIANA, COASTAL ZONE, BARATARIA REGION & JEFFERSON PARISH
1920-1970

AREA/AREA 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Coastal Zone/Louisiana .477 .449 .448 .468 .496 .510
Barataria/Coastal Zone .142 ..148 .157 .176 .224 .283
Jefferson/Barataria .177 .308 .470 ..576@ .644

TABLE 2.1d

@-j RELATIVE POPULATION CHANGE: LOUISIANA, COASTAL ZONE, BARATARIA REGION
AND JEFFERSON PARISH, 1920-1970

4
AREA/AREA 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1950-1960 1960-1970 1920-1970

Coastal Zone/Louisiana .286 .434 .622 .628 .622 .542
Barataria/Coastal Zone .206 .211 .289 .393 .679 .403
Jefferson/Barataria 1.035 .433 .928 .741 .793 .785

4. Relative Change A Areal/A Area 2-

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1931, 1952 and 1973.

In the period from 1920 to 1976, the coastal zone 'accounted
for more than half the total population increase in
Louisiana. Forty percent of the increase in the coastal
zone was counted in the Barataria Region, and almost 80
percent of the regional 'increase was registered in Jeffer-
son Parish. In 1920, 14 of every 100 persons living in the
coastal zone were located in the Barataria Region. By 1970
that figure had doubled. Similarly, in 1920, approximately
18 of every 100 persons living in the region were located
in Jefferson Parish. By 1970 the ratio was 64 of every 100.

The number of people living in the Barataria Region
has been increasing at.a'significant rate since 1920, after
remaining virtually unchanged over jhe period spanned by
the first 20 years of this century. Regional-population
in 1970 was over 300 percent higher than regional popula-
tion as recorded in the Census of 1920. The State of
Louisiana, and its 22-parish coastal zone (including the
Barataria Region), increased in number of inhabitants by
a little more than 100 percent each during the same
period. Jefferson Parish registered a phenomenal growth
rate of nearly 1500 percent over the same 50 years.

The regional growth rate has been increasingly influ-
enced'since 1930 by*suburban and exurban growth in the
metropolitan New Orleans area, particularly in Jefferson
Parish (see Figure 2.2). During the period from 1950 to
1970 the regional increase in population was well above
100 @ercent; the Jefferson Parish increase was well above
200 percent. Similarly, from 1930 to 1950, regional
population increased 60 percent; the number of people
living in Jefferson@increased 160, percent. The only
other parish, during the past century, to register a 20-
year increase in excess of 100 percent was St. Charles
(see Table 2.2). The population of St. Charles grew by
121 percent between 1950 and 1970, as the pariah began to
experience the effects of expanding urbanization. This
trend.in growth leadership was foreshadowed in the period
from 1910 to 1930 when Jefferson and St. Charles were the
only parishes in the area to record net increases in.
population (see Table 2.3).

Three of the other five Barataria parishes--Lafour-che,
Plaquemines and St. John the Baptist.---increased in

2According to the Census of 1900, there were 120,461 people
living in the seven-parish area. The 1920 count was
121,723. The change from 1910 (136,564) to 1930 (139,576)
was only slight. However, the change from 1920 to 1930
amounted to an increase of almost 15 percent.

FIGURE 2.2

POPULATION CHANGE: LOUISIANA, BARATARIA REGION ANDrJEFFERSON PARISH, 1870-1970

Percent
Change 225

200

175

150

125

100

-25

LOUISIANA BARATARIA JEFFER SON
1870 1890 1910 19301950 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950
to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to
1890 1910 1930 19501970 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970

Source: Compiled by Authors from U.S. Census Office, 1872 and 1883; U.S. Bureau
11 In n Ll

of the Census, 1931, 1952 and 1973.

TABLE 2.2

POPULATION CHANGE IN THE BARATARIA REGION BY.PARISH,
1870-1970

PARISH PERCENT CHANGE

1870-1990 1890-1910 1910-1930 1930-1950 195-0-1970

Assumption 48.3 22.9 -33.7 8.1 13.8
Jefferson 1 -25.6 38.0 119.4 159.5 225.0

Lafourche 50.1 49.9 -2.1 30.2 63.3

Plaquemines 18.9 -0.1 -2-3.3 48.2 77.2

St. Charles 59.0 44.9 8.1 10.3 121.1

St. James 54.8 46.4 -33.3 .0.0 29.0

St. John the
Baptist 6.8.0 26.2 -1.8 5.& 60.2

Barataria
Region 31.1 33.5, 2.2 58.5 137.2

Louisiana 53.-9 4:8. 1 26.,9 Z7.7 35.7

1In 1877, part to Orleans.

Source: U.S. Census@Office, 18.72 and 1883; U.S. Bureau of
the Census., l9r3l, 1952 and 1973.

18,

TABLE 2.3

POPULATION OF THE BARATARIA REGION BY PARISH, 1810-1970

PARISH 1810 1830 1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970

Assumption 2,472 5,669 10,538 .13,234 19,629 24,128 15,990 17,278 19,654
Jeffersoni .6,846 25,093 17,767 E3,221 18,247 @40,032 1032873
Lafourche 1,995 5,503 9,532 14,719 22,095 33,111 32,419 42,209 68,941
Plaquemines 1,549- 4,489 7,390 10,552. 12,541 12,524 9,608 14,239 25,225
St. Charles 3,291 5,147 5,120 4,867 7,737 11,207 12,111 13,363 29,550
St. James 3,955 7,646 11,098 103-152 15,715 23,009 15,338 15,334 19,773
St. John the 2,990 5,677 7,317 6,762 11,359 14,338 14,078 14,861 23,813
Baptist

Barataria
Region 16,252 40,977 76,088 78,053 102,297 136,564 139,576 221,157 52-4,524

Louisiana 76,556 215,529 517,762 726,915 1,118,518 1,656,388 2,101,593 2,683,516, 3,641,306

1Chartered in 1825. In 1877, part to Orleans.

Source: U.S. Census Office, 1872 and 1883; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1931, 1952 and 1973.

population by more than 60 pe reent between 1950 and 1970.
The other two parishes, Assumption and St. James, have
lagged in growth since 1910. Population in those two
parishes peaked around the time of the 1910 Census,
declined''precipitously over the next 20 years and has
increased at a relatively slow pace since then.-

As of 1970, there were about 915 persons per square
mile of land area in Jefferson Parish. St. John the Baptist
Parish, only fifth in total number of inhabitants, ranked
second in population density with 105 residents per square
mile. There were about 100 inhabitants per square mile
in St. Charles. St. James Parish ranked fourth with 78
persons per square mile. Lafourche, the second most
populous parish, ranked only fifth in population density
with 60 inhabitants per square mile. Assump tion and
Plaquemines trailed with density ratios of 55 and 25
respectively. Total population density for the seven-
Parish area was 143 persons per square mile, a rate con-
sidera.bly higher than the ratio of 31/1 for the entire
State of Louisiana.

A little more than half a million people were living
in the seven parishes of the Barataria Region at the time
the 1970 Census was taken. Of that number, almost two-
thirds were located in Jefferson Parish. Approximately
13 percent of the population was located in Lafourche
Parish. The parishes of Plaquemines, St. James, St. John
the Baptist, Ascension and St. Charles collectively
accounted for less than a quarter of the area's total
population.

An intercensal estimate of population in the Barataria
Region placed the number of people living in the area in
1975 at almost 600,000 (see Table 2.4). Jefferson's share
of that total is slightly more than two-thirds. The
Lafourche share is about 12 percent, and the other five
parishe's collectively account for a little more than
one-fifth of the total population.

A projection of population in the seven-parish area in
the year 2000 indic'ates the number of inhabitants will be
approaching the one-million mark. Almost three-quarters
of that total will be located in Jefferson Parish.
Approximately 15 percent of the total will be located in
the parishes of Lafourche and St. Charles. The other four
parishes collectively will account for a little more than
one-tenth of the area's total population.

kill, I= M 4W 60 60 dW d= dn *0 00 60 do do do

TABLE 2.4

PROJECTED POPULATION OF THE BARATARIA REGION, BY PARISH, THROUGH THE YEAR 2000

1975 PERCwr
1970 Revised PROJECTED POPULATION OVER
Area Census Estimate 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 1970

Assumption 19,654 20,281 20,545 21JI182 21,870 22,378 22,837 16.2
Jefferson 337,568 398,747 471,543 539,249 606,121 658,628 702,729 108.2
Lafourche 68,941 72,999 76,527 80,731 84,759 87,751 89,859 30.3
Plaquemines 25,225 26,077 27,453 29,007 30,055 31,370 32,480 28.8
St. Charles 29,550 32,162 36,250 40,206 44,271 48,378 52,003 76.0
St. James 19,733 19,599 19,900 20,073 20,379 20,532 20,607 4.4

St. John the
Baptist 23,813 24,796 27,059 28,86@4 30,917 32,724 34,250 43.8

Barataria 01,761 954,765 82.0
Region 524,524 594,661 679,277 759,312 838,372 9

Louisiana 3 641,306 3,805,575 3,989,432 4)183,112 4,361,426 4,513,569 4,6321220 27.2

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1973; Louisiana Tech University (in Louisiana State
Planning Office, 1977: 4-5); Segal, Saussy et al., 1977.

Regional population, as a percentage of total state
population, has increased at an accelerating rate in the
period.since 1940. In 1940 a little less than seven
percent of the people living in Louisiana were located in
the Barataria Region. By 1970 that figure had more than
doubled to 14.4 percent, the highest relative population
figure for the area since the 1850 Census. Projections
indicate this trend toward greater and greater relative
population concentration in the region should continueat
least through the rest of the century. By 1995 one of
every [email protected] will be living in the Barataria
Region, according to Segal, Saus.sy et al. By the year
2000 the ratio of regional-to-state population should be
approaching the highest recorded level: the 21.2 percent
figure derived from the 1810 Census which was taken at a
time when much of upper Louisiana was still comparatively
unsettled.

The projections also indicate the population of Jeffer-
son Parish will more than double by the end of the century,
making Jefferson by far the most populous parish in the
state. If this projected growth is to materialize, it will
require urbanization of a large portion of West Jefferson,
involving the reclamation of thousands of acres of wetlands
lying within the Barataria Basin. Significant growth is
also projected for the Parish of St. Charles, although much
of the increase in population is likely to take place along
the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. Steady growth
rates are projected for the parishes of St. John the
Baptist, Lafourche and Plaquemines. Assumption Parish is
expected to enjoy only a slight increase in number of
inhabitants, and minimal growth is projected forSt. James.

According to the projections of Segal., Saussy et al.,
total population in the Barataria Region should increase
by more than 400,000 (82 percent) between 1970 and 2000--
as compared to an increase of almost one million inhabitants
(27.2 percent) projected for the State of Louisiana. If
regional population is to near the one-million mark by the
end of the century, as projected, the increase will be of
amagnitude which will inevitably involve urbanization of
inner-basin areas that have heretofore remained relatively
unpopulated.

INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT

Among the seven parishes of the Barataria Region, per
capita income is highest in the two--Jefferson and Plaque-
mines--which adjoin the Parish of Orleans (see Table 2.5).
However, while the relatively high level of personal

TABLE 2.5

PER CAPITA INCOME IN THE BARATARIA REGION BY PARISH, 1970-1975 (DOLLARS)

INCREASE PERCENT
PARISH 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1970-1975 INCREASE

.Assumption 2,255 2,415 2,644 3,368 3,926 4, 127 1,872 83.0

Jefferson 3,781 3,928 4,262 4,725 5,332 5,970 2,189 57.9

Lafourche 2,674 2,871 3,159 3,606 4,071 4,500 1,826 68.3

Plaquemines 2,964 3,080 3,456 3,983 4,501 5,055 2,091 70.6

St. Charles 3,054 3,216 3,418 3,811 4,426 4,893 1,839 60.2
N)
St. James 2,725 2,945 3,233 3,7066 4,418 4,732 2,007 73.7

St. John
the Baptist 2,606 2,831 3,050 3,430 4,041 4,571 1,965 75.4

Barataria
Region 3,405 a,572 3,889 4,364 4,956 5,530 2,125 62.4

Louisiana 3,090 3,296 3,574 3,961 4,456 4,895 1,805 58.4

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1977.

income in Jefferson is directly related to that parish's
proxiity to New Orleans, nearness to the city is not a
decisive factor in the per capita income level of
Plaquemines Parish. Average income in Jefferson has
obviously been profoundly influenced by the suburban type
population growth which has prevailed in recent decades.
As a result the parish not only ranked first in per capita
income among Louisiana parishes in 1975 but was the only

parish to exceed the national average of $5,902 for that
year (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1977). Urbanization
has not been a significant factor in the rise of personal
income in Plaquemines which seems instead to be tied to
the high level of labor participation in that parish.
(Labor participation levels and other employment factors
are examined later in this section.) The other five
parishes in the region were ranked in the following order
according to level of per capita income in 1975: St.
Charles, St. James, St John the Baptist, Lafourche and
Assumption. All five fell below the average income for
all of Louisiana. However, average income for the seven-
parish area was more than $600 (about 13 percent) above per
ca ita income for the whole state.

Per capita, income in Louisiana increased by more than
half--about 58 percent-in the period from 1970 through
1975 inclusive Average income in the Barataria Region
increased at a slightly higher rate--about 62 percent--
during the same period jefferson was the only one of the
seven Barataria parishes to register a rate of increase
below that for al1 of Louisiana. The highest rate was
registered in Assumption, the parish with the lowest per
capita income. St., John the Baptist, St. James, P1aque-
mines, Lafourche and St. Charles ranked second through
sixth, respectively, in rate of growth. Generally speaking,
the higher a parish's level of per capita income the lower
was its rate of increase with the notable exception of
Plaquemines, which enjoyed a sustained high level of growth.
The apparent trend is-toward,reduction of differences

average income among the parishes. In 1970, per capita
income in Assumption was less than 60 percent of income in

Jefferson. By 1975 that ratio had risen to almost 70
percent.

Approximately, 1500OO persons--or one fourth the
number of people living in the area--were employed in the
Barataria Region in 1976 (see Table 2.6). Almost 100,000

3The purchasing power of the dollar declined by about one-
third,during.the same period (56V.S. Bureau of the Census,
1976.

TABLE 2.6

LABOR MARKET PARTICIPATION IN THE
BARATARIA REGION, BY PARISH, 1976

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES/
PARISH POPULATION EMPLOYEES1 POPULATION

Assumption 20,459 4,095 .200

Jefferson 407,106 98,005 .241

Lafourche 74,541 16,142 .217

Plaquemines 26,168 13,982 .534

St. Charles 32,973 11,609 .352

St. James 19,659 4,355 ..222

St. John 25,478 4,688 .184
the Baptist

Barataria Region 606,384 152,87 6 .252

Louisiana 3,840,973 1,129,008 .294

1Employment figures are taken from data reporte d by the
Louisiana Department of Employment Security and include
only those jobs covered by,the Louisiana Employment
Security Law.

Sources: Louisiana Tech (in Louisiana State Planning
Office, 1977:4-5);.Louisiana Department of
Employment Security, 1976.

jobs, or two-thirds of total employment in the seven-parish
area, were located in Jefferson Parish. Lafourche,
Plaquemines and St. Charles ranked second, third and fourth
in total employment. The parishes of St. John the Baptist,
St. James and Assumption each had a work force of less than
5,000 reported employees in 1976. Collectively, those
three parishes accounted for a lesser share of total
employment in the Barataria Region than Plaquemines Parish
alone.. That inequality assumes particular significance
when one considers that the combined population of the
three parishes -is two and one-half times greater than the
population of Plaquemines. The disparity in employment is
largely attributable to the fact that Plaquemines has by
far the highest level of labor market participation in
the area.- More than half the number of people living in@
Plaquemines are employed in the parish, which had less
than five percent of the area's total estimated population
in 1976 but almost ten percent of its total work force. A
relatively high labor participation rate was also registered
in St. Charles Parish where employment amounted to more
than a third of total population. In the other five
parishes, participation rates in the 18 to 24 percent
range prevailed. In the state as a whole, approximately
2.9 of every.100 persons were working at jobs included in
the quarterly employment count.

The high levels of labor market participation in
Plaquemines and St. Charles are probably due in large part
to concentration of oil and gas industry activities in
those parishes. More than one-fourth of total employment
in Plaquemines Parish is concentrated in the mining sector
(see Table 2.7). About 40 percent of the Barataria area's,
total mining employment is located in Plaquemines.
(Jefferson leads the region in all other sectors.) More
than one-third of total employment in St. Charles is
concentrated in the manufacturing sector and involves
primarily petrochemical manufacturing jobs. (Location of
oil and gas-based jobs will be discussed in-the next
section.)

Employment in the Barataria Region @,ccounts for 13.5
percent of total employment in the Stat:e of Louisiana.
The regional share is higher in all i-adividual sectors
except the finance and service sectors. Total employment
in the seven-parish area more than tripled in the period
from 1956 to 1976 (see Tables .2.7 and 2.8). Total employ.--
ment in the state doubled during the same period. The
regional share of employment by sector increased in every
sector except mining.

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TABLE 2. 7
EMPLOYMM By INDUSIRY DIVISION IN THE BARATARIA REGION, BY PARISH, SECOND WARTER, 1976

SECCND QUARIER
PARISH TOTAL MINING CONST MFG. TRANS. TRADE 1 FINANCE SERVICE OIIRI@ TOTAL WAGES3

Assumption 4,095 627 143 2,303 91 691 93 125 22 $ 11,763,858

Jefferson 98,005 3,526 11,682 17,496 9,239 34,692 3,741 16,789 840 $ 246,907,486
Lafourche 16,142 1,458 1,009 3,215 3,241 3,965 591 2,M7 436 $ 39,400,996

Plaquernines 13,982 3,797 2,213 1,984 1,731 1,865 119 1,847 426 $ 46,635,888

St. Charles 11,609 206 3,430 4,059 934 1,496 206 862 416 $ 39,234,197
St. Jams 4,355 68 85 2,759 199 657 121. 365 101 $ 15,528,635

St. John
the Baptist 4,688 14 891 1,610 266 1,285 123 .474 25 $ 14,225,029

Barataria 22,689 2,266 $ 413,696,089
Region 152,876 9,696 19,453 33,426 15,701 44,651 4,994

Louisiana 1,129,008 62,268 116,501 194,198 100,917 304,517 60,989 241,997 47,621 $2,827,283,553

Ba.rataria/
Louisiana .135 .156 .167 .172 .156 .147 .082 .094 .041 .146

1. Wholesale and retail.
2. Agriculture and public administration.
3. Paid by employers subject to the Louisiana Employment Security Law.

Source: Louisiana DeparUwnt of Employment Security, 1976.

TABLE 2. 8

EMPIJMMr BY INDUSTRY DIVISION IN TBE BARATARIA REGION, BY PARISH, SECOND QUARM, 1956

SECOND QUARTER
PARISH TOTAL MINING MFG. TRANS. TRADE FINANCE SERV 1 C E OTHER" TOTAL WAGES2

Assurrption 1,074 @77 29 643 15 211 41 52 0 $ 802,508
Jefferson 25j685 :9)084 2,719 11,588 2@347 5,038 413 1,376 60 $ 26,536,103
Lafoukehe 7,266 lj64! 656 11490 981. 1,700 156 701 27 $ 6,785,085
Plaqubminoi� 6$877 j,187 .351 -.992 567 :965 10 202 203 $ 7j796,206
St. dharlEis 3,146 191 i0o @,414 .551 307 18 60 0 $ 4,790,592
t15 8t . Jan*--s fi244 62 .34 802 31 265 18 24 8 $ 1,004,943

St. John
the Baptist 1,418 4 11 -959 83. 284 65 0 $ 1,144,057

Barataria
Region 46,810 7,752 4,065 18,888 4,587 8,070 - 668 2,489 298 $ 481,859,444
Louisiana 548,664 44j?68 52,023 147,877 69,448 157,022 23,818 51,799 1,849 $497,636,715

Baratafria/
Louisiana .085 .173 .078 s128 .066 .051 .028 .048 .161 .098

I. WholOgAle Md retail.
2. p0JA il-U effplo'U ject to the Louisiana Employment Security Law.
ers 9@fb@

Source: Louisiana Division of Eriployment Security, 1956.

WAS^

The period from 1956 to 1976 was a period of tremendous
growth in employment in Jefferson Parish, particularly in
those sectors most affected by urban expansion: finance,
service, trade, construction and transportation. Similarly,
Plaquemines Parish experienced rapid expansion in the
service, trade and construction sectors. Significant
increases in the trade and construction sectors were
registered in St. Charles Parish. The highest rate of
growth in manufacturing employment was registered in
Assumption Parish. Manufacturing employment tripled in
both Assumption and St. James.

On a regional basis, the trend in employment over the
last 20 years has been toward accelerating growth in non-
basic sectors related to rapid population growth. At the
same time, more basic activities, such as mining and
manufacturing, have lagged in rate of expansion. Mining
employment remained virtually unchanged, except in Jeffer-
son Parish; and manufacturing employment expanded at a
rate of less than four percent per annum.

MAJOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

The diversity of economic activity in the Barataria
Region reflects the variety of resources at hand in the
area: a variety conducive not only to economic development
but to economic conflict and economic-ecologic conflict as
well. Fresh water, wetlands, fertile farmland, fish and
wil.dlife, petroleum and natural gas are among the area's
more important natural resources. Significant resource-
related activities include oil and gas extraction and
refining; chemical--especially petrochemical--manufacturing;
boat and ship building and repair; sugarcane cultivation
and sugar processing; seafood processing, commercial
fishing and trapping and recreational hunting and fishing.

In terms of current economic return, the most impor-
tant natural resources in the Barataria Region are the
area's reserves of petroleum and natural gas. In 1974
more than 10,000 persons in the seven-parish area were
working at jobs directly related to oil and gas extraction
'
and refining (see Table 2.9). Production employment was
largely concentrated in the "first-tier" coastal parishes
of Plaquemines, Jefferson and Lafourche, one indication of
the increasing ascendancy of offshore production. While
declining onshore drilling poses a potentially significant
employment problem for the area, the rapid expansion of
the offshore industry in recent years presents more
immediate--if less momentous--difficulties. Among these

TABLE, 2. 9

OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION AND REFINING EMPLOYMENT
IN THE BARATARIA REGION, BY PARISH, 1974

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

TOTAL
AND GAS PETROLEUM PRODUCTION
PARISH EXTRACTION REFINING AND PROCESSING

Assumption 100-249 - 100-249

Jefferson 5,696 100-249 5,796-5,9415

Lafourche 940 - 940

Plaquemines 2,500-4,999 250-499 2,750-5,498

St. Charles 149 500-999 649-1,1413

St. James 20-99 250-499 270-598

St. John
the Baptist

Barataria
Regiol). 9,405-1121,132 1,100-2,246 1J,505-14,378

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1977.

is the necessity of expanding community facilities and
services to meet the growing needs of populaces.enlarged
as a result of stepped-up activity on the Outer Continental
Shelf (OCS). Almost 6,000 persons in the region.were
employed in OCS-support jobs in 1974 (see Table 2.10).
The total population related to this was in excess of
22,500. The rapid growth of the offshore industry may be
seen in a comparison of the 1974 figures with data from
1967. During that seven-year period OCS employment almost
quadrupled and the related population nearly tripled. A
trend toward greater concentration of OCS activity in the
Barataria Region (or adjacent waters) seems to be indicated
by comparison of regional growth rates with those for the
entire coastal zone of Louisiana, including Barataria.
OCS support employment and related population in the 22-
parish coastal area were both something less than two
and one-half times greater in 1974 than in 1967. During
that period the Barataria Region's [email protected] offshore-
support jobs increased from 17 to 27 percent, and the
region's share of population expanded from 22 to 28
percent. However, while expansion of offshore production
may be offsetting the onshore contraction at present,
an eventual decline in overall production is recognized
as inevitable. Promoters of the Louisiana Superport hope
the proposed facility will counter the impact of diminish-
ing reserves by providing a new source of crude oil for
the state's refineries and petrochemical plants.

According to the Louisiana State Planning Office
(1977: 121), projections indicate the Superport will result
in more than 16,000 new jobs and almost $2.3 billion worth
of added investment in the state's petroileum complex
during its first year of operation. The new jobs total is
projected to reach 30,000 by 1990 with about $5.6 billion
worth of new investment generated in the same period. The
port itself, and related facilities, will cost almost
$1 billion to build. Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, Inc.
(LOOP), a consortium of five refining and pipeline firms,
plans to locate the single-point rotational mooring
facility for supertankers approximately 18 miles off the
coast of Lafourche Parish. A pipeline leading from the
deepwater dock will cross the coastline pear the mouth of
Bayou Lafourche and connect with a national supply line in
St. James Parish. Approximately 40 percent of Superport
crude oil will be retained for use by area industries,
according to LOOP.President William Read (Henriques,
1978.).

Major petroleum refineries in the Barataria Region
are located in the par@shes of Jefferson, Plaquemines,
St. Charles and St. James. Refinery products include

TABLE 2.10

EMPLOYMENT AND POPULATION IN THE BARATARIA
PARISHES DUE TO OCS SUPPORT ACTIVITY, 1967 AND 1974

1967 1967 1974 1974
PARISH EMPLOYMENT POPULATION EMPLOYMENT POPULATION

Assumption 19 174 54 767

Jefferson 1,021 5,442 4,396 15,298

Lafourche 182 1,052 559 2,952.

Plaquemines 95 263 333 739,

St. Charles 114 392 245 1,149

St. James 58 278 131 690

St. John
the Baptist 26 302 125 1,000

Barataria
Region 1,515 7,903 5,843 22,595

Coastal Zone 8,836 35,231 21,679 80,190

Barataria/CZ .171 .224 .269 .282

Source: Mumphrey, et al., 1977: 23 and 25-.

motor gasolines,.jet and diesel fuels, home heating oil,
fuel oil, diesel oil, propane, ethylene, benzene, kerosene,
white mineral oil, carbon black feedstock, sulfur,.petro-
leum coke, asphalt, liquified petroleum gas, petrolatums,
soluble cutting oils and other petroleum derivatives.
Chemical manufacturing complexes-employing in excess of
1,000 workers in 1974 were located in each of three
parishes in the region: Jefferson, St. Charles and St.
James. Another 1,000 workers were employed in the manu-
facture of chemicals and allied products either in
Plaquemines or St. John. The total sectoral labor force
in the region was in the range of roughly 4,500 to 6,500
persons. Chemical manufacturing output covers a wide
range of products including ethyl alcohol, nitric acid,
hydrogen peroxide, sulfolane, hydrochloric acid, calcium
chloride, acetone, vinyl chloride, methyl-ethyl ketone,
secondary butyl alcohol, styrene, sulfuric acid, acryloni-
trile, urea and anhydrous ammonia, herbicides, pesticides,
emulsifiers and surfactants for agriculture, glycerin,
soil fumigants, paper resins, cleaners, solvents, grease-
cutting compounds, floor waxes, disinfectants, chlorine
bleaching compounds, industrial water-treating chemicals,
lube oil additives, hydraulic fluids, lubricating greases
and oils, fluorocarbon refrigerants, glazing compound,
putty, asphalt roof coatings, caulking compound, sealants,
synthetic rubber, printing inks and chemical supplies,
carbon dioxide, plasticizers and numerous other chemicals
and chemical products. Another important manufacturing
sector, employing as many as 10,000 workers in the
Barataria Region, is that of ship building and repair.
At least 5,000 of those jobs are located at Avondale
Shipyards in Jefferson Parish, the area's largest single
employer. Smaller boat and ship operations are located
in Lafourche, Plaquemines and Assumption parishes
(Louisiana Department of Commerce and Industry, 1975).

The Barataria Region's principal agricultural activity
is sugarcane cultivation. Total sugarcane acreage, under
cultivation in 1975, was over 100,000 acres (see Table
2.11). That represented a little more than one-third of
total sugarcane acreage in the state. Approximately 2,000-
3,000 persons in the area were employed in sugar-processing
plants located in-the region's four leading sugarcane
parishes: Assumption, Lafourche, St. James and St. John
the Baptist (Louisiana Department of Commerce and Industry,
1975). Another important agricultural activity, soybean
cultivation, is relatively new to the region but has shown
a capacity for rapid expansion. In 1965 only 200 acres,
in a single parish, were devoted to soybean farming (see
Table 2.12). By 1971 total acreage had inekeased to
14,500 with soybeans planted in all of the Barataria
parishes except Jefferson.

TABLE 2.11

SUGARCANE ACREAGE IN THE BARATARIA REGION,
BY PARISH, 1950-1975

PARISH 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975

Assumption 30,853 25,686 29,873 32,370 31,833 36,900

Jefferson - - - - - -

Lafourche 29,246 24,235 26,458 31,568 29,298 34,800

Plaquemines - - - 1,084 - -

St. Charles 12531 1,330 1, 502 2,814 1,850 1,500

St. James 17,325 14,383 16,994 20,940 19,269 24,400

St. John
the Baptist 15,048 12,560 9,249 9,948 8,301 8,600

Barataria
Region 94,003 78,194 84,076 98,724 90,551 106,200

Louisiana 296,581 249,576 281,615 314,241 286,402 308,000

Sources: Louisiana State University Departmeut of Agricultural
Economics Report No. 436 (April 1972): "Louisiana
Crop Statistics by Parish, Througn 1970" except for
1975 figures which come from LSE D.A.E. Report No. 523
(August 1977): "Agricultural Statistics for Louisiana,
1973-1976.1'

dodo NO an an M M M M M

TABLE 2.12

SOYBEAN ACREAGE IN THE,BARATARIA REGION, BY PARISH, 1965-1976

PARISH 1965- 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976

Assumption - - l.,-000 3,OUO 6,000 3,500 3,500 2,700 2,500 2,50o 2,600 2,000

Jefferson - -

Lafourche - 100 600 2,500 1,900 3,600 3,000 3,500 4,000 3,000 3,ooo

Plaquemines - 100 500 1,700 1,200 500 700 600 400 500 40U 2UU

St. Charles - - 100 200 300 1,000 500 400 300 400 300 luo
CA) St. James 200 1,000 1,30o 1,500 1,800 1,400 3,000. 3,000 2,200 3,300 2,500 2,400
C.A St. John the
Baptist - 100 1,000 1,500 1,800 3,000 3,200 4,000 2,800 3,600 3,800 3,600

Barataria
Region 200 1,200 4,000 5,500 13,600 11,300 14,500 13,700 11,700 14,300 12,bOU li'soo

Louisiana 622,000 871,000 1,306,000 1,436,000 1,608,000 1,688,000 1,644,000 1,667,000 1,580,000 1,760,000 1,920,000 2,120,@ouo

Sources: Louisiana State University Department of Agricultural Economics Report No. 436: "Louisiana Crops Statistics, by
Parishes, through 1970" (April 1972); D.A.E. Research Report No. 496: "Agricultural Statistics for Louisiana,
1971-1974" (November 1975); and D.A.E. Research Report No. 523: "Agricultural Statistics for Louisiana, 1973-1976"
(August 1977).

Major economic activities related to renewable resource
use includes commercial fishing, seafood processing, trap-
ping, recreational hunting and sport fishing, Fishing is
the area's oldest industry and continues to be a vital
factor in the regional economy and culture. Commercial
landings in Louisiana in 1976 totaled nearly 1.25 billion
pounds and amounted to almost one-fourth of a11 the fish
caught by United States fishermen that year. Dockside
value of the 1976 catch was over $135 million. Your of
the top six commercial fishing ports in the United States,
in terms of total fish weight, were located along the
Louisiana coast. Major fishing ports in the Barataria
Region include Empire, Golden Meadow-Leeville and Lafitte-
Barataria (National Marine Fisheries Service, 1977: 4-5).

The commercial fishing industry in Louisiana produces
significant, quantities of oysters, shrimp, crabs, crawfish
and other shellfish, as well as a wide variety of fishes
including, among others, -menhaden, croaker, catfish drum,
flounder, pompano, sea trout, shad, sheephead, snapper, and
Spanish mackrel. According to Wagner (1977), the state's
pre-eminence in the fishing industry is directly attribu-
table to the fact that Louisiana has the mostly extensive
marsh and estuarine region in the world, including a
fourth of total estuarine acreage in the United States.
The Barataria Bay estuarine system produces 44 percent of
the total state fishery harvest on an average annual basis.
Over four million pounds of oyster meat produced in the
Barataria system--nearly half the state total--are harvested
each year. Barataria Bay and its adjacent waters also lead
the state in production of menhaden, an oily fish used
exclusively for industrial purposes, accounting fir about
one-third of the state total of approximately on; billion
pounds per year. The estuary also produces 20 million
pounds of shrimp each year, almost two million grounds of
catfish and bullhead, almost five million pounds of croaker
and over one million pounds of speckled trout.

Barataria Bay is located in the middle of the state's
prime oyster-producing region. The top five oyster-
producing parishes include the Barataiia parishes of
Plaquemines, Jefferson and Lafourche are the parishes which
flank them: St. Bernard on the east and Terrebonne on the
west. The combined oyster acreage of these five parishes
exceeds 575,8000 acres and accounts for more than 99 percent
of the state total. In recent years, these five parishes
have produced a combined average of 270,000 barrels or
3,923,100 pounds of oyster meat per year. The parishes of
Plaquemines and St Bernard account for approximately 90
percent of all oyster bottoms in Louisiana coastal
zone. The future of the oyster industry in- Louisiana may

depend on these water bottoms, since they include more than
450,000 acres of seed grounds which are being nurtured for
future cultivation. During the past two decades, however,
accelerating saltwater intrusion has reduced the yield of
these.seed grounds by almost two-thirds. As a result,
oyster fishermen have been forced to steadily increase the
range of their activity in order to maintain the existing
level of production. Principal among the acknowledged
causes of destructive saltwater intrusion are the channeli-
zation and dredging associated with industrial development
and construction of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet
Channel (Louisiana State Planning Office, 1916: 33-36).

Seafood processing employs roughly 1,250-2,500 persons
in the Barataria Region, 1,000-2,000 of them at 11
different plants located in Jefferson Parish. Fish and
shellfish processing plants are also located in Lafourche
and Plaquemines. Products include fresh and frozen shrimp,
canned sh-rimp, and oysters, soft shell crabs, canned crab-
meat, packaged shrimp dinners, shrimp meal, frozen crabs,
peeled plain and deveined shrimp, seafood specialties,
breaded shrimp, headless shrimp, menhaden fish meal and
scrap,' fish@oil and fish solubles (Louisiana Department of
Commerce and Industry, 1975).

Commercial trapping is another regional activity,
with roots in the distant past, which continues to play an
important part in the area's economy. Louisiana trappers
enjoyed a boom season in 1976-1977, taking a record 3.25
million pelts worth over $24 million. That was nearly
double the value of pelts taken the previous season and
approximately four times the value of furs sold by trappers
five years earlier. Economically the most important fur-
bearers in Louisiana are nutria and muskrat. Over 1.5
million nutria pelts were taken in 1976-1977, and 740,000
muskrat pelts were sold by trappers. In addition, the
meat of those two animals is sold to supply pet-food and
fertilizer producers. Other important fur-bearing animals
taken in sizable quantities included raccoon (180,000
pelts), mink and oppossum, (about 35,000 pelts each).
Fewer otters, foxes and bobcats were taken; but the price
per pelt for those animals was much higher (Louisiana
Wild Life and Fisheries Commission, 1977).

Finally, the economic impact of recreational hunting
and fishing in a state which calls itself."Sportsman's
Paradise" cannot be overlooked. Projected participation
during 1975 in southeastern Louisiana--ine luding, in
addition to the Barataria parishes, the parishes of
Orleans, St. Tammany, St. Bernard and Terrebonne--is shown
in Table 2.13, The State Parks and Rec-,eation Commission

TABLE 2.13

PROJECTED RECREATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING PARTICIPATION
IN SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA IN 1975._

PROJECTED HIGH-QUARTER PARTICIPATION IN 1975
(number of user-days)
1 2 3 TOTAL
ACTIVITY REGION I-A REGION 1-B REGION 3 G-A, 1-B & 3)

Saltwater Fishing 2,112,148 205,674 519,811 2,837,633

Freshwater Fishing 5,716,565. 5591582 1,414,260 7,690,407

Crawfishing 1,864,779 181,586 458,932 2,505,297

Crabbing 1,826,722 177,880 449,566 2,454,168
00 TOTAL FIShINGI
SHELLF;SHING 11,520,214 1,214,722 2,842,569 15,487,505

Big-Game Hunting 1,997,978 194P557 491,713 2,684,248

Small-game hunting 3,567P818 347,423 878,059 4,793,300

Waterfowl hunting 1,579,354 153,792 388,687 2,121,833

TOTAL HUNTING 7,145,150 695P772 1,758,459 9,599,381

TOTAL HUNTING AND
FISHING 18,665,364 1,829,494 4,601,028 25,086,886

1. Jefferson, Orleans and St. Bernard parishes.
2. Plaquemines and St. Tammany parishes.
Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John and Terrebonne parishes.
Source: Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission, 1974.

01i aw so so so " M M M M = so

(1974) projected high-quarter hunting and fishing parti-
cipation in excess of 25 million user-days. Of that total,
roughly 15 million high-quarter user-days were projected
for fishing (saltwater and freshwater) and shell-fishing
(crawfishing and crabbing); and roughly 10 million high-
quarter user-days were projected for hunting (big-game,
small-game and waterfowl). Obviously, the economic
rarnifications--including expenditures for equipment,
supplies, transportation and so forth--are extensive and
sizable enough to qualify recreational hunting and fishing
as a major economic activity in the Barataria Region.

WETLANDS USE IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

Introduction

The issue of wetlands use.in the Barataria Basin is
not so much a single unified issue as a collection of
interrelated controversies linked by the overlapping
problems of environmental protection, economic growth and
urban expansion in the coastal zone. More specifically,
the various controversies spawned by the larger issue of
wetlands use are also connected to one another by the
questions common to them all: questions regarding the
need for management of coastal resources; questions
related to the purpose and scope of coastal resources
management; and questions concerning jurisdiction and
procedure in the regulation of coastal activities.

The following section attempts to focus on the
principal areas of disagreement which have shaped the
issue of wetlands use in the Barataria Basin. Four areas
of conflict are outlined, including coastal zone management,
highway construction, reclamation and hurricane protection,
and the concept of a national park as a wetlands preserve.
Focal conflicts examined include those over delineation of
a coastal zone boundary for the State of Louisiana,
establishment of a growth/conservation line for the West
Barik of Jefferson Parish, construction of an interstate-
system bypass highway (1-410), alignment of a state highway
from Marrero to Lafitte to Larose, implementation of the
Harvey Canal-Bayou Barataria hurricane protection plan,
and location of Jean Lafitte Park in the heart of the
Barataria country.

Coastal Zone Management t

The official coastal zone of Louisiana, as established
by Act 705 of the 1977 legislative session, does not
include most of the coastal wetlands located in the
Barataria Basin. Almost all of the Des Allemands-Salvador-
Barataria estuarine system lies outside the management zone
(see Figure 2.3). The fact that one of the world's most
productive estuaries could be excluded from the area of
jurisdiction outlined by the state's Coastal Zone Manage- ir
ment (CZM) Act is indicative of the intense political
pressures brought to bear in the battle over delineation
of Louisiana's coastal zone boundary.

From one point of view, the debate over coastal zone
management is in itself an affirmation of the need for
development and implementation of public policy regarding
coastal environments. The acuteness of that need is under-
scored by the record of havoc wreaked on the estuarine
systems in this country over the course of -the past century.
An estimated 46 million acres of wetlands--about half the
nation's total acreage--have been lost during that period.
Coastal swamps and marshes in the United States continue to
disappear at a rate of more than 200,000 acres a year
(Bernstein, May 1977). The.most extensive damage is being
done in the "unofficial" coastal zone of Louisiana where
approximately one-fourth of the nation's remaining wetlands
are located (Catalano, 1976). It is hardly surprising
that in the area where activities directed to the rr-odifi-
cation of wetlands are most intense, opposition to the
regulation of such activities should also be stror.,gest.
Moreover, when one considers the source of that cpposition.--
the powerful landholders, building contractors, and
agricultural and industrial interests whose input into the
political decision-making process is maximized by virtue
of their close ties to those who hold electiv!:! office--
one can hardly wonder at its effectiveness.

Governmental efforts to manage the usr*" of wetlands
began at the federal level in the 19601s. Alerted to the
rate at which valuable wetlands were bei -ag lost to highway
construction, urban expansion, conversion to agricultural
use, and natural erosion and subsidence, officials in the
Department of the Interior inaugurated a comprehensive
inventory of the nation's coastal estuaries. The study
described in detail the conditions of estuarine systems
along the Atlantic,:Gulf, and Pacific coasts and documented
the continuing destruction of wetlands. A second study,
the Stratton Commission report, noted the need for a
coordinated effort to protect surviving swamps and marshes

FIGURE 2.3

PROPOSED COASTAL ZONE BOUNDARIES

--F- 7-

1W. -rA

41T. M Alw N

t4p"
red
Uw

NO
........ .3 Pr eaw.7@' U, er- Ap. W.010

-2A6

Source: Compiled by the Authors from McIntire et al., 1975; Louisiana
Office, April 1977; Louisiana Department of Transportation and
May 1978.
Ff

and also pointed out the absence of a planning capability,
within existing governmental agencies, equal to the
challenge. The report recommended that states establish
their own coastal authorities but recognized that the
resources necessary to establish and implement programs
on the state level were lacking (Louisiana Department of
Transportation and Development, December 1977).

Legislation designed to meet the need for coordinated
effort and adequate funding was introduced in Congress in
1969. The Coastal Zone Management Act was finally adopted
in 1972, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration (NOAA) was given authority to administer the pro-
gram. In the period of more than five years since passage
of the CZM Act of 1972) the State of Louisiana has moved
falteringly toward full participation in the program.
In 1973 the Advisory Commission on Coastal and Marine
Resources, established by the Louisiana Legislature in
1971, issued its final report, The Wetlands Prospectus,
recommending implementation of a state coastal zone manage-
ment program. The following year Governor Edwin Edwards
named the State Planning Office (SPO) as coordinating
agency for coastal Zone management activities in Louisiana.
Under Section 305 of the CZM Act of 1972, federal funds
were allocated to Louisiana for use in planning an official
coastal resources management program (Louisiana State
Planning Office,-June 1975).

During the summer of 1975 representatives of the SPO's
Coastal Resources Program met with local officials in the
state's coastal parishes to lay the groundwork for CZM in
Louisiana. Public information meetings were held in
coastal cities and towns during the fall of 1975 (Louisiana
State Planning Office, December 1975). In 1976 a CZM bill.
was introducpd in the Louisiana Legislature. liowever,
strong oppos&,tion surfaced in committee hearings; and the
bill was redrafted to set up a study group, 1he Louisiana
Coastal Commission (Louisiana State Planninf-,-"Office,
September 1976). The commission drafted a new coastal zone
management bill for introduction in the lW7 legislative
session; and it was this bill which everually passed,
substantially unchanged, officially reducing the state's
coastal zone to a strip of land and wetland located three
miles or less inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Members of
the legislature were divided into two main camps in the
battle over delineation of the state's coastal zone
boundary. One camp included those legislators who favored
the proposed three-mile limit. They were opposed by a
group of lawmakers who called for designation of the five--
foot elevation contour as the zone's upper boundary. A
number of amendments were offered, including one which

would have attached Lake Pontchartrain to the three-mile
zone and another which would have substituted the I-10/
1-12 interstate highway right-of-way for the five-foot
contour. However, all of the proposed amendments were
rejected; and the strict three-mile limit was specified
in the CZM bill which ultimately won approval (Louisiana
Department of Transportation and Development, September
1977).

The coastal zone boundary adopted by the 'Legislature
in 1977 was subsequently rejected by federal officials as
incompatible with guidelines est"ablished by the CZM Act
of 1972. The rejection placed in jeopardy Louisiana's
participation in federal programs designed to aid the
states in proper development of coastal resources. In
addition, the state was threatened with the loss of
millions of dollars in federal impact funds (Louisiana
Department of Transportation and Development, December
1977). The Coastal Energy Impact Program (CEIP), created
by an amendment to the CZM Act of 1972, was established to
help compensate states and eligible communitie,@; for the
adverse effects of coastal energy activity andloffshore
energy development. The program makes availa@le two
principal kinds of financial aid: formula gr4nts and
credit assistance. The formula grants are i.atended to help
reduce the impact of coastal energy activity..,on environ-
mental and recreational resources--and wheF0 ''.such negative
impacts cannot be ameliorated to compensat:e.states for
their losses. Credit assistance made available from the
Coastal Energy Impact fund is intended to sipplement state
aid to communities which must expand local services and
facilities to meet the needs of increased populaces
(Carrier, May 1977).

Of the $10 million in formula grants for environmental
or recreational losses appropriated by Congre'*ss for the
1977 fiscal year, more than half--about [email protected],'million-was
allocated for use in Louisiana. Among the Dr"ojects which
will benefit from the CEIP fund are a new water-supply
system for Grand Isle, which will co *st about $900,000, and
a hurricane protection levee system in Lafourche Parish.
The state should receive another $160 million of the $400
million total authorized for disbursement before 1984.
However, Louisiana's share of 1977 formula grants was
based on an unofficial coastal zone which included all land
and,wetlands below the five-foot contour. By officially
setting the upper limit at the three-mile mark, the legis-
lature drastically reduced the area eligible for impact
funds. The narrow definition of the state's coastal zone
also might result'in only towas in the "first-tier" parishes
being eligible for credit assistance in seeking to expand

facilities and services. Congress has.authorized $800
million for credit assistance. Based on the broader
definition of its coastal zone, Louisiana would receive
about $90 million. Of $110 million appropriated for
disbursement in fiscal 1977, the state's share was $20
million, based on the five-foot contour coastal zone
(Carrier, May 1977).

Following the federal rejection of the state's coastal
zone management plan, administration of the Coastal
Resources Program was 'transferred from the State Planning
Office to the Department of Transportation and Development
(DOTD). In an effort to define the coastal zone in a
manner acceptable to federal officials and local political
interests alike, the state's coastal planners delineated
a new boundary which essentially represents a compromise
between the five-foot contour and three-miles inland limits.
The new line was drawn as part of a revised CZM proposal
prepared for submission to the Louisiana Legislature
during its 1978 session. The proposed boundary generally
would follow the route'of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
from the Texas border eastward to the vicinity of Houma,
then angle sharply northward to take in lakes Maurepas
and Pontchartrain (States-Item, April 1978). Significantly,
the expanded coastal zone would include all of the Des
Allemands-Salvador-Barataria Estuary.

The controversy surrounding efforts to establish a
satisfactory coastalzone boundary for the State of
Louisiana has its parallel on the parochial level in the
debate over delineation of a growth/conservation boundary
for that portion of Jefferson Parish which stretc1les from
the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed
boundary would draw a line between growth and non-growth
areas: that is,: between areas suitable for future develop-
ment and areas which would be considered off-limits for
developmental activities. In effect, the growth/conserva-
Lion line would prohibit further encroachmert on the
Barataria estuarine' system by limiting future growth to
existing high ground and low-lying areas already enclosed
by levees.

There are, at present, almost 10,000 acres of
undeveloped land on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish
within existing levee systems (Carrier, October 1977).
Nonetheless, individual landowners and real estate develop-
ment companies continue their efforts to reclaim viable
wetlands on a piecemeal.basis. Early in 1977 conservation-
minded area residents, commercial and sport fishermen, and.
members of environmentalist groups persuaded the Jefferson
Parish Council to consider adoption of a growth/conserva-
tion boundary which would give direction to future urban

expansion. The Coastal Zone Management Advisory Committee
was commissioned to undertake the task of defining the
limits of future growth (Louisiana State Planning Office,
February 1977).

The growth/conservation line proposed by the committee,
after five months of study, was based on the recommenda-
tions of marine biologist Dr. Paul Wagner of Burk and
Associates, the consulting firm retained by the Jefferson
Parish Council to provide technical assistance. The pro-
posed boundary would have embraced an area of almost
54,000 acres, including about 36,000 undeveloped acres,
which would be available for future growth. The growth
area would have included about 19,000 acres of natural or
leveed wetlands already marked for drainage and development.
However, the advisory committee's proposal did not take
into consideration the area's actual suitability for
development, and it is possible the soils in some areas
would not safely support construction. Moreover, portions
of the proposed growth area lie outside existing hurricane
protection systems; and adequate levees and drainage
facilities would have to be provided before development
could safely proceed. Generally speaking, the line was
drawn to include areas of natural high ground and leveed
land, along the Bayou Barataria alluvial ridge, as far
south as Lafitte (Nolan, July 1977).

The Coastal Zone Management Advisory Committee
formally presented its proposal for a growth/conservation
line at a public hearing in the Jefferson Parish Court-
house on August 8, 1977. The plan met with strong opposi-
tion from a coalition of business, industry and real estate
groups which included the Harvey Canal Industrial Associa-
tion, the West Bank Council of the Chamber of Commerce,
and an ad hoe group of builders and landholders called the
Sensible Growth-Conservation Committee. The last group
summoned an economist, an engineer, an environmental con-
sultant and anattorney to testify against the proposal.
The consensus of opposition opinion presented at the
hearing was that the study and planning which had gone into
demarcation of the growth/conservation line had been
inadequate. Opponents criticized the advisory committee
for not considering possible legal ramifica@tions of the
line; for not examining the potential economic consequences
of banning development in the proposed non-growth area; for
not studying the feasibility of alternative conservation
methods; and, finally, for proposing any line at all since
any growth-limiting line, wherever located, would represent
a violation of basic property rights (Nolan, August 1977),.

At a meeting on October 3, 1977, members of the
advisory committee failed to reach agreement on a.proposal
for submission to the Jefferson Parish Council (Nolan,
October 1977). As a result, the issue remained in limbo
for another seven months.@ Then, in the wake of disastrous:
flooding caused by the record rainfall of May 3, 1978,
public criticism of the existing drainage system inspired
a renewed effort to define the limits of future growth.
Meeting on May 15, the Coastal Zone Management Advisory
Committee voted to recommend adoption of a compromise
growth/conservation line. The new line would define a
development zone considerably larger than the one originally
proposed. Most notably, the revised plan transfers the
3,100 acre Bayou aux Carpes swamp from the conservation
side of the line to the growth side. The plan also leaves
unresolved the issue of flood protection for Lafitte.
Although the proposed growth boundary proceeds southward
along the alluvial ridge of Bayou Barataria to take in
the Village of Jean Lafitte, none of the proposed alignments
for the Harvey Canal-Bayou Barataria levee system, being
considered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, include
this low-lying fishing community (States-Item, May 1978).

Highwa_y construction

Perhaps the most controversial single issue involving
the use of wetlands in the Barataria Basin has been the
proposal for construction of an interstate-system bypass
highway across the Barataria Estuary. The road, as
originally proposed, would have followed a roughly semi-
circular route south of New Orleans. Between its western
connection with Interstate-10 in St. Charles Parish and
its eastern link in St. Bernard, 1-410 (the "D.-'Lxie Freeway")
would have cut across the wetlands of Jefferson Parish.

On March 8, 1974, a coalition of commei-cial fishing
and environmentalist groups filed suit in Tederal District
Court, seeking to block construction of the highway . The
plaintiffs-included the Ecology Center c.L Louisiana, the
Delta Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Orleans Audubon
Association and the Louisiana Shrimp Association. They
claimed construction of the road would disrupt normal
drainage.patterns in a wetlands area encompassing some 1711)
square miles, adversely affecting the ecological "chain of
life" in the Barataria Estuary and resulting in permanent
damage to the state's shellfish industry. However, their
suit was based primarily on the contention that officials
improperly segmented the project in assessing its probable
environmental impact. Opponents of the 1-410 proposal

claimed the limited-access highway had been conceived as a
development ring around West Bank suburbs. They argued
that the road was unnecessary as an alternate traffic
artery and could not be justified as a hurricane evacua-
tion route, since it would lead not so much out of low-lying
flood-prone areas as across them (Jefferson Democrat,
January 1976).

In July of 1974, Federal District Court Judge James
Comiskey summarily dismissed one portion of the suit and
deferred action-on the remainder pending completion of an
environmental impact statement. However, the plaintiffs
appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and in July
of 1975 won a reversal sending the whole suit back to the
district court for trial on its merits. Comiskey had
dimissed that portion of the suit relating to construction
of Section I (the "western segment"), ruling the plaintiffs
had filed their suit too late. While the plaintiffs'
appeal was under consideration, the first phase of the
project--construction of a bridge across the Mississippi
River near Luling in St. Charles 1@arish-got underway
(Jefferson Democrat, November 1975a). Governor Edwin
Edwards presided at groundbreaking ceremonies for the
bridge intended to link I-10 with the proposed southern
loop. However, as early as the summer of 1974, Edwards
had disconcerted local officials by expressing the opinion
that 1-410 would never be built because of legal opposition.
Edwards had warned litigation could tie up the project for
years and result in the loss of $400 million in federal
funds allodated for transportation improvements in
Louisiana.! He suggested those funds be diverted to help
defray the'expense of building a north-south state highway
(Jefferson Democrat, August, 1974).

Despite intense pressure from local politicans and
businesslinterests committed to construction of 1-410,
state officials eventually agreed to an out-of-court
settlement which scuttled most of the project. On January
8, 1976, Federal District Court Judge R. Blake West signed
a consent decree binding highway officials and 1-410 foes
to an agreement they had reached in negotiations out of
court. Under terms of the settlement, the U.S. Department
of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and
Louisiana Department of Highways agreed to abandon plans
for approximately three-fourths of the proposed roadway.
The agreement eliminated that portion of the road whi6h
would have bisected the Barataria wet-aands: that is, the
portion from U.S. Highway 90 near Boiitte to the northern
bank of the Mississippi River-Gulf Ou-@let (MRGO) Channel
east of New Orleans. Short sections at either end of the

route were left intact. The plaintiffs agreed to allow
construction of the Mississippi River bridge near Luling,
a 13-mile stretch of roadway from the bridge to Boutte and
a 2.6-mile spur leading from the proposed eastern'nexus
with I-10 to the northern bank of the MRGO Channel.
However, the settlement also required the Department of
Highways to prepare a new environmental impact statement
before proceeding with construction of those parts.of the
proposed roadway not banned by the consent decree. In
addition, the plaintiffs were given the right-to oversee
preparation of the new impact statement, (States-Item,
January 1976).

According to John R. Hammond, regional planner and
vice-president of the.Ecology Center, the 1-410 settlement
marked the "first time'in any environmental lawsuit in
the nation where highway officials have actually agreed in
court to deauthorize an interstate highway." The critical
factor in the decision of highway.officials to capitulate
in the 1-410 case was their inability to resolve the so-
called "Chalmette bulge." Bonding requirements of the
Greater New Orleans'Mississippi River Bridge stipulated
no toll-free bridge could be built within 10 miles of the
existing bridge, otherwise bondholders would be entitled
to redeem their bonds immediately. Federal regulations
banned inclusion of a toll bridge in the interstate system.
In an attempt to circumvent the bonding obstacle, the
Department of Highways developed an 1-410 plan which
included a five-mile detour below Chalmette. Federal
Highway Administration officials would not approve the
bulge, and state highway planners could not come up with
t.mifield, January 1976).
an acceptable alternative (Br,

Official opposition on the local level did aot end
with the consent decree which terminated the 1-410 suit.
The Parish of Jefferson, which had intervened in the suit
on the side of the defendants, was not a party to the
agreement. On the day the settlement was si-ned,the
Jefferson Parish Council adopted, without objection, a
resolution authorizing the parish attorney "to take any
and all legal action necessary in order tj keep a Viable
1-410 Project and to retain the funds aliocated for
especially that segment of 1-410 which traverses Jefferson
Parish." The resolution, offered on a joint motion of all
councilmen present, maintained the "roadway does not in
fact traverse any wetlands in the Parish of Jefferson."
Moreover, according to the re@iolution, "construction of
this roadway would have a *"-remendous economic impact on
Jefferson Parish and would provide a vitally needed and
planned improvement...." (Jefferson Parish Council,
January 1976).

Another roadbuilding project which has met with serious
opposition is the proposed state highway which would link
the upper West Bank of Jefferson Parish'with lower
Lafourche Parish. The road would connect with Ames
Boulevard just below Marrero, lead southward to Lafitte
and then follow a generally southwesterly route to Larose.
The Marrero-to-Lafitte segment would replace existing state
Highway 45, a winding two-lane highway considered unsafe
and inadequate as a hurricane evacuation route. The
Lafitte-to-Larose segment would cut across open marsh,
establishing a new route below the Gulf Intracoastal
Waterway.

The U.S. Army.Corps of Engineers' New Orleans District
headquarters originally informed the Louisiana Department
of Highways, in late 1973, that only that section of the
proposed highway linking Lafitte and Larose would require
a federal permit. However, a subsequent interpretation of
permit guidelines, outlined in Section 404 of the federal
Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, led to an order halting
dredge-and-fill work in the Crown Point area below Marrero
in October of 1975. The Department of Highways was required
to file an after-the-fact application for permission to
proceed with construction of the northern portion of the
proposed highway. In the face of mounting opposition from
environmentalist groups, planning for the southern segment
from Lafitte to Larose was abandoned early in 1976. In a
letter dated February 27, 1076, Department of Highways
Director W. T. Taylor informed Corps and Coast Guard
officials the department intended to hold the southern
segment in abeyance "pending the results of some long-term,
in-depth studies, which we hope will put this department
in a somewhat better perspective environmentally" (Jeffer-
son Democrat, March 1976).

Construction of the northern segment resumed in May
1977 after a delay of more than 18 moAth�. The work was
allowed to go forward after representatives of the National
Wildlife Federation, the Louisiana Wildlife Federation,
the Fund for Animals, the Orleans Audubon Association and
the Ecology Center of Louisiana agreed to withdraw a suit
alleging federal authorities violated their own environ-
mental guidelines in approving the project. In return
highway officials pledged in an out-of-court agreement to
build a bridge across Bayou des.Familles instead of damming
the waterway; to lay enough culverts under the roadway in
marshy areas to insure sufficient water flow; and not to
pursue construction of the southern segment without study-
ing alternative alignments, holding public hearings and
notifying the plaintiffs (Nolan, May 1977).

Hurricane Protection and Land Reclamation

In the same way proponents of highway construction in
wetland areas have sought to justify proposed roadways as
hurricane evacuation routes, the proponents of land recla-
mation projects in the Barataria swamps and marshes seek to
justify the construction of drainage facilities as necessary
for flood protection. Whether such levees, dams, canals
and pumping stations are intended to upgrade or to extend
existing flood protection systems is a question which has
stirred a great deal of debate in recent years. Much of
that debate has been focused on the largest flood project
in the Barataria Ba!sin, the Harvey Canal-Bayou Barataria
Hurricane Protection'Plan.

The project, asformulated by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, was originally described in terms of both
hurricane protectionand land reclamation at the inception
of planning in 1961. The levee system was seen as a way
of protecting not only areas already inhabited but adjacent
open spaces marked for future urbanization. However,
increasing public concern for endangered wetland.environ-
ments led to reappraisal of the project and, reinforced
by federal legislation enacted in the early 1970's,
eventually resulted in modification of'th6 plan. The
project, as originally proposed, called for construction
of a levee system along the western banks of Harvey Canal
and Bayou Barataria, as well as related drainage facilities,
including a pumping station on Bayou aux Carpes at Crown
Point. The first phase of levee construction and associated
closure work on Bayou aux Carpes and Bayou des Familles
was completed by the end of 1974. At a public he@aring on
January 7, 1975, opposition to the plan--and, ir- particular,
to the pumping station and dams--was expressed by area
residents, sport and commercial fishermen and members of
environmentalist groups. Support for the plan came from
inhabitants of flood-prone areas, land owner's and
developers, and local politicians (Wilkins(,@n, January
1975).

Following the public hearing, New Orleans District
Engineer (Col.) E.R. Heiberg indicated implementation of
the Harvey Canal-Bayou Barataria plan would proceed.
However, one month later, a formal objection from the acting
regional director of the U.S. lish and Wildlife Service
forced referral of the dispute to higher headquarters. In
a letter to Heiberg, Phillip S. Morgan quoted from a Corps
release dated November 15, 1961, which said the project
would "....permit reclamation of about 17 square miles of

low swampy are
a between the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and
Bayou des Familles." He also pointed out that a Fish and
Wildlife Service report dated September 13, 1962, had noted
reclamation would eliminate wildlife from the area.'
Morgan said completion of the levee system, including
installation of the Bayou aux Carpes pumping station,
would make possible drainage of 2,175 acres of relatively
unaltered wooded swamp and freshwater marsh "with the
subsequent loss of associated fish and wildlife resources."
The Fish and Wildlife Service is not opposed to protection
of developed areas from damaging floods," the letter read.
"However, we cannot condone projects which entail reclama-
tion of huge areas of relatively unaltered wetlands."
He recommended against construction of the Bayou aux Carpes
pumping station and suggested the dam acros's the bayou be
removed in order to restore historic water circulation
patterns (Wilkinson, March 1975).

Construction of the proposed pumping station was
subsequently endorsed by the Corps of Engineers' division
engineer at Lower Mississippi Valley Division headquarters
in Vicksburg, Mississippi. However, continuing objections
from regional administrators of the Fish and Wildlife
Service and Environmental Protection Agency necessitated
referral of the matter to Washington, D.C. for considera-
tion by top-level Army and Interior Department officials.
Meanwhile, Jefferson Parish proceeded to collect building
materials required for the pumping station on the proposed
site near the juncture of Bayou aux Carpes and Bayou
Barataria. Voters on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish
had approved a bond issue allocating $200,000 for construc-
tion of the station in a 1967 election; but when bids for
the work were opened by the Parish Council on September
5, 1974, the low bid was just under half a million dollars.
On September 12 the council accepted the low bid of
Southbend Contractors, Inc. in the amount of $476,479 and
authorized the use of federal revenue sharing funds to
make up the difference in cost. Previously the council
had appropriated $183,689 to pay Building Construction
Company to build a dam on Bayou aux Carpes. Federal
funding for the overall project was limited by law to a
total of one million dollars, an amount exhausted by the
Corps in the first phase of levee construction. Opponents
of the project questioned the legality of using federal
revenue sharing funds to match a direct federal grant
(Jefferson Democrat, August 1975).

After being held in abeyance for a period of almost
two years,plans for construction of the Bayou aux Carpes
pumping station were abandoned in November 1976 when
General Drake Wilson, chief of civil works at Corps

headquarters in Washington, D.C., issued an order which
deleted the proposed facility from the overall Harvey
Canal-Bayou Barataria project. General Wilson's order
required substitution of removable floodgates for the
pumping station. Under terms of the compromise agreement
reached between local political and environmentalist
interests, the floodgates on Bayou aux Carpes would remain
open most of the year, being closed only during times of
storm threat. However, the existing shell closure is to
remain in place until the floodgates have been installed.
In addition, the dam on Bayou des Familles is to be
replaced by removable floodgates (Cooper, 1978). Land-
owners in the area affected by the decision not to build
the Bayou aux Carpes pumping station have filed suit
seeking to force the parish to follow through on plans for
a complete levee and drainage system. One suit is now
pending before the Supreme Court of Louisiana and the other
has not yet come to trial in 24th Judicial District Court
(Bailey, 1978).

The overall Harvey Canal-Bayou Barataria levee-
construction project is currently being held in abeyance
by the Corps of Engineers pending a decision by the
Jefferson Parish Council regarding the location and limits
of future growth. The Corps has proposed three possible
levee alignments for the purpose of hurricane protection
on the West Bank of Jefferson. The first would enclose
only areas which have been developed. A second proposal
calls for extension of the existing system to include
wetland areas already modified to some degree. The third
alignment takes in the largest area, extending the levee
system as far south as Crown Point (States-Item, 1,day
1978).

4
Private developers have also encountered ..nereasing
opposition in their efforts to alter the char,-.cter of
existing wetlands in the Barataria Basin. The case of
Bayou des Familles Development Corporation is an illumina--
ting one in this regard. In 1973 the comp?.ny undertook
construction of a ring levee system which would have
enclosed an area adjacent to Highway 45 fibout midway
between Marrero and Crown Point. The Levee, proposed
closures on Bayou Boeuf and Kenta Canal, and a pumping
station built on high ground just o19f the highway would
have made possible drainage of a 2,300-acre site which
included 924 acres of cypress- tupelo gum swamp and 439
acres of freshwater marsh. The project was complete with
the exception of the two proposed dams when the Corps of
Engineers issued a cease-and-desist order in July 1974.
Permit guidelines implemented in accordance with the 1972
Water Pollution CoAtrol Act authorized the Corps to
regulate disposal of dredged material in areas located
below the elevation of mean high tide. In April. 1975

Federal Distric t Judge Lansing L. Mitchell fined Bayou des
Familles Development Corporation $25,000 for failing to
file an application for the required dredge-and-fill work
permit. He also ordered the company to file an after-the-
fact permit application. Within a matter of days, the land
firm formally requested permission to dredge about 16,000
cubic yards of material from existing borrow canals and to
place some 3,500 cubic yards of shell at proposed channel
closures. In addition, the application asked approval of
completed dredge work involving displacement of some
200,000 cubic yards of material. VTN of Louisiana, Inc.
was retained by Bayou des Familles Development Corporation
to assess the probable environmental impact of the project.
The draft environmental impact statement prepared by the
consultant firm noted the project area included 355 acres
of cleared natural levee ridge and 606 acres of bottomland
hardwood forest in addition to the almost 1400 acres of
wetlands. According to the impact statement, the swamps
and marshes in the area were integrally associated with
the Lake Cataouatche-Salvador-Barataria Bay estuarine
complex. According to a Corps release announcing a public
hearing on the permit application, completion of the pro-
ject "would eliminate all wildlife habitat within the
project area and would eliminate the freshwater, nutrient
and detritus contribution of the project area to the
Barataria Estuary" (Jefferson Democrat, October 1975a).

Plans for development of the 2,300-acre tract included
construction of 17,000 residential units (single-family
homes and multiple-family complexes). At the public
hearing held in October 1975, one opponent pointed out
waste from the development would empty directly into the
area designated for location of Jean Lafitte Park. An
official of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also
recommended against approval of the permit request, saying
completion of the project would adversely 4ffect.wildlife
and waterfowl habitat, fish feeding and spawning grounds
and water quality in the Barataria Estuary. Testimony on
behalf of Bayou des Familles Development Corporation was
offered by a number of public officials, including
Jefferson Parish District Attorney John M. Mamoulides who
said a lack of flood protection in the past had "stymied
growth"; Parish Attorney Bruce Burglass, a former director
of the Louisiana Shrimping Association,'who said it was
his opinion the wetlands in question were without
commercial fishing or other economic value; Councilman
Beauregard H. Miller, Jr. and Walter Frey of the Drainage
and Sewerage Department (Jefferson Democrat, October
1975b).

In the wake of the public hearing, letters opposing
approval of the permit application outnumbered those in
favor by "eight or ten to one," according to Charles Decker,
chief of the Corps' Permits and Statistics Section. Formal
objections were registered by a number of governmental
agencies, including the Department of the Interior and the
Environmental Protection Agency. The Interior Department's
regional administrator in Albequerque, New Mexico,
recommended construction of a dike system which would
provide flood protection for previously developed areas
while avoiding enclosure of undeveloped wetlands. The EPA
regional administrator in Dallas, Texas, said discharge of
dredged material should be permitted only if a less
damaging discharge site could be located. He also noted
such areas of concern as wastewater treatment, potential
auto pollution, and possible impacts on freshwater marshes
and woodland swamps-located downstream (Jefferson Democrat,
November 1975b).

Subsequently two state agencies also registered formal
objections to the permit application. In a letter to
Col. Early J. Rush,III, New Orleans district engineer,
Patrick W. Ryan, executive director of the State Planning
Office, asked that the permit be held 'in abeyance until a
coastal zone management plan for Louisiana could be
developed. He noted that while the land firm had been
tried, convicted and fined for the illegal work performed,
adverse impacts on the natural syst--m persisted. Ryan
said granting the requested permit would set an unfortunate
precedent: given sufficient financial resources, a company.
could simply ignore legal requirements and effectiLvely
bypass the administrative process. He also expr--:-ssed
concern about the project's potential impact on Lafitte
Park and the Barataria Bay estuarine system. Concern for
the park was the main consideration in a lettrr of objec-
tion filed by State Parks Director Gilbert C,, "Whitey"
Lagasse who said the proposed development wculd "greatly
jeopardize" plans for Lafitte Park (JefferFon Democrat,
December 1975).

As of March 1, 1978, Bayou des Familles Development
Corporation's permit application was still under considera-
tion. A final environmental impact statement had not yet
been filed, and Corps officials were waiting for additional
information requested of the ecimpany before taking action.
The pumping station and levees constructed before issuance
of the cease-order were still standing and the gaps at
Bayou Boeuf and Kenta Canal had not been closed (Swindler,
!978).

Jean.Lafitte Park

The idea for a natural wetlands park in the Barataria
Estuary--a recreational facility which would, in*effect,
act as a wetlands preserve--originated with conservation-
minded residents of West Jefferson in the early 19601s.
The possibility of establishing a park in the area once
frequented by Jean.Lafitte, the privateer, and his band
of Baratarians resulted from the donation of a 1,200-acre
tract to Charity Hospital of New Orleans. Members of the
West.Jefferson Civic Federation! a coalition of West Bank
citizen groups, launched an active campaign in 1963 to
have the state-owned Charity tract designated a park.
Governor John J. McKeithen was subsequently persuaded to
endorse the park concept, and in 1966 the Louisiana
Legislature passed an act designating 3,500 acres for
inclusion in an expanded park. However, no funds for
implementation of the proposal were appropriated at that
time; and a later attempt to secure funding, during the
1970 session of the legislature, failed (Ehret, 1978).

Undismayed by the failure of efforts to obtain funding
on the state level, park supporters launched a campaign to
achieve national park status. U.S. Rep. Hale Boggs pushed
a bill through Congress appropriating $45,000 for a
feasibility study which the National Park Service (NPS)
T
undertook in 1972. Uand values in the area began to soar
as a result of the national park proposal, and the rapid
turnover in ownership of individual tracts prompted the
Jefferson Parish Council to impose a temporary moratorium
on sales. However, in October of 1973 the councilbegan to
rezone land in the vicinity of the park and in May of 1974
declined to adopt a resolution which would have established
a buffer zone around the site. in which development would
be prohibited. The National Park Service subsequently
recommended against inclusion of Jean Lafitte Park in the
national system (Ehret, 1978).

Following the NPS rejection, members of the Jefferson
Parish legislative delegation succeeded in adding Jean
Lafitte Park to the state's capital improvements bond issue
for state parks. A $3 million bond proposal for the park
was added to the capital improvements package, contingent
on the availability of federal matching funds. The
legislature also amended the state parks bill to authorize
the use of over $200,000 in gambling tax revenues from
Jefferson Downs racetrack held in escrow for planning and
land acquisition. In addition, the legislature passed
enabling legislation allowing the State Parks and Recrea-
tion Commission to accept donation of the 1,200-acre tract
owned by Charity Hospital (Jefferson Democrat, July 1974).

The size of the park has been a matter for continual
debate between proponents--who want to maximize the park
area in order to forestall the. threat of destructive
impacts by adjacept development--and local developers and
politicians who want to minimize the area to be taken
out of commerce. Thus, the dimensions the park may
ultimately attain have complicated peripheral issues
involving resubdivision, highway construction, levee-
building and other land-use decisions (Wilkinson, December
1974). Supporters continued to push for inclusion of Jean
Lafitte Park in the national parks system, and in July of
1977 Senator J. Bennett Johnston introduced a bill in
Congress which would have authorized the government to
buy more than 23,000 acres for a Jean Lafitte National
Historical Park linking the Barataria wetlands with Big
Oak Island in eastern New Orleans, Chalmette National
Historical Park, portions of the French Quarter and Garden
District, forts and plantations in the area and Acadian
villages in the vicinity of St. Martinville in a cultural
and recreational complex under the auspices of NPS. The
various segments of the proposed complex would be linked
by a visitors' information center in the French Quarter,
possibly located in the Old Mint (Ball, 1977).

However, acting on a proposal adopted by NPS--and in
order to forestall the opposition of landowners in the
area--Johnston subsequently amended his bill to reduce the
park size to 8,000 acres. Fifteen thousand acres of
adjoining land would remain in the hands of private owners
or the state 'with regulation of land use in the buffer
area being the responsibility of Jefferson Parish officials.
NPS officials told a Senate subcommittee considering
Johnston's bill that the Carter administration had rejected
the larger park proposal because it would have cost $53
million to acquire the 23,000 acres. They saie, the 8 !000-
acre park would cost an estimated $34 million to acquire
(States-Item, February 1978). Johnston also agreed to
delete the provision in his bill relating to Big Oak Island
in Orleans Parish because the 2,400 acres would cost an
estimated $15,000 per acre (Hanna, 1978). On April 24,
1978 the Senate adopted the Jean Lafittr@ National Historic
Park and Preserve bill without opposition, authorizing
$40 million for implementation of the proposal. A similar
bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Lindy Boggs, was under
consideration in the House of ReDresentatives (Times-
Picayune, April 1978).

AN CONCLUSION

As detailed in this chapter, wetlands-related
activities form a vital part of the Barataria Region's
economy. The resource reserves of oil and natural gas
within the coastal wetlands and offshore have given rise
to major oil and gas producing industries. These in turn
have generated jobs in the related field of petrochemical
manufacturing. Commercial fishing and trapping activities
and seafood processing industries have flourished in the
Barataria Basin as a result of its natural productivity
for shellfish, fish and fur-bearing animals. Sugarcane
cultivation and sugar processing, boat and ship building
and repair as well as recreational hunting and fishing
are all significant resource-related activities directly
or indirectly based on the wetland ecosystem of the
Barataria Region.

The competing land uses associated with urbanization
have also been attracted to the wetlands by the diverse
economic activity in the Barataria Basin. Many productive
fish and wildlife habitats have become prime locations for
urban expansion as economic developmentoccurs in the
region.

Expansion of the wetlands-dependent economy brings
pressures for highway construction and wetlands reclamation.
Attempts to preserve significant parts of the estuarine
system (e.g. Jean Lafitte Park) may actually drive up land
prices and make adjacent wetlands more susceptible to
development. Growing population pressures must be tempered
with understanding of the delicate balance inherent in
wetland ecologies. More complete utilization of coastal
resources in the Barataria Region should not lead to their
total destruction.

REFERENCES

Bailey, Rita.(1978) Legal Secretary, Jefferson Parish
Attorney's Office, Gretna, Louisiana, Telephone
Interview, February 28.

Ball, Millie (1977) "Plans for Lafitte Park Find Favor at
Hearing," The Times -Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana,
December 18.

Bernstein, Peter J. (1077) "Earth's Most Productive Areas
Disappearing at Alarming Rate," The Times-Picayune,
New Orleans, Louisiana, May 22.

Brumfield, Les (1976) "1-410 Makes a U-Turn," The States-
Item, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 13.

Carrier, Cornelia (1977) "Impact Aid Hangs on Coast Zone
Size," The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana,
May 24.

(1977) "West Bank Should Save, Use Wetlands,"
The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 7.

Catalano, Diane (1976) "Louisiana's Embattled Coasts,"
NOAA Magazine, Washington, D.C., January.

Cooper, Leroy (1978) Design Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, Telephone 1nterview,
February 21.

Chase, John (1960) Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children and
Other Streets of New Orleans. New Orleans, Louisiana:
Robert L. Crager and Company.

Davis, Edwin Adams (1971) Louisiana: A Narrative History.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Claitor's Publishing Division.

Ehret, Frank (1978) President Barataria Boulevard Civic
oulsiana, Telephone Interview,
Association, Marrero, L
March 31.

Hanna, Sam (1978) "Lafitte Park OK'd by Panel," The States-
Item, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 11.

Henriques, Dorothy (1978) "Do We Really Need a Superport?"
New Orleans Magazine, New Orleans, Louisiana, March.

Jefferson Democrat (1974) "Lafitte Park Moves Closer to
Reality," Gretna, Louisiana, July 19.

(1974) "Jeff Officials Not Giving Up on Lafitte-
Larose ... Or on 1-410 Loop," Gretna, Louisiana,
August 9.

(1975) "Pumping Station Wins Vicksburg
Approval," Gretna, Louisiana, August 29.

(1975a)"Land Firm Permit Hearing Subject,"
Gretna, Louisiana, October 17.

(1975b)"Bayou des Familles Development Debated,"
Gretna, Louisiana, October 31.

(1975a)"Interstate Loop Court Date Slated,"
Gretna, Louisiana, November 21.

(1975b)"EPA Urges Denial of Permit Request,"
Gretna, Louisiana November 28.

(1975) "State Agencies Oppose Permit," Gretna,
Louisiana, December 19.

(1976) "Settlement Turns 1-410 Funds Loose,"
T
Gretna, Louisiana, cianuary 16.

(1976) "Lafitte Highway Length Reduced," Gretna,
Louisiana, March 12.

Jefferson Parish Council (1976) Minutes, Resolution
No. 26?43 Gretna, Louisiana, January 8.

Louisiana Department of Commerce and Industry (1975)
1975 Louisiana Direct ory of Manufacturers. Baton
Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana Department of Commerce
and Industry.

Louisiana Department of Employment Security (1976)
Egployment and Total Wages Paid by Employers Subject
to the Louisiana Employment Security Law, Second
Quarter 1976. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana
Department of Employment Security.

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
(1977) C6te de la Louisiane: Louis,,iana's Coastal
Resources Program Newsletter. Baton Rouge, Louisiana:
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Develop-
ment, September and December.

(1978) C6te de la Louisiane, May.

Louisiana Division of Employment Security, Department of
Labor (1956) A Report of Employment and Total Wages
Paid by Employers Subject to the Louisiana Employment
Security Law by Parish by Industry Division, Second
Quarter 1956. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana
Department of Labor.

Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission (1974)
Outdoor Recreation in Louisiana 1975-80. Baton Rouge,
Louisiana: Louisiana State Parks and Recreation
Commission.

Louisiana State Planning Office (1975) COte de la Louisiane:
Louisiana's Coastal Reosurces Program Newsletter.
Louisiana State Planning Office, June and December.

(1976).C6te de la Louisiane, September. -Ira

(1977) C6te de la Louisiane, February.

(1976) The Coastal Zone: An Overview of
Economic,_ Recreational and Demographic Patterns.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State Planning
Office.

(1977) Louisiana 177: State of the State.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State Planning
Office.

Louisiana State University Department of Agricultaral
Economics (1972) D.A.E. Report No. 436: 111-juisiana
Crops Statistics, by Parishes, through 197j."
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State -iniversity,
April.

(1975) D.A.E. Research Report No, 496:
"Agricultural Statistics for Louisian,I, 1971-74."
Baton Rogue, Louisiana: Louisiana State University,
November.

(1977) D.A.E. Research Report No. 523:
"Agricultural Statistics for Louisiana, 1973-1976."
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University,
August.

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (1 977)
Comparative Taj-.es of Fur Animals in Louisiana. New
Orleans Louisiana: Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries,
Commission.

McIntire, G. et al. (1975) A Rationale for Determining
Louisiana's Coastal Zone: Report No. 1, Coastal Zone
Management Series. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Center
for Wetland Resources, Louisiana State University.

Martin, Francois Xavier (1963 reprint) History of Louisiana.
New Orleans, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Company.

Mumphrey, Anthony J. Jr. et al. (1977) OCS Development in
Coastal Louisiana: A Socio-Economic Impact Assessment.
New Orleans, Louisiana: Urban Studies Institute,
University of New Orleans.

National Marine Fisheries Service, National Ocea nic and
Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce (1977) Fisheries of the United States.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Nolan, Bruce (1977) "Lafitte-Marrero Highway Work Is
Resumed," The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana,
May 10.

(1977) "Jeff's Problem: Where to Stop Growing,"
The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, July 31.

(1977) "Growth Line Plan Hits Opposition,"
The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 9.

(1977) "No Jeff West Bank Line Proposed,"
The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 4.
Rand McNally and Company (1'977) 1977 Commercial Atlas and
Marketing Guide. Chicago, Illinois: Rand McNally
and Company.

Segal H., G. Saussy et al. (1977) Projections to the Year
2000 of Louisiana Po ulation-and Households. New
Orleans, Louisiana: Division of Business and
Economic Research, College of Business Administration,
University of New Orleans.

States-Item (1 976) "Judgement Brings Dead End to Dixie
Freeway Bypass" (no byline) New Orleans, Louisiana,
January 8.

(1978) "Park Compromise?" (editorial) New
Orleans, Louisiana, February 8.

(1978) "New Coastal Plan Expands Coverage"
(no byline) New Orleans, Louisiana,@April 12.

7W 61

(1978) "Jeff Levee Plans Under Study" (no byline)
New Orleans, Louisiana, May 20.

Swindler,-Roger (1978) Permits and Statistics Division,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Telephone Interview,
March 1.

Times-Picayune (1978) "Jefferson Historic Park Approved by
U.S. Senate" (no byline) New Orleans, Louisiana,
April 26.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce
(1977) Local Area Personal Income 1970-1975, Volume 6:
Southeast Region. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government
Printing Office.

U.S. Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce (1931)
Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930--
Population, Volume I: Number and Distribution of
Inhabitants. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government
Printing Office.

(1952) Census of Population: 1950 --Volume I,
Number of Inhabitants. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Government Printing Office.

(1973) 1970 Census of Population-Volume I:
Characteristics of the Population. Washington, D.C.:
U.S. Government Printing Office.

(1976) Statistical Abstract of the Uni-11-ed
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Printing Office.

(1977) County Business Patterns 1974: Louisiana.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Census Office, Department of the Interior (1872)
Ninth Census--Volume I: The Statistics of the
Population of the United States. Washington, D.C.:
U.S. Government Printing Office.

(1883) Compendium of the Tenth Census: Part I.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Wagner, Paul (1978) Marine Biologist, Burk and Associates,
New Orleans, Louisiana, Memorandum, n.d.

Wilkinson, J.D. (1974) "Resub Said Threat to Plans for Park,"
Jefferson Democrat, Gretna, Louisiana, December 13.

(1975) "Levee Work Fate Debated," Jefferson
Democrat,.Gretna, LouisianaJanuary 10.
(1975) "Pump Station Fate Out @f Local Hands,"
Jefferson Democrat, Gretna, Louisiana, March 14

CHAPTER 3

THE ECOLOGY OF THE BARATARIA BASIN

INTRODUCTION

The Barataria Basin of southeastern Louisiana.is one
of the most productive natural areas in the world. It
encompasses 2,427 square miles, bounded by Bayou Lafourche
on its western edge and the Mississippi River to the east
(see Figure 3.1). This area is roughly triangular in
shape, seventy miles long and thirty miles at its widest
point, with tile apex at Donaldsonville. While the
Barataria Basin is composed of a number of subareas with
different environmental characteristics,,it functions in
totality as an integrated ecosystem. That is, the various
physical systems are interdependent, and act together so
as to balance and regulate the basin as a whole. This
chapter will in turn present the basic parameters of the
geologic, hydrologic, and biologic processes governing
the Barataria Basin. The various environmental units
found in the area will then be discussed(in detail.
Although it is necessary to consider each system separately
for clarity of presentation, interrelations between them
will be illustrated whenever possible.

GEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION

The landf orms within the coastal zone with the
exception of the salt domes, were formed as the result
of the dynamic interactions between river deposition,
waves and currents, and subsidence. This section will
present a brief overview of the evolution of the Barataria
8asin, then describe the changes it is presently under-
going in its declining stage.

The Mississippi River, with its periodic changes of
course, is the factor having the greatest geographical
impact on the Louisiana coastal zone. When the river
shifts into a new channel, land is built rapidly. The
juvenile or building stage is characterized by relatively
short lengths of land-Water interface, and thus fairly low
productivity. (See the "edge effect," discussed below.)
As more water discharges through major distributary
channels, the process of erosion begins;to balance that of
sediment deposition. This loss of land causes the

FIGURE 3.1

THE BARATARIA BASIN

90*30' 90*00'

30'00'

(13 &

Lake Salvedo

13)

29'30' Ile Lak
no

oratorio BJ`y
In
Delta Stream Courses Havinu Surface
Expr6.,,;on p"
%
Deho Stream Courses In Subsurface %
e".., d 1.
nT
C in do
(0 0)' Daho lobe Chronology According to A -Bay
Frazier , 1967 fond Isis

A. A
5 to 15 20 mi.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Km.

Source: Adams et al., 1976: 24.

formation of small bays, ponds, and tidal channels, and so
increases the interface length. Total productivity
reaches a maximum during this mature stage, after sediment
input has diminished. There reaches a point, however,
when the losses due to erosion are greater than the
benefits derived from increasing interface, and total
productivity begins to decline. The Barataria Basin is
currently in this senescent stage (Bahr and Hebrard,
1976: 13-14).

The Mississippi River, in its seven-thousand year
history, has flowed through five major delta complexes
(see Figure 3.2). These deposits are in varying degrees
of deterioration today due to subsidence and eustatic sea
level changes. Portions of three of the complexes overlap
the Barataria Basin. They include: the Bayou Lafourche,
Bayou des Familles, and La Loutre lobes of the St. Bernard
Delta, dating from 4700 years ago: the bayou Blue and
Bayou Lafourche lobes of the Lafourche complex, almost
2000 years old; and the Plaquemines and Birdfoot (present)
lobes of the,modern delta complex (Adams et al., 1976: 15,
19, 21). The river is currently attempting to divert its
course to the Atchafalaya River basin, but the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers has created control structures to deter
this switch.

The natural cycle of deltaic development--the
continuous building and eroding of river basins--is no
longer operative today. Artificial leveeing has confined
the river to its present channel, thus precluding a change
of course and the associated development of. new delta
regions. The levees, by containing ovetflows@ also prevent
the addition of fresh water and nutrient rich material to
the adjacent wetlands, adversely affecting their ecological
balance and productive capacity. The Mississippi River
has been effectively walled in since the early nineteenth
century, and with the artificial damming of Bayou Lafourche
in 1904, the last freshwater inflow into the Barataria
Basin was severed. Thus, the land building processes in'
this area have long been terminated while the natural
processes of land destruction, intensified by the activities
of man, continue.

There are three major natural causes of land loss:
subsidence, erosion due to wave energy and storms, and
erosion associated with the decay of abandoned river
deltas. Each of these processes are currently operative
in the Barataria Basin. Deltaic decay was discussed above;
subsidence and wave erosion will be discussed in the
remainder of the section.

FIGURE 3.2

MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA COMPLEXES

WOO kAP

PL IN

ATURAL LIFV19

U11FIRRID NATURAL LIVIIII
DILTA-MARGIN ISLAND 1.0 'VON OF B@Rj'-
LOCAT MG,
F@GURE 4
21LICT SAND 1111ACK

BILICT MUD IIIACN
jk
PWITOCINI OUICIOP E

SUSIAQUKOUS
SAND ACCUIAULA
00
y' Q
C
-n@
4"LQ
4r.
7'
T E C
j

57
.57

V.. If
A F 0 U

C
0 U

Source: Adams et al., 1976: 14.
A
IV.A @AL
N.,

.UC, SAND,

Land subsidence, in the most general terms is "the
lowering of land surface relative to sea level" (Craig
and Day, 1977: 110). There are four basic causes of
subsidence. The first is a rise in eusta,tic sea level, a
worldwide change associated with the melting of polar
icecaps or the isostatic adjustment of the continents. A
second factor is regional subsidence caused by downwarping
of the earth's crust due to the pressures of large sediment
accumulations. Tectonic activities, including faulting,
folding, fracturing, and flowing within this thick
sedimentary section, are a third contribating factor.
Finally, compaction of sediments can lead to subsidence
(Craig and Day, 1977: 110-112).

Sediment compaction is the result of several factors,,
some natural and others man-induced. A major natural cause
is varying degrees of consolidation due to textural
variability in the sediments and their rearrangement lead-
ing to "tighter" compaction. A second factor is the
consolidation of underlying sediments from the weight of
features such as natural levees or beaches. Local subsi-
dence also results through the consolidation.or displace-
ment of compressible materials by objects such as buildings,
pile structures, artifical levees, or land fills. The
extraction of oil, gas, sulphur and water from salt domes
is a contributing factor, as is the lowering of the water
table through ground-water, salt, or sulphur extraction.
The resulting voids are compressed. Finally, subsidence
may be the result of various reclamation practices involving
diking or draining leading to drying, shrinkage, and
oxidation of organic soils,(Craig and Day, 1977: 110-112).
In all cases, the type of substrata (clay, silt, peat,
natural levee, beach, etc.) is a major determinant of
subsidence levels.

Erosion due to the action of waves and currents is
another major cause of land loss in the Barataria Basin.
This process manifests itself in the retreat of the coast-.
line, the widening of inlets, and the destruction of
barrier islands. In the period from 1932-1969, 4,515
acres of the gulf front of the basin were destroyed,
.equivalent to a retreat of 44 feet per year. Natural
wave action was the major factor in this loss, aggravated
by such activities as the improper placement of pipelines
and groins. Inlets or tidal passes are highly variable in
nature. Their position and widths are affected by the
predominant direction of wave approach, the resulting
littoral currents, and the action of individual storms.
Overall,.however, the width of the inlets is increasing,
an average of one mile during the thirty-seven year period
cited above. The barrier islands--Grand Isle and the

Grand Terre Islands--provide an important defense against
hurricanes and other marine processes. The se were listed
as areas of "critical erosion" by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers in the National Shoreline Study. Between 1932
and 1969, the average rate of barrier island erosion in
the Barataria Basin was 119 acres per year (Adams et al.,
1976: 46-57).

Man's activities, primarily dredging and filling
operations, have directly contributed to the rate of land
loss. A variety of canals constructed for navigation, oil
recovery, and other activities interlace the coast. They
currently represent 2 to 4 percent of the land surface
with an annual width increase of 2 to 14 percent, the
wider the canal the greater the rate.(Craig and Day, 1977:
118). Canals adversely impact the wetlands by: inter-
fering with sheetwater flow; allowing destruction by wave
action; reducing nutrient exchange; decreasing interface;
and increasing salinities. Wetland is also lost to spoil
banks, created by the deposition of material dredged from
the canals. Finally, land reclamation project-for agricul-
t-ural, urban, and industrial purposes. have destroyed many
acres of viable wetland.

The interaction of erosion in a waving deltaic
environment, the natural process of subsidence, and human
activities result in a substantial amount of marsh
deterioration. The estimated annual loss of marshland in
the Barataria Basin is between 3,135 and 6,510 acres,
these figures not including the 4,515 acre yearly loss
from the basin's gulf front (Adams et al., 1976: 58). The
cumulative impacts of this land loss adversely affects
the hydrologic and biologic components of the ec-isystem.
Specifically, they include: changes in the hyd-.-ology of
the various systems resulting in salt water intrusion and
eutrophication (excessive nutrient input); loc,@s of an
important storm buffer; loss of the waste treatment
function; direct loss of habitat; and loss of nursery
grounds for fish and shellfish (Craig and Lay, 1977: 129).
Thus, the accelerating rate of land loss _Js of crucial
concern to the future of a viable wetlan,@ system.

HYDROLOGIC DESCRIPTION

Water is the integrating factor in the Barataria
Basin, as in any coastal ecosystem. It not only supplies
the physiological requirements of living organisms through
dissolved chemicals and gases and suspended solids, but
performs work in the ecosystem through the transport of

these materials. This section will discuss several
important aspects of the hydrologic regime--water level,
c-i-rculation, and salinity--and illustrate,the inter-
connection of hydrology with other systems and processes.

The importance of water is illustrated by the edge or
interface principle, which states that biological and
chemical activity is most pronounced at the boundary
between a terrestrial and an aquatic system. This is
because water movement facilitates the delivery of
nutrients and the flushing away of waste products, and
because both land and water forms can inhabit the tran
sitional zone. Primary production is greatest in such a
zone, and in a sense, an estuarine ecosystem may be
considered as a giant interface (Bahr and Hebrard, 1976:
10).

'he level of the water, as it determines the bounda-
ries and relative mix of aquatic and terrestrial areas, is
thus crucial to the functioning of the system. Water level
is defined as the mean elevation of the water when averaged
over a period of time sufficiently long to eliminate
oscillations due to surface gravity waves, Heights are
generally measured relative to mean sea level (MSL), the
average height of the sea surface over a nineteen year
period, or mean low gulf (MLG), an averaged figure slightly
@elow that of mean sea level.

A number of factors interact to determine water
levels. The dominant process in controlling these levels,
especially in the lower parts of the basin, are the
astronomical tides (discussed below). The next most
important determinants are the meteorological driving
forces. These include atmospheric pressure, which varies
inversely with water levels; and wind stress, especially
important in shallow water systems and in the storm surges
accompanying tropical storms and hurricanes. Thirdly,
sea levels may be affected by the net addition or deletion
of water mass, or by the replacement of a constant mass
with water of a different density. In both respects,
precipitation and river outflow increase water levels,
while evaporation leads to a decrease. A fourth factor
.Ls glacial eustasy, a process that causes long term trends
in sea level by the release or storage of water in glaciers.
It has been estimated that the Gulf of Mexico is rising at
the rate of 0.18 centimeters per year. A more important
effect for Louisiana, however, is subsidence, the shrinkage
of land forms resulting in a relative rise in water levels
(Byrne et al., 1976: 3-6). In the Barataria Basin water
levels vary with both an 18.6 year period and a semi-
annual period, with levels for the latter highest in
September with a secondary maximum in the spring.

Tide may be defined as "the periodic rising and
falling of water level that results from effects of
gravitational attraction of the moon, sun, and other
astronomical bodies acting upon a rotating earth" (Byrn.e
et al., 1976: 134). The tidal influence diminishes as
distance from the Gulf of Mexico increases. The tides in
the Barataria Basin are diurnal in nature, that is, there
is one period--a high water or crest and a low water or
trough--per day. The average difference between the two
tides is slightly over one foot. The range, however,
varies over both a long range period of 18.6 years, and
a semi-annual period, with maximums in June and December
and minimums in March and September (Byrne et al., 1976:
15-31).

Water circulation is an imDortant estuarine process-'_
it transports nutrients, propels plankton, spreads
immature stages of fish and shellfish, flushes wastes from
animal and plant liie, cleans the system of pollutants,
controls salinity, shifts sediments, mixes water, and
performs other useful work (Clark, 1974: 12). The combined
forces of fresh wator flow, tidal action, and wind result
in the specific pattern of water movement, strongly
influenced in a wetland ecosystem by the physical character-
istics of the water bodies. The general direction of flow
in the Barataria-Ba@in is north to south, with precipita-
tion and runoff the principle sources of freshwater input.
The tidal action permits direct interchange between the
estuary and the saltwater gulf, and is most pronounced
in the lower reaches of the basin. In shallow waters
wind action may be the dominating force in determi@iing
circulatory patterns. Overall, an important factor in
assuring adequate circulation is the meandering riature
of the smaller water bodies. This serves to maximize the
interface area and to prevent rapid drainage of the
system. Serious aliterations occur when man-mode canals
are superimposed on the natural system of bayous and
tidal creeks.

Water salinity reflects a complex mixture of dissolved
salts. Technically, it may be defined as:

the weight in grammes of the dissolved
inorganic matter in one kilogram of sea
water, after all bromide and iodide have
been replaced by the equivalent amount
of chloride, and all carbonate converted
to oxide (Byrne et al., 1976: 11308).

The level of salinity in a given area is extremely
important, as most plant and animal species can survive

only within a limited saline range. In general, salinity
decreases as distance from the gulf increases. Variations
in salinity levels result primarily as a function of water
exchange. These fluctuations may be annual.in nature--
levels are typically low in the spring and peak in the
fall, or they may represent irreversible trends due to
natural or man-induced processes. The salinity levels in
the Barataria Basin are increasing, largely due to the
dredging of canals which permit the direct intrusion of
salty water into up-basin areas. This long-term trend
has had an adverse effect on the oyster population due to
the proliferation of oyster drills which accompany high
salinity levels.

A number of other factors are relevant to a discussion
of the basin's hydrology. Precipitation, for example, as
it represents a major source of freshwater input, has an
important influence on the overall systeip. Different
precipitation patterns are associated with the various
types of weather systems which characterize the area.
Water temperature is a significant factor in the regulation
of seasonal system pulses. Wave attack along the coast,
primarily associated with storms, can cause a heavy influx
of gulf water and thus alter the normal patterns. The
Mississippi River, through its dumping of huge quantities,
of nutrient rich fresh water in the vicinity of the basin's
mouth, is also an important influence. Finally, alterations
in geologic landforms,such as inlet Widening or erosion,
may impact on.the movement of water. Hydrologic function-
ing, then, is a complex and delicate balance of many
interrelated factors.

BIOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION

From the biological viewpoint, the Barataria Basin
functions as an integrated ecosystem. That is, it is not
a random association of organisms, but a set of inter-
dependent biological components that are specifically
adapted to local physical conditions. The basin may be
divided into five primary and two secondary environmental
units (Bahr and Hebrard, 1976). These are comprised of
widely different species of flora and fauna, but all
function according to the same basic biological principles.
The general-principles will be discussed in this section,
with a detailed description of each environmental unit to
follow.

The food chain is the basic process for the cycling
of nutrients within the system. The various plants and
animals may be grouped into trophic stages, each stage one
step further removed from the level of primary productivity.
At the primary productivity level, plants through photo.-
synthesis transform carbon dioxide and basic nutrients
into plant tissue, available to animals as food stuff.
Thus, the plants are labeled as 'autotrophs" or
"producers," as opposed to the "heterotrophs" of higher
levels. At the second stage, plants are ingested by
primary consumers, either "herbivores" which feed on living
Dlant material, or "detrivores" which feed on dead organic
matter. The third stage consists of predation by secondary
consumers, the "carnivores" or flesh eating heterotrophs
(although these species may also engage in primary con-
sumption). Finally, dead material is decomposed by
various organisms into the basic nutrients, which are
again available for use by primary producers 'and consumers.
The ecosystem is thus organized around the first trophic
level, and is ultimately controlled by the factors that
limit the building of plant tissue--the supply of basic
nutrients, the amount of carbon dioxide available, and
access to sunlight.

Another means of viewing the ecosystem focuses on the
function that organisms play in the food chain rather than
their basic source of nutrition. Living consumers may be
thus divided into three categories (Day et-al., 1973).
The packagers, which exist primarily in the sediment areas,
organize organic material into forms available for con-
venient transfer to higher trophic levels. The regulators
are organisms with generalized feeding habits, and by
feeding on the most abundant sources of food, serve to
keep the system in balance. These are divided into sub-
system and whole system regulators. The former feeds on
a specific population, while the latter feeds 3n both the
subsystem regulators and what they feed on. The regenera-
tors take wastes from all sources and transfirm these
back into nutrients,to start the system ovei- again.

The ecosystem may also be pictured as a system of
energy flow. Solar energy, the source ol all biological
energy, is captured by photosynthesis Pnd later* released to
do work through oxidative processes such as respiration.
(Other external energy sources, not directly related to
biological functioning, include tide, ocean currents,
river inflow and wind.) All energy is eventually released
into the environment as heat, and is no longer available
to do work. At each trophic stage a large portion of the
original energy is lost as organic carbon is converted
to carbon dioxide. Thus, a large reduction in biomass

production (the mass of living matter in a given space)
must occur at successively higher trophic levels (Bahr
and Hebrard, 1976),. In other words, a tremendous number
of lower organisms are necessary to support a relatively
small number of top,predators, because of the energy lost
in the progression up the food chain.

Ecosystems undergo succession (stages of development)
following major physical disturbances. After maturation
an undisturbed ecosystem remains at a steady dynamic
state where energy and matter coming into the system are
balanced by losses. A number of control mechanisms, where-
by resources in limited supply regulate the processes
dependent on them' evolve along with the system. The
life cycle of cert'ain organisms serves to regulate the
system, as primary production is dependent on the availa-
bility of decomposed nutrients. Cycles are also triggered
by annual physical variations in light and temperature,
resulting in seasonal pulses of production and consumption.
Perhaps more than@any other component, the biological
system illustrates the interdependencies and balances
characteristic of an ecosystern.

ENVIRONMENTAL UNITS

The Barataria Basin can be divided into five primary
and two secondary environmental units. Primary units
include- swamp forest, fresh marsh, brackish marsh
(encompassing the sometimes delineated intermediate
category), saline marsh, and the offshore area. Beaches
and other elevated dreas--cheniers, naturallevees, and
spoil banks--are the two secondary units. Within several
of the units a distinction must be made between wetland
proper (land that is alternately flooded and drained) and
associated water bodies (permanently inundated areas such
as lakes and bayous). The areal breakdown within the
basin is presented in Table 3.1. Unless otherwise
specified, information in this section is from Bahr and
Hebrard's work, Barataria Basin: Biological Character-
ization. A

Swamp Forest

A swamp may be defined as "a woody community occurring
in an area where the soil is unusually saturated or
covered with water for one or more months of the growing
.season" (Bahr and Hebrard, 1976: 16). Swampland comprises

TABLE 3.1

SIZE OF ENVIRONMENTAL UNITS IN THE
BARATARIA BASIN (IN SQUARE MILES)

UNIT SQUARE MILES

Fresh water swamp 3.78.2

Fresh marsh 349.2

Brackish marsh 359.1

Saline marsh 247.0
Topographic high areas 472.4

Total water area 621.2

Total area 2,427.1

Source: Adams-et al.., 1976': 39.

242,048 acres, or 217o of the wetland in the Barataria
Basin. The des Allemands Swamp, located in the northern
portion of the basin, contains most of this area, with
smaller sections of swamp lying seaward along the fringes
of the Bayou Lafourche and Mississippi River levees. The
boundary between swamp and marsh corresponds to soil type,
with the former occupying recent Mississippi alluvial
soil and the latter coastal marsh soils.

Four general categories of plants are found in the
Barataria swamps: trees, vines, herbs, and epiphytes (non-
rooted attached plants). The swamp areas are dominated by
the bald cypress, tupelo gum, and drummond maple, trees
which produce dense stands of vegetation, making the swamp
markedly different in the character from other wetland
units. These swamps are largely a detritus based system,
with twice as much energy entering through ingestion by
detritivores as by herbivores. Energy not consumed within
the system is exported to lower reaches of the basin
VLirough a network of sluggish, eutrophic waterways. A
swamp has the lowest ratio of water to land--waterways
serve as transporters of materials rather than having a
significant role in actual production.

The crawfish is the major detritivore in the Barataria
swamp forest. Others include insects, crustacea, microbiota,
and fungi. The most significant herbivore is the tent
caterpillar. Other herbivores of the swamp forest include
deer, rabbits, squirrels, small rodents,'and seed eating
birds. A wide variety of carnivores are found in the swamp:
spiders and insects; reptiles, such as snapping turtles,
snakes and alligators; mammals, ranging,in@size from bats
to bobcats; and various birds, especially barred owls.

A number of organisms abiding in the swamp are of
special interest or economic significance. The bald
ypress and tupelo gum are valuable as timber since they
are both decay resistant. Crawfish are harvested in
Cquantity in the swamp, as are the blue and channel catfish,
large-mouth bass, bluegills, black crappies and bowfin. A
number of mammals, including swamp rabbits, deer, raccoons,
and nutria are also hunted here. Finally, the swamp
forest is the habitat of several rare animals--the alligator,
once considered an endangered species, and the osprey and
red-shouldered hawk, currently on the "blue list" of
declining species.
rN

Fresh Marsh

Marshland in general may be defined as "a periodically
flooded zone characterized by primarily nonwoody vascular
plants" (Bahr and Hebrard, 1976: 20). Freshwater marsh is
perhaps the most difficlut of the environmental units to
define, as it is the most diverse in terms of the number of
plant associations.* Much of the unit is comprised of
flotant marsh, a dense mat of vegetation supported by
detritus several feet thick, held together by a matrix
of living roots. Fresh marsh is found primarily between
the levee system8 of the Mississippi River and Bayou
Lafourche, beginning around Lake des Allemands and extend-
ing seaward to the industrial Canal. This comprises
223,488 acres, or nineteen percent of the basin's wetland.
The major water bodies in this area are Lake Salvador and
Lake Cataouatche.

In all marshes there are three major groups of
autotrophs: -standing vegetation (mostly grasses),
epiphytes (microscopic algae on the surface of the vascular
plants), and benthic algae (usually diatoms living on or
in the marsh sediment). Fresh marsh is dominated by the
grasses, especially maidencaine, spikerush, and bulltongue.
The marsh provides an almost ideal growing environment, as
there is a continuous water supply without the taxing
stress of salt. Production is seasonal in nature, with
peak growth occurring during May and early June.

A wide variety of organisms are found in the freshwater
marsh. Detritivores are the most important primary con-
sumers, consisting largely of small crustacea (amphipods
and mysids) which shred detritus fragments. He7.@bivores in
the system include a variety of insects, as well as larger
animals such as nutria and muskrats. Carnivores may be
divided into four basic categories. These include:
predatory insects and spiders; reptiles and amphibians,
such as the alligator; insectivorous and,raptorial birds;
and other predatory animals, such as snakes, mink, and
raccoons.

Freshwater marsh contains a number of organisms of
special interest. The water hyacinth is a major pest
species, clogging the surface of sluggish water bodies
and making boat travel difficult. Paddle ducks, valued as
game birds, thrive on the widgeon grass produced in this
unit. Fresh marsh is the habitat of several declining
species such as the predatory marsh hawk and the alligator.
A number of mammals, such as nutria, mink, raccoon, otter,
and muskrat are trapped for fur. Many fish are also caught.
in this area, including, the blue and channel catfish,
bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie, bowfin, pirate
perch, spotted sunfish, and car
p

Brackish Marsh

The brackish marsh, located between the freshwater and
marine ends of the basin, represents an intermediate zone
in several respects. This system is the first to,be
strongly influenced by tidal action, in contrast to the
freshwater units where water movement resulting from
rainfall runoff is one directional. There are approxi-
mately 229,824 acres of brackish marsh, twenty percent of
the wetland area. They form a fifteen mile wide band
across the basin from below the Industrial Canal to the
salt marsh fringing Barataria Bay. There is a signifi-
cantly higher proportion of water surface than in the
freshwater areas. The major water bodies within the area
of brackish marsh are Little Lake, Turtle Bay, and Bayou,
Perot.

The brackish environment offers both advantages and
disadvantages to plant life. While energy must be
constantly expended in order to pump excess salt from
tissues, there are 'benefits derived both from tidal flush-
ing and from the lessening of competition from plants
intolerant to saline water. As salinity increases, the
diversity of plant species decreases. The brackish marsh
is dominated by wire grass, with salt grass the next most
prevalent primary producer.

The most important herbivores in this unit are the
muskrat and a variety of insects. Detritivores include
the nematode and amphipod groups, as well as penaeid
white and brown shrimp who use the brackish marsh as
nursery grounds. A variety of predators are found in the
area, such as alligators, snakes, marsh hawks, mink, birds,
bats, and spiders.

The brackish marsh, like the other units, is the
habitat of various organisms of economic significance:
Blue crabs, an important food species, are harvested in
this area. While only a small portion of actual shrimp
production occurs in the brackish zone, it serves an an
important nursery area for juvenile shrimp. Sport fish
caught here include sheepshead, spot, silver perch, and
finfish. Like the freshwater marsh, the brackish unit is
the habitat of alligators, marsh hawks, muskrats,
raccoons, mink, nutria and otter.

Salt Marsh

The salt marsh region in the basin surrounds Barataria
Bay and its interconnecting water bodies. It includes
approximately 158,0@O acres, or fourteen percent of the
total wetland area. From a geologic perspective, this
area is in a senescent state, and the boundary between
brackish aad salt marsh is gradually moving inland as the
coastal zone sub8ides. The characteristics of the salt;
marsh are more subject to modification by physical*
processes--tide, wind, water level--than are the other
units. The ratio of wetland to water is lowest in this
area, and the highly irregular shoreline results in
maximum interface.

Of all the major wetland systems, the salt marsh
contains the lowest number of plant species. Oyster grass,
a plant with a remarkable salt tolerance, dominates the
area. In addition to its productive functions, the roots
of this grass serve as a deterrent to erosion and as a
nutrient pump to extract phosphorous from subsurface soils.
Other primary producers include black rush and salt grass,
epiphytes, and benthic algae. The major groups of primary
consumers include bacteria and fungi, meiofauna, snails,
fiddler crabs, polychaetes, mussels, insectsY birds, and
mammals, with insects such as grasshoppers the only
herbivores. The same general forms of predatory species
are found in brackish and salt marsh, although wading
birds predominate in the latter area.

The salt marsh is an important habitat of many econorai-
cally significant species. The shrimp industry, including
the brown, white, and pink varieties, is the most valuable
fishery in the state, contributing sixty perceat of total
dollar value. Menhaden is an important commercial fish,
the largest Louisiana harvest in terms of total poundage
and the second in terms of value. Other imi-)ortant fish-
eries are the oyster (third in dollar valu@a) and the blue
crab (fourth in value). Sport fish iinclude the red fish,
speckled trout, sand trout, sheepshead, --roaker, flounder
and pin fish. Finally, the salt marsh is the habitat of ;-3
number of rare birds: brown pelican (the entire introduced
Louisiana population has establisbed a nesting site on an
island in Barataria Bay), white pelican, reddish egret,
osprey, black vulture, loggerhead shrike, and peregrine
falcon.

Offshore Areas

The combined net organic production exported from all
four wetland units is eventually transported to the Gulf
of Mexico. The area offshore of the Barataria Basin is
strongly influenced by the Mississippi River, fifty miles
to the east, which dumps 361 billion gallons of fresh water and
tons of dissolved and suspended solids dqAly. Since this
outflow is less dense than the gulle waters, it forms a
plume and floats on the surface rather than mixing immedi-
ately. Depending on wind, tide, and currents, variable
salinity conditions affect the Barataria Basin. It has
been suggested that the freshwater discharge may be partly
responsible for the rich fishing conditions of this area,
as animals are prevented from migrating eastward. The
discharge may also be responsible for the "jubilee"
phenomena sometimes occurring offshore from Barataria Bay.
Thi-s is a large area of oxygen deficient water, causing
the mass migration of organisms toward shallower water and
occasional fish kills.

Primary producers in the offshore region are all of
the planktonic species, with nannoplankton and ultraplankton
the most significant. The wide variety of primary
consumers include zooplankton, benthic organisms, nektonic
species, and finfish. Predators include an assortment of
carnivorous finf--*Lsh and birds. Shrimp, menhaden, speckled
trout, red snapper; king fish, black and red drum, and
flounder are all commercially harvested in, the offshore
area.

Secondary Units

The beaches of the Barataria Basin represent an
extremely small area in proportion to the wetland systems.
These areas, subject to varying degrees of wave energy,
perform an important function in protecting more vulnerable
marsh areas from the eroding effects of waves, tides, and
storm surges. The beaches in general are drifting in a
westerly direction, and in some areas, rapid erosion and
a lack of sand results in a retreating beach. A variety
of plants, all evergreen perennials, are found in these
areas, including dogtooth grass, beach morning glory,
morning glory, frogbit, evening primrose, sandspur, and
beach rocket. In most beaches there is a community of
tiny detritivores and predators which live in the inter-
stices between sand grains. These are preyed upon by
shore birds, such as plovers, sandpipers, and willets,
and by small fish.

Elevated coastal areas are of three basic types--
natural levees, spoil banks, and chenier ridges. Natural
levees form adjacent to bayous and rivers as a result of
periodic flooding and sediment deposition. These provide
a stable area for many "high ground' plant species, and.
so increase habitat diversity. Man-made elevations -4n
wetland areas generally take the form of spoil banks
resulting from the dredging of canals. Rather than being
regulated by natural processes, these are imposed on the
system, and can severely impair water movement. Even
though many spoil banks eventually erode and subside,
permanent damage to adjacent areas occurs through their
oxidation and conversion to water bodies. The same types
of vegetation are found on these natural and man-made
elevations. Chenier ridges are elevated beach areas , i
which have been stranded in the marsh through geologic
processes, providing areas of terrestrial habitat. Live
oak is the tree species most frequently found on the
cheniers.

CONCLUSION

The Barataria Basin functions as a complex, integrated
ecosystem, and as such is.,one of the most productive
natural areas in the world. Unique environmental units
within the basin each support a diversity of plants and
wildlife that have both commercial and recreational
significance for the region.

As a coastal wetland area, the Barataria Basin is
subject to the natural alteration processes of d3position
and erosion. However, activities such as dredg-Lng of
canals for navigation and oil recovery; creation of spoil
banks by deposition of dredged material; and ,-ictual land
reclamation for agricultural, urban and industrial purposes
have greatly accelerated the rate of land lost -to produc-
tive natural use in the ecosystem. Man's 4-ntervention in
coastal areas and the resulting wetland loss have brought
about such negative impacts as salt wate-_- intrusion and
eutrophication; loss of storm buffer; iiss of natural
waste treatment function; direct loss of habitat and loss,
of nursery grounds for fish and shellfish.

Because hydrologic functioning of the Barataria Basin
is such an intricate and sensitive balance of interrelated
factors, man must use caution in utilizing the region's
many resources so as not to upset and permanently cripple
the ecosystem.

REFERENCES

Adams, R.D. et al. (1976) Barataria Basin: Geologi@c
Processes and Framework. Baton Rouge, Louisiana:
Center for Wetlan-a-Ile'sources, Louisiana State
Universitk-

Bahr, L.M. and J.J. Hebrard (1976) Barataria Basin:
Biological Characterization. Baton Rouge, Louisiana:
Center for Wetland Resources, Louisiana State
University.

Byrne, P. et al. (1976) Barataria Basin: Hydrologic and
Climatologic Processes. Baton Rouge, Louisiana:
Center for Wetla-n-a-R-esources, Louisiana. State
University.

Clark, John (1974) Coastal Ecosystems. Washington, D.C.:
The Conservation Foundation.

Craig, N.J.. and J.W. Day, Jr. (1977) Cumulative Impact
Studies in the Louisiana Coastal Zone: Land Loss.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Center for Wetlan-a-M-esources,
Louisiana State University.

Day, John W., Jr. et al. (1973) Community_Structure and
Carbon Budget of a Salt Marsh and Shallow Bay
Estuarine Systeth in Louisiana. Baton Rouge,
Louisiana: Center for Wetland Resources, Louisiana
State University.

CHAPTER 4

ECONOMIC VALUATION OF WETLANDS

INTRODUCTION

A meaningful assessment of the economic value of
wetlands in their natural state is a vitally important part
of any balanced effort to weigh proposed developments in
areas located below the level of mean high tide. Such an
assessment provides a basis for realistic appraisal of the
wide-ranging social impacts generated by such activities.
By assigning a dollar-value to a unit-acre of wetland,.
cost-benefit analysis of development proposals is made
possible. In the past, "services" provided by wetlands
have been largely disregarded due to the lack of a market
mechanism for directly pricing those services. For
example, benefits associated with the fact that wetlands
serve as nursery grounds and a source offood for
commercial fish species and furbearing animals have
frequently been ignored. Wetlands also provide important
recreational opportunities. The most popular forms of
recreation in wetland areas are hunting and fishing
(including crabbing and crawfishing); but other less
intensive uses such as birdwatching, swimming and camping
are also of value.

The discussion of wetlands valuation presented in
this chapter is based on the component-function approach,
a method which basically involves summation of the
respective values.of non-competing uses. Three interpre-
tations of the co.rkDonent-function approach are presented.
The first two variations have been developed by the authors
of the present work- the third is the methodology employed
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The first of the
two approaches adopted by the authors--like the method
employed by the Corps of Engineers--attacks the valuation
problem from a point-of-view which focuses on the question
of gross impact on the economy. The other approach--" consumer's
surplus"--developed in this chapter views the problem from
a somewhat differont perspective. Application of this
alternative methodology involves computation of the net
value to society of the resource itself, ignoring produc-
tion costs and emphasizing willingness-to-pay. Each of
the three methods employs its own classification scheme

for the services provided by wetlands; but all three
identify the major service categories as commercial fish-
ing, commercial trapping and recreation. The body of this
chapter suggests the authors views on the valuation of
wetlands. Appendix 4.2 modifies this to conform to Water
and Related Land Resources: Establishment of_PrinciFl_e@L
and Standards for Planning (Water Resources Council, 1973)
or the April 12, 1978 meeting of the study advisory task force.

GROSS BENEFITS TECHNIQUE

The first of the wetlands-valuation methods to be
discussed in this chapter is based on the concept of gross
economic benefits. Values for major activities associated
with wetlands are estimated on the basis of gross benefits
to the economy. Four activity categories are taken into
consideration: commercial fishing, non-commercial fishing,
commercial.trapping and recreation. The last-named
category is further subdivided between the economic impact
of expenditures for recreation and the estimated value of
.user-benefits related to recreational activity. A per-acre
value for each wetlands-dependent activity is derived, and
the respective values are summed to determine the total
estimated monetary worth of a wetland acre in its natural
state.

Commercial Fishing

Estimating the value of commercial fishing, in terms
of gross economic benefits, involves two principal tasks.
First it is necessary to compute the docksid6 value of
landed fish; then the value added in processing must be
ascertained. The total gross economic value of commercial,
fishing may then be divided by total wetland acreage in
the study area to derive a value per wetlane-1 acre for
commercial fishing. The procedure followec! in this section
is based on the one recommended in Louisiana Wetlands
Prospectus (Louisiana Advisory Commissi(I.1 on Coastal and
Marine Resources, 1973: 187-188). However, the value
derived in the present discussion is based on the gross
.-ribution of wetlands to income 4n T . .
con4 L Louisiana rather than
cn -net 'economic benefit to the s@_ate.

Data presented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(1977) indicate the average annual laUded value of
commercial fish in Hydrologic Unit IV (the Barataria Basin)
is $54,264,744.80, representing an average'annual catch o,L

468,830,000 pounds (see Table 4.1). However, those totals
include a number of species which are expected to increase
in productivity in future years. Because of projected
increases in both quantity and real price, the National
Marine Fisheries Service (Stone et al., 1973: 166-173) has
estimated that the real value of harvested shrimp will
increase at an average annual rate of 4.5:percent, that the
real value of crabs caught will increase by 8.01 percent
on the average per year and that the oyster catch will
grow in real value at an average annual rate of 1.32
percent. No projections were made for other species of
fish, and it is assumed their respective levels of produc-
tivity will remain constant. The average annual landed
value of commercial fish other than shrimp, crabs and,
oysters is $24,838,624.76, based on the Corps data.

In order to estimate the total market value of the
catch ., an average figure for value added in processing was
derived--using information from the National Marine
Fisheries Service (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977)--in the follow-
ing manner: for each of the years 1973 through 1976 the
Jtvalue at retail stage" was divided by "value of domestic
I
.Landings" to determine the percentage increase in value
attributable to processing. The average value-added 1
factor for the period of four years considered is 3.0755.
Multiplying the average annual landed value of commercial
fish (less shrimp, crabs and oysters) by this figure
results in a gross retail value of $76,378,771.14. The
latter amount may then be divided by the total number of
wetland acres in Hydrologic Unit !V--582,700 (U.S. Army
Corps of Engineer@, 1977)--to derive a per-acre annual
value of $131.08.

To compute the present (discounted) value of an annual
income stream, equation 4.1 is commonly applied.

n
V 1, a (4.1)
t=l (1+r)t

where V present, value of annual income stream
a annual income (return)
r discount rate

t year t = (1,...,n)

1The Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce
estimates multiplier effects for various industries but
not for commercial fishing, commercial trapping or
recreation expenditures.

TABLE 4.1

ESTIMATED VALUE OF BARATARIA WETLANDS FOR COMMERCIAL FISHERIES

TOTAL AVERAGE AVERAGE PROJECTED
ANNUAL ANNUAL ANNUAL PRESENT
AVERAGE ANNUAL PROCESSED RETURN/ INCREASED 4 VALU.E5
COMMODITY LANDED VALUE' RETURN2 ACRE3 RETURN/ACRE PER ACRE

Shrimp $25,290,382.80 $ 77,767,927.11 $133.46 4.5% $3,211.75

Oysters $ 3,549,527.41 $ 10,914,796.79 $ 18.73 1.32% 324.74

Crabs $ 586,209.83 $ 1,802,595.23 $ 3.09 8.017o $ 97.31

All Other No Estimate
cc Commercial (assumed to
00 Fish $24,838,624.76 $ 76,378,771.14 $131.08 be zero) $1,906.62

TOTALS $54,264,744.80 $166,864,090.27, $286.36 $5,540.42

1. Values in Columi., 1 are based on Table 2, Corps of Engineers, 1977. However, figures
from the Corps study--which are based on 1973 exvessel prices--have been updated to
reflect the 1977 value of the dollar. Implicit price deflators from Economic Report
of the President (Executive Office of the President, 1977) were used to make the
adjustment in the followin6 manner: 1973 figures were divided by the 1973 price
deflator to obtain base-year (1-972) values which were then multiplied by the 1977
deflator.
2. Assume processing increases dockside,value by a factor of 3.075.
3. Coiumn 2/number of acres (582,700).
4. See text.
5. Assumes 6 7/8% discount rate using equation 4.1

PT I M da so am am =I W1 =A =I =I =I M1 =I M1 =I =I

Disregarding the possibility of development, the potential
life-span of wetlands might be treated as infinite for the
purpose of valuation. For an annual income stream of
unlimited duration, equation 4.1 reduces to the following
equation (Barlowe, 1972: 317-318):

V = a (4.2)
r

Substituting an annual return of $131.08 and assuming an
annual discount rate of 6 7/8 percent (Water Resources
Council, 1977),2 the present value per acre would be
$1,906.62 for all commercial fisheries except shrimp, crab
and oyster production.

The projected increases in real value of shrimp, crab
and oyster catches call for application of an adjusted
present-value equation which way be expressed in the
following terms (Barlowe, 1972: 317-318):
V = a + i (4.3)
r 2
r

where i represents the expected average increment (positive
or negative) in dollars to the annual return. Making use
of this adjusted equation, the authors estimated the
present value per acre of wetland to the,shrimp, crab and
oyster industries to be $3,211.75, $97.31 and $324.74
respectively. Adding these figuresto the sum of values
for all other species of commercial fish provides an
estimated total present value per acre of Barataria
wetlands for commercial fisheries. The data from which the
total per acre value of $5,540.42 was derived are
summarized in Table 4.1.

Non-Commercial Fishing

In addition to the catch attributable to commercial
fisheries in the Barataria Basin, a significant portion of
total landings in the area is related to recreational
activity. According to the National Marine Fisheries
Service (1976: 23), 2,272,000 sport fishermen caught
485,728,000 pounds of finfish in coastal water of the Gulf

FE
2 The discount rate to be used in planning for water
resource projects is set annually by the Water Resources
Council, Washington, D.C.

.89

of Mexico during 1970. The average f inf ish catch per sport
fisherman was about 214 pounds. In order to estimate the
size of the recreational catch in the Barataria Basin, the
latter figure may be multiplied by the number of anglers
licensed to fish in the area.

The number of sport fishermen in the study area was
estimated on the basis of fishing licenses sold in the nine
parishes which encompass Hydrologic Unit IV: Assumption,
Ascension, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles,
Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and Lafourche. For each
parish the percentage of total population actually located
in the Barataria Basin in 1970 was ascertained (see
Table 4.2). The percentage for each parish was then
applied to the number of licenses--both resident and non-
resident--sold during the 1976-77 season (see Table 4.3).
The estimated total number of fishing licenses sold in the
basin for the 19756-77 season is 24,143. Applying this
figure to the per-fisherman catch of 214 pounds results in
an estimated total for recreational landings of 5,166,602
pounds.

While the primary product of sport fishing is recrea--
tion rather than the fish caught, the economic impact may
be assumed to have a real value, particularly where
competition with commercial fisheries exists. In
Massachusetts, for example, Whitman (1971: A-43) found that
as much as 14 percent of total marine landings was attri-
butable to sport catches. Because sport fishing was shown
to contribute significantly to total landings, he @,uggested
that each pound of recreational catch be assumed lo have a
landed value equal to a pound of commercial fish, but with
no inclusion of a factor for value added in processing.
Sport fish landed in Louisiana in 1977, based ca National
Marine Fisheries Service (1976) and (March 1973), included
the following species: bluefish, catfish, bu'llhead,
croaker, drum (black), drum (red), flounder, grouper,
king whiting ("kingfish"), sea trout (spottxiq), sea trout
(white), snapper, Spanish mackerel and spo,. The total
commercial catch of 14,327,486 pounds was valued at
$5,182,603, or approximately $.36 per pound.

3Although sport shrimping is a significant recreational
activity in the Barataria Basin, shrimp were not considered
in calculating a value for sport fishing because the
available data related only to finfish landed by non-
commercial fishermen. According to Greenfield (1978),
estimating the size of the sport shrimping catch is
virtually-impossible.

TABLE 4.2

ESTIMATED POPULATION OF THE
BARATARIA BASIN IN 1970 BY PARISH

PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL POPULATION IN 1 POPULATION IN
PARISH POPULATION BARATARIA BASIN BARATARIA BASIN

Ascension 37,086 4,036 10.88

Assumption 19,654 4,258 21.66

Jefferson 337,568 125,797 37.27

Lafourche 68)941 12,304 17.85

Orleans @593)471 52,310 8.81

Plaquemines 25)225 22,110 87.65

St. Charles 292550 16,819 56.-92

St. James 191773 8,422 42.59

St. John the
Baptist 23)813 4,647 19.51

1. Based on population of political subdivisions (wards).

Source: Bureau of the Census (J une 1971) and (February 1972).

TABLE 4.3

FISHING LICENSES SOLD IN THE BARATARIA BASIN
FOR THE 1976-77 SEASON
(Estimated)

ES TIMATED
TOTAL LICENSES LICENSES SOLD
PARISH SOLD IN PARISH IN BASIN1

Ascension 4,847 527

Assumption 1,585 343

Jefferson. 32,470 12,100

Lafourche 8,621 1,539

Orleans 24,948 2.,199

Plaquemines 4,001 3,507

St. Charles 4,983 2,836

St. James 1,334 568

St. John the Baptist 2,686 524

TOTALS 85,475 24,143

1. Based on percentage of parochial population located in
Barataria Basin (see Table 4.2).

Source: Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, 197'a.

Multiplying the latter figure by the total recreational
catch during the 1976-77 season (5,166,602 pounds), the
authors estimated the total landed value of sport fish in
the Barataria Basin to be $1,859,976.72. Dividing that
amount by the number of wetland acres (582,700), an annual
per-acre value to recreational fishing of $3.19 was
derived. The annual return was then divided by the
discount rate (.06875) to provide an estimated present
value per acre of $46.40.

Commercial Trapping

In a manner similar to the one already adopted with
respect to commercial fishing, the contribution of wetlands
to commercial trapping may be calculated on a value per
acre basis. However, two important obstacles, not encoun-
tered in the evaluation of wetlands for commercial fishing,
confronted the authors in their effort to evaluate the
contribution of wetlands to commercial trapping. The first
problem involved the fact that data for commercial trapping
are available.only for the entire State of Louisiana; the
second was related to the lack of data from which an
accura-a value-added factor might be derived. These
diffic.ilties have been resolved in ways which at least
make pissible what the authors feel is a meaningful approx-
imatica of the value.

Because the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Com-
mission offers trapping data only on a state-wide basis,
information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Value
of Wetlands (1977) study was used to estimate the value
of the trapping harvest in Hydrologic Unit IV. The Corps
study evaluated trapping in the whole coastal zone of
Louisiana--based on the assumption that the state's total
harvest of fur and meat was produced in the coastal
region (however, not just wetlands)--but also provided
inforr-ition which made it possible to attribute a per-
centage of the overall take to the Barataria wetlands.
That percentage was calculated on the basis of the total
coasto-1 wetlands contribution to the harvest of furbearing
animals by species, and the Barataria Basin's share of
total wetland acreage, in the manner described below.

First the total values for fur and meats from fur-
bearing animals harvested in marshes and in baldcypress-
tupelo gum swamps, respectively, were added on a species-
by-species basis to provide a total value (by species) for
the annual trapping harvest in wetlands. The wetlands
v
"lue for each species was then divided by total species
a.L

value to determine the percentage of animals taken in
wetlands (see Table 4.4). These percentages were then
applied to the average number of animals of each species
harvested in Louisiana over the period from 1970-71
through 1974-75 to estimate the number of pelts attribu-
table to coastal wetlands on an annual basis (see Table
4.5). According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(1977), 18.44 percent of all wetland acreage in the
coastal zone is located in Hydrologic Unit IV. Assuming
a perfectly even distribution of the trapping harvest in
the swamps and marshes of coastal Louisiana, a simple
proportion will give the percentage of Louisiana produc-
tion supplied by Barataria wetlands, represented by.Y in
the following equation:
Y (B) b (4.4)
a

where B = percentage of coastal wetland acreage located
in the Barataria Basin

a = average annual harvest of pelts in Louisiana
(1970-71 to 1974-75)

b =-average annual harvest of pelts in coastal
wetlands of Louisiana (1970-71 to 1974-75)

Substituting figures from the U.9. Army Corp s of Engineers
(1977) in the above equation yields the following result:

Y = (18.44) 21003,595 = 17.86 (percent) (4.5)
. 2,068P433

The average annual harvest of pelts in the Barataria wet-
lands may now be calculated by finding the product of Y
and the average annual harvest of pelts in Louisiana. Data
from Comparative Takes of Fur Animals in Louisiana
(Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, 1977b)provide
the basis-for computing an average annual state harvest of
2,386,903 pelts4 (see Table 4.6). Multiplying the latter
figure by Y yields an average annual take for.Barataria
wetlands of 426,301 pelts.

4
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cohsidered only the years
1970-71 to 1974-75 in computing the trapping value per
acre for forested and non-forested areas of the Louisiana
coastal zone. The Y percentage is based on those years only.
However,by using data on state harvest over a longer period
of time, it was possible to derive a more representative
value for annual harvest.

TABLE 4.4

PERCENTAGE OF TRAPPING HARVEST FROM
LOUISIANA WETLANDS
(BY SPECIES)

SPECIES PERCENTAGE

Muskrat 99.8

Nutria 99.1

Mink 70.4

Raccoon 71.3

Otter 92.0

Opossum 88.0

Bobcat 42.9

Source: U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, 1977,
and Authors.

TABLE 4.5

AVERAGE ANNUAL HARVEST OF PELTS FROM
LOUISIANA WETLANDS (BY SPECIES)
1970-71 THROUGH 1974-75

AVERAGE ANNUAL
SPECIES HARVEST

Muskrat 406,696

Nutria 1,462,075

Mink 22,707

Raccoon 90,007

Otter 5,525

Opossum 16,379

Bobcat 206

TOTAL 2,003,595

So urce: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1977,
and Authors.

TABLE 4.6

ANNUAL HARVEST OF PELTS IN LOUISIANA
(ALL SPECIES)1967-68 THROUGH 1975-76

AVERAGE PRICE ESTIMATED
NUMBER OF PER PELT TOTAL VALUE
YEAR PELTS (1977 DOLLARS) (1977 DOLLARS)

1967-68 2,130,473 $2.4152 $ 5,145,519.39

1968-69 3,469,040 $3.0112 $10,445,973.25

1969-70 3,002,043 $3.2597 $ 9,785,759.57

1970-71 2,090,761 $3.3609 $ 7,026,838.65

1971-72 1,732,682 $4.8662 $ 8,431,577.15

1972-73 2,180,332 $6.2821 $13,697,063.66

- $16,043,367.82
973-74 2,304,916 $6.9605

1974-75 2,038,379 $5.7881 $11,798,341.49

11975-76 2,533,500 $5.4533 $13,8151,935-55

Average 2,386,903 $4.5997 $10,979,037.73

1. Derived by multiplying the average number of pelts
(2,386,903) by the average price per pelt ($4.5997).

Source: Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, 1977b
and Authors.

The procedure outlined above may also be used to
estimate the contribution of Barataria wetlands to the
total harvest of meats taken by trappers. In a manner
similar to that of Table 4.5 (using Table 4.4) the average
annual. harvest of meat from animals trapped in the wetlands
of Louisiana, during the period from 1970-71 through
1974-75, was 9,918,734 pounds (see Table 4.7). In order
to determine the percentage of total meat production
supplied by the swamps and marshes of the Barataria Basin-
represented by Z below--the formula used in the preceding
paragraph may be reworked into the following equation:
Z (B) b (4.6)
a

where B = percentage of coastal wetland acreage located in
the Barataria Basin

a = average annual harvest of meats, in pounds, in
Louisiana (1970-71 to 1974-75)

b = average annual harvest of meats, in pounds, in
coastal wetlands of Louisiana (1970-71 to 1974-75)

Substituting figures from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(1977) in the above equation yields the.following result:

Z = (18.44) 9,918,734 = 17.58 (percent) (4.7),
10,404,000

The average annual poundage of meats from animals trapped
in the Barataria wetlands may now be calculated by finding
the product of Z and the average annual harvest of meats
(in pounds) in Louisiana. Data from Comparati'@e Takes of
Fur Animals in Louisiana (Louisiana Wildlife P.nd Fisheries
Commission, 1977b)provide the basis for comprting an
average annual state harvest of 9,815,100 pcunds (see
Table 4.8). Multiplying the latter figure by Z yields
an average annual take for Barataria wetl@%nds of 1,725,495
pounds.

Making the further assumption that the harvest of
furbearing animals in Louisiana wetlands is evenly
distributed by species, the authors proceeded to estimate
the value of the trapping harvest per acre of wetland in
the Barataria Basin. In the same way the number of pelts
and pounds of meats taken in the study area were estimated,
total values for pelts and meats harvested in the Barataria
wetlands were derived. First, the Y-percentage for pelts
(17.86) was applied to the average annual value of pelts

TABLE 4.7

AVERAGE ANNUAL POUNDS OF MEATS FROM
LOUISIANA WETLANDS (BY SPECIES)
1970-71 THROUGH 1974-75

SPECIES AVERAGE

Muskrat 279,440

Nutria 9,116,750

Raccoon 376,464

Opossum 146,080

TOTAL 9,918,734

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1977,
and Authors.

TABLE 4.8

ANNUAL HARVEST OF MEATS FROM FURBEARING ANIMALS
IN LOUISIANA (ALL SPECIES) 1967-68 THROUGH 1976-77

AVERAGE PRICE ESTIMATED
NUMBER OF PER POUND TOTAL VALUE
-V AR POUNDS - (1977 DOLLARS) (1977 DOLLARS)
YE

1967-68 9,220,000 $.1667 $1,536,974.00

1-068-69 11,660,000 $.1625 $1,894,750.00

1969-70 10,480,000 $.1393 $1,459,864.00

1970-71 8,770,000 $.1324 $1,187,628.00

1971-72 8,970,000 $.1288 $1,155,336.00

1972-73 11,300,000 $.1310 $1,480,300.00

1973-74 12,550,0.00 $.1486 $1,864,930.00

1974-75 10,430,000 $.1375 $1,434,125.00

1975-76 11,136,000 $.1369 $1,524-,518.40

1-976-77 3,635.,000. $.1883 $ 684,470.50

Average 9,8--15)100 $.1472 $11,444,782.72

1. Derived b y multiplying the average ni.Luber of pounds of
mea-111-'s (9,815,100) by the average price per pound (.1472).

Source: Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, 1977b
and Authors.

100

taken in the state: $10,979,037.73 based on the. data
already presented in Table 4.6. The resulting value for
pelts harvested in Hydrologic Unit IV is $1,960,856.14.
Next, the Z-percentage for pounds of meats (17.58) was
applied to the average annual value of meats from furbear-
ing animals in the state: $1,444,782.72 based on the
data already presented in Table 4.8. The resulting value
for meats harvested in the Barataria wetlands is $253,992.80.

Because the data required to compute an accurate
value-added factor for commercial trapping were not
available, the authors elected to use the figure previously
applied to commercial fishing, on the assumption that
3.0755 represented a reasonable minimum factor for value
added in processing fur and meat. The resulting gross
economic values for pelts and meats produced in the
Barataria wetlands are, respectively, $6,030,613.06 and
$781,154.86. Dividing each amount by 582,700, the number
of wetland acres in the study area, yielded per-acre annual
values of $10.35 (for pelts) and $1.34 (for meats).
Substituting the annual values in equation 4.2, and assuming
a discount rate of 6 7/8 percent, the authors obtained the
following present values per acre: $150.55 for pelts and
$19.50 for meats. The total vresent value per acre of
Barataria wetlands for commercial trapping is $170.05.
A summary of per-acre values for trapping in the swamps and
marshes of Hydrologic Unit IV is offered in Table 4.9.

Recreation

The value of recreational activity may be measured
by determining the economic impact of recreation-oriented
expenditures and by estimating in monetary terms the total
value of time devoted to recreational experiences. The
first value'may be estimated on the basis of average
expenditures per participant for each activity considered.
Evaluating the time given over to recreation is a less
clear-cut task and calls for assignment of an arbitrary
value to a day's participation in one activity or another.
While not entirely satisfactory, the user-day benefits
technique appealed to the authors as the best available
method for approximating the worth of unpriced benefits
derived from recreation. Alternative methods for deter-
mining the demand for recreation are presented in the
succeeding section of this chapter ("Consumer's Surplus
Technique").

Of the recreational activities listed in Louisiana's
outdoor recreation plans for 1970-75 and 1975-80
(Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission, 1971 and

101

TABLE 4.9

COMMERCIAL TRAPPING VALUES PER ACRE
OF BARATARIA WETLAND

ANNUAL PRESENT
VALUE 2 VALUE 3
COMMODITY TRAPPED VALUE TOTAL VALUE PER ACRE PER ACRE

Pelts $1,960,856.14 $6,030,613.06 $10.35 $150.55

Meats $ 253,992.80 $ 781,154.86 $ 1.34 $ 19. @'50

TOTALS $2,214,848.94 $6,811,767.92 $11.69 $170.05

1. Trapped value multiplied by value-added factor of 3.0715)5
(see text).

2. Total value divided by number of wetland acres in
Barataria Basin,, 582,700 (U.S. Army Corps of Ergineers, 1977).

3. Using equation 4.2 and assuming discount rate of 6 7/8
percent (see text).

Source: Computed by Authors.

102

1974, the following have been identified as having a.
wetlands orientation: fishing (saltwater and freshwater),
crawfishing, crabbing, birdwatching and hunting (small game
and waterfowl).@ Among those activities, hunting and fish-
ing are the ones which involve significant contributions
to the economy in terms of total expenditures. The 1975
National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Associated
Recreation (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1977) reported
average annual expenditures of $283.57 per hunter and
$281.97 per fisherman for food, lodging, fees, equipment
and transportation. When updated to 1977 values, using the
same procedure applied in Table 4.1, the average expendi-
tures become $317.17 per hunter and $315.38 per fisherman.

In order to determine total expenditures for hunting
and fishing in the studyarea, the above figures may be
multiplied by the respective numbers of hunters and sport
fishermen in the Barataria Basin. The estimated number of
hunting licenses sold in the basin for the 1976-77 season,
based on Table 4.10, is 22,987. The estimated 'number of
fishing licenses sold for the same season, shown already
in Table 4.3, is 24,143. Corresponding amounts for total
personal expenditures in the Barataria Basin are
$7,290,786.79 for hunters and $7,614,219.34 for fishermen.
Assuming that all fishing is wetlands-dependent but
only 60 percent of hunting activity is related to wetlands
(Mumphrey et al., 1975), then the figure for
hunters may be reduced to $4,374,472.07 for the purposes
of the present study. The resulting total for expenditures
by both hunters and fishermen is $11,988,691.41.

The above figure represents the direct economic impact
of hunting and fishing in Hydrologic Unit IV. In order to
measure the overall impact, including indirect contribu-
tions to the economy, an appropriate value-added factor
may be applied. The authors chose to use an average
(2.92) of the factors proposed by Whitman (1973: A36-A38).
The resulting total estimated impact off recreational
hunting and fishing dependent on the Baj@.,ataria wetlands is
$35,006,978.92 a year. That amount corresponds to an
annual value per wetland acre of $60.08--$38.16 for fishing
and $21.92 for hunting--based on 582,700 acres. The pre-
sent value per acre, based on equation 4.2 and assuming
9. discount rate of 6 7/8 percent, is $555.05 for sport
fishing and $318.84 for recreational hunting. Total
present value per acre for hunting and fishing is $873.89.

These figures underestimate the real value of
recreational activity to some extent. For one thing, it
was not possible to take into account the potentially

103

TABLE 4.10

HUNTING LICENSES SOLD IN THE BARATARIA BASIN
FOR THE 1976-77 SEASON
(Estimated)

TOTAL LICENSES ESTIMATED LICENSES
PARISH SOLD IN PARISH SOLD IN BASIN1

Ascension 6,594 717

Assumption 2,059 446

Jefferson 25,621 9,594

Lafourche. .9,990 1,783

Orleans 14,304 .1,260
Plaquemines 3,053 2,'676

St. Charles 4,535 2,581

St. James 2,156 981

St. John the Baptist .2,441 476

TOTALS 70,753 22,987

1. Based on percentage of parochial population located
in Barataria Basin (see Table 4.2).

Source: Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, 1977a.

104

substantial number of fishermen who, for various reasons,
are not required to purchase licenses. Furthermore, the
calculations of the authors included only those expenses
related to hunting and fishing. Expenditures for crab-
bing, birdwatching and crawfishing were assumed to be
relatively insignificant.

There is another aspect of wetlands-oriented recrea-
tion which defies traditional demand analysis: that is,
the unpriced benefits people receive from the recreational
experience itself. The Water Resources Council, in a 1973
study entitled Water and Related Land Resources: Establish-
ment of Principles and Standards for Planning (hereafter
referred to as Principles and Standards), estimated
monetary values per day of participation for general and
specialized recreational activities. A general recreation
day is defined as one which involves primarily those
41 activities attractive to the majority of outdoor recreation
participants. Such activities are further specified as
being ones which generally require the development and
maintenance of convenient access and adequate facilities.
The range of values per user day for general recreational
activities, established by the Water Resources Council,
is $1.01 to $3.03 (updated from 1973 to 1977 dollars).
A specialized recreation day is defined as one which
involves primarily those activities for which opportunities
are limited, intensity of use is low and personal expendi-
tures are often high. For specialized activities the user-
day values range from $4.03 to $12.10. The present study
used the highest values in each category to evaluate user-
benefits, based on the consensus opinion that these values
are somewhat low (see for example Stone, 1973). Saltwater
fishing and hunting (small game and waterfowl) were
treated as specialized activities; freshwater fishing,
crawfishing, crabbing and birdwatching were classified as
general recreational activities.

In order to determine the total value of user-benefits
derived from wetlands-oriented recreation in the study
area, the authors estimated user-day totals for each of
the above-named activities. Data on relevant participation
rates for residents of Louisiana were compiled and are
shown in Table 4.11. A total annual participation rate
was derived by adding the high quarter and other three
quarters of each year. Then the participation rate for
each activity was multiplied by the estimated population
of the Barataria Basin in 1970, based on Table 4.2, to
determine annual user-day totals. The overall number of
user-days per year in the study area is 9,163,445.36 (see
Table 4.12). The number of user-days for each activity
was multiplied by the respective value per user-day to

105

TABLE 4. 11

PARTICIPATION RATES FOR LOUISIANA WETLANDS
ORIENTED RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES, 1968 AND 1974

PARTICIPATION RATE*

1968 1968 1974 1974
REMAINING REMAINING
WETLANDS ORIENTED HIGH QUARTERS HIGH j 3QUARTERS
RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF YEAR OF YEAR OF YEAR OF YEAR4

Saltwater fishing 1.682 1.142 2.22 1.506
Freshwater fishing 4.582 3.122 6.04 4.102

Crawfishing .49 .32 1.96 1.28.

Crabbing .82 .22 1.92 .515

Birdwatching .67 1.10 2.35 3.858,
Hunting--small game 2.3? 2.31@ 3.75 3.75
Hunting--waterfowl 1.022 1.022 1.65 1.65

1. Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commi-ssion (1971)..

2. In 1968 hunting and fishing were reported in one
category each. The 1968 rate for fishing was subdivided
into saltwater fishing and freshwater fishing based on
their proportion of the total rate i'_i 1974. The same
was done for hunting.
Louisiana,State Parks and Recreation Commission (1974).

4. Calculated assuming the s,,@,me percentage increase as
for the high quarter over the period 1968-74.

Source: Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission,
1971, 1974 and Authors.

106

onew" 400400 on do now" Wo do-ift am

TABLE, 4.12

ESTIMATED USER-VALUE OF WETLANDS-ORIENTED RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

TOTAL ANNUAL
PARTICIPATION 2 VALUE PE� 4
ACTIVITY RATE1 USER DAYS USER DAY TOTAL VALUE

Saltwater Fishing .3.726 934,119@38. $12.10 $11,.302,844.50

Freshwater Fishing 10.142 2,542,629.83 $ 3..03 $ 7,704,168.38

Crawfishing 3.24 812,277.72 $ 3.03 $ 2,461,201.49

Crabbing 2.435 610,461.81 $ 3.03 $ 1,849,699.28

13 Birdwatching 6.208 1,556,364.22 $ .3.03 $ 4,715,783.59

Hunting (small game) 7.5 1,880,272.50 $12.10 $22,751,297.25

Hunting (waterfowl) 3.3 827,319.90 $12.10 $10,010,507.79

TOTAL 9,163,445.36 $60,795,502.28

1. Based on columns 3 and 4 of Table 4.11.
2. Column 1 times estimated population of the Barataria Basin in 1970 (2-00,703).
3. From Water Resources Council, 1973.
4. Column 2 times column 3.

Source: Compiled by Authors.

determine the total value of each activity in monetary
terms. Summing those figures resulted in an overall value
of $60,795,502.28 for recreational user-benefits in the
Barataria Basin. Dividing by 582,700, the number of
wetland acres in the study area, yielded an annual per-
acre benefit figure of $104.33. The present value per-
acre was calculated using equation 4.3, based on a projec-
ted increase in recreational activity of 4.1 percent per
year (Mumphrey et al., 1975). In monetary terms, the
projected increase amounts to $2,492,615.59 on an annual
basis or $4.28 per acre. Substituting the appropriate
figures in equation 4.3, and assuming a discount rate of
6 7/8 percent, the authors obtained the following result:

104.33 + 4.28 = 2428.17 (dollars)
.06875 .0047

The total present value per wetland acre for recrea-
tion in the Barataria Basin is $3,302.06: $873.89 in
expenditures for recreation and an estimated $2,428.17 in
unpriced benefits dorived from recreational activity.
Added to the previously calculated values for fish, fur
and meats from trapped animals produced in the Barataria
wetlands, the recreational figures result in an overall
present value per wetland acre in the study area of
$9,058.93. A summary of annual and present values per
acre by activity category, as derived by the gross benefits
technique, is offered in Table 4.13.

CON SUMER'S SURPLUS TECHNIQUE

The methodology employed in this section dr aws on the
economic concepts of consumer's surplus and p-@,oducer's
surplus. In theory the economic value of a ,.@esource, or
its value to society, is determined by asseF,sing society's,
willingness to pay for the resource and su@;tracting the
costs incurred in extracting it from the natural environ-
ment. Costs are not considered a part o'.' the economic
rent of the resource because it is assruned that inputs
such as labor and capital are transferable to other uses.
In order to measure how much the resource adds to the well-
being of society as a whole, the consumer's surplus and
producer's surplus should be calculated and added
together.

108

TABLE 4.13

ESTIMATED GROSS ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION
OF A WETLAND ACRE IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

ANNUAL RETURN PRESENT VALUE
ACTIVITY CATEGORY PER ACRE PER ACRE

Commercial Fishing $286.36 $5,540.42

Non-Commercial Fishing $ 3.19 $ 46.40

Commercial Trapping(Pelts &Meats) $ 11.69 $. 170.05

Recreation:

Economic Impact of
Recreation Expenditures $ 60.08 $. 873.89

Economic Value of
User-Benefits from Recreation $104.33 $2,428.17

TOTALS $465.65 $9,058.93

Source: Authors. Values compiled from text of this
chapter.

109

The consumer's surplus is the amount that a consumer
would be willing to pay to continue receiving a good or
service over and above what he or she is already paying.
The demand curve plotted for a product or service reveals
this information, showing the willingness to pay at each
quantity level (see Figure 4.1). In a competitive market,
however, producers are unable to differentiate prices among
consumers; a single price is determined based on the
supply-and-demand situation (see Figure 4.2). By exam-,
ining only equilibrium price and quantity, the consumer's
surplus is ignored. Figure 4.1 illustrates graphically,
the meani ng of consumer's surplus. At quantity level Ql,
and price P the total value to society is OPAQ1, total
revenue is 6P,,AQ,, and consumer's surplus is PAP,. Since
consumers would be willing to pay PAP, in addition to
OPlAQl, but are 'not required to do so in order to receive
Ql, a "surplus" is said to exist.

Analogous to the demand concept of consumer's surplus
is the supply concept of producer's surplus or rent.
Producer's surplus is profit: the difference between the
cost of producing each product unit and its selling price.
Marginal costs of production are shown by the supply curve.
The producer's surplus in Figure 4.2 is represented by
PIAX. The total economic rent of the resource is thus the
consumer's surplus added to the producer's rent, that is,
PAX.5

In this section, the authors estimate willingness to
pay by means of demand curves, thus making it possible to
measure the net value to society of the Barataria -wetlands.
To correctly compute the net value, the producer's surplus
and the consumer's surplus should be calculated. However,
data concerning producer costs and profits are not

5
Normally the demand curve for a product or sarvice is
developed holding nominal income constant, while the
discussion above is based on a utility funL,.tion approach.
The two approaches would produce similar demand curves if'
the marginal utility of the good in question, relative to
the marginal utility of other goods, rcimains constant with
changes in quantitites of all other goods. Robert Willig
has argued that this is normally the case ("Consumer's
Surplus Without Apology" (1966) Pmerican Economic Review.
Vol. 66, No. 4, September: 589-597). Thus there is not a.
problem unless the price change substantially changes real
income, and that would only occur if the expenditure for
these services represented a significant fraction of the
consumer's total budget (Wilman and Krutilla, 1977).

110

FIGURE 4.1

THE DEMAND CURVE

16, E@

QUANTITY

5ource:. The Authors.

FIGURE 4.2

EQUILIBRIUM OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND

QUANTITY

Source: The Authors.

112

available. For this reason it is necessary to assume that
the commercial fishing and trapping industries are
perfectly competitive, that is, the per unit production
cost is equal to the selling price. Under this assumption
the producer's surplus is non-existent. In the case of
industries which consist of large numbers of small pro-
ducers, such as fishing and trapping, this is not an
unreasonable assumption since each seller's contribution
is too small to significantly affect the market price, and
collusion is improbable. Thus, the following paragraphs
are concerned only with consumer's surplus.

Commercial Fishing

The consumer's surplus approach was applied to the
commercial fishing industry to determine the net value to
society of wetlands in the Barataria Basin. Using annual
data from the National Marine Fisheries Service (1967-77),
based on landings for the entire State of Louisiana during
the years from 1966 through 1976 (see Table 4.14), the
authors plotted a demand curve for fish and shellfish
employing regression analysis.6 Data for the Barataria
Basin were taken from Value of Wetlands (U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, 1977). Using estimates of catch by hydro-
logic unit for the period from 1963 through 1973, the
authors of the Corps study derived average annual figures
for catch size and dollar value. The average yearly catch
for Hydrologic Unit IV is 468,830,000 pounds of fish and
shellfish. The average annual catch for the whole state,
based on the same years, is 1,041,440,000 pounds.

Applying the above figures for average annual landings
in the basin and state to the demand curve for fish products,
the authors computed a price and quantity for Louisiana
minus-the Barataria Basin. The change in quantity supplied,
resulting from removal of Hydrologic Unit IV from the system,
is 468,830,000 pounds. The corresponding change in price
is 1.91 cents per pound.(from 9.42 cents to 11.33 cents
per pound). The change in consumer's surplus was found by
calculating the original surplus and subtracting the
surplus remaining after removal of the contribution of the
Barataria Basin (see Appendix 4.1). The total value lost,
representing the consumer's surplus attributable to the,

6Appendix 4.1 to this chapter summarizes the statistical
results of the regressions for commercial fishing and
commercial trapping and shows the calculations performed
to derive the consumer's surplus values for each.

113

TABLE 4.14

FISH AND SHELLFISH LANDINGS AND VALUE FOR LOUISIANA
1966-1976

AVERAGE PRICE
TOTAL LANDINGS TOTAL VALUE PER POUND
YEAR (LBS.) (1977 DOLLARS) (1977 DOLLARS)

647,416,500 $ 73,481,772 $ .1135

1967 620,427,500 $ 68,065,284 $ .1097

1968 763,96-8,600 $ 75,174)510 $ .0984

1969 1,013,484,600 $ 64,761,666 $ .0639
1970 1,115,331,700 $ 97,368,457 $ .0873*

-1971 1,377,013,051 $ 76,424,224 $ .0555

1972 1,081,269,660 $104,234,395 $ .0964

1973 1,040,769,832 $130,203,683 .1251

1974 .1,233,415,909 $108,047,234 $ .0876

1975 1,128,274,9'79 $ 99,513,853 $ .0882

1976 1,232,328,343 $147,0 16,771 $ .1193

Source: National Marine Fisheries Service, 1967-77.

114

study area, is $15,414,177.50. Dividing that total
by 582,700, the number of wetland acres in the basin,
yielded an annual per-acre return of $26.45. Dividing
the annual value by .06875, the assumed discount rate, the
authors derived a present value per acre (based on
equation 4.2) of $384.73, assuming constant future produc-
tion.

Commercial Trapping

A method similar to the one used for commercial
fishing was used to evaluate the contribution of Barataria
wetlands to the commercial trapping industry. To specify
demand curves for furs and meats regressions were performed
on annual harvests of fur and meats in Louisiana for the
past nine and ten years respectively (see Tables 4.6 and
4.8). The Barataria wetlands' contributions to state totals
were assumed to be 17.86 percent of pelts harvested and
17.58 percent of meats harvested (based on the calculations
outlined earlier under Commercial Trapping in the Gross
Benefits Section). Loss in quantity and change in price
were determined assuming removal of the Barataria wetlands
from the system. For pelts the price increased by 48 cents
and the quantity supplied decreased by 426,301, Yielding
an annual consumer's surplus value of $1.79 per acre.
Total meat production fell by 1,725,494.6 pounds and the
price per pound rose by .77 cents, yielding an annual
consumer's surplus value per acre of 12 cents. The present
values peracre, assuming constant future production, are
$26..09 for pelts and $1.75 for meats.

Recreation

The consumer's surplus criterion is also relevant in
estimating benefits of wetlands-oriented recreation.
Specification of a demand curve for recreation poses more
problems than do demand curves for commercial fishing and
trapping, however, because generally the services of the
recreation site are not marketed. A number of methodo-
logies have been employed to estimate recreation demand.
The most popular is the travel cost approach. This method
derives a demand curve by using the cost of travelling to
the recreation site as a substitute for willingness to
pay. Quantity, as measured by number of trips to a site,
is graphed against distance (cost); and after plotting a
number of observations, a demand curve can be estimated.
See Wilman and Krutilla (1977) for a complete discussion

115

of this met hod. The travel-cost approach is difficult to
employ in any study but has its best use in estimating
demand for site-specific recreational activities such as
those related to ski resorts and sports stadiums.
Wetlands-oriented recreation in the Barataria Basin can
take place on almost any one of 582,700 wetland acres, a
fact which would make measurement of origins and destina-
tions extremely difficult if not impossible. This study
does not attempt to implement the travel-cost method.

An alternate approach is to conduct a survey to deter-
mine how much sportsmen would be willing to pay for various
recreational experiences. The major problem with this
approach, as with any kind of survey, is that a hypothetical
situation is being posed and the response is assumed to
be a realistic one. Some surveys of sportsmen have been
conducted in Louisiana,7 but none is complete enough to
serve as a basis for using the survey method for demand
estimation. A discussion on the ways of implementing this
method may be found in Bohm (1971, 1972), Brookshire et al.
(1976) and Tideman (in Muskin, 1972).

A third method is to analyze the demand for goods
which are consumed in a complementary or substitute
fashion, relative to the recreational service, thus
eliciting willingness to pay directly from consumers.
Wilman and Krutilla (1977), Polinsky and Shavell (1976),
Lancaster (1971) and Rosin (1974) provide detailed discus-
sions about this method. Data requirements for this kind
of analysis are large, and many of the recreationa-AL
activities considered in this study require little or no
expenditure on the part of the participant.

Due to the difficulty of implementing the available
theoretical means of demand estimation, the us,:@r-days
approach employed in the preceding section of this chapter
is included as part of the consumer's surplus valuation.
Although imprecise, the estimation of user-days and daily
use values represents an attempt to approx--*mate willingness
to pay and thus is not inconsistent with the consumer's
surplus discussions in this section.

7See Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission (1971)
for an explanation of the 1968 survey and Louisiana State
Parks and Recreation Commission (1974) for information
about the 1973 survey.

116

Table 4.15 summarizes the results of the consumer's
surplus approach to wetlands valuation in the Bara taria
Basin.

There are numerous difficulties involved in using the
consumer's surplus approach to determine a value for
wetlands. Commercial fishing and trapping are dependent
to a large extent on natural occurrences such as weather,
a fact which makes it difficult to relate price and
quantity in a clearly defined manner. Another important
problem involves the availablility of data. Information
on statewide catches of fish and furbearers is available,
but some of the data for the study area had to be derived
by attributing a percentage of total production to the
Barataria Basin. Costs incurred by commercial fishermen
and trappers are not available in any form. In order to
compute accurately the net value to society of a resource,
it is necessary to include the producer's surplus as well
as the consumer's surplus; but that cannot be done without
information on production costs. For the purpose of
commercial fishing and trapping valuation, costs were
assumed to be equal to price. The result is an under-
estimate of the true value of the resource, since the
producer's profit is ignored. Finally, one other consider-
ation it was not possible to include is that of the value
of certain fish species which are not commercially valuable
at present but may become so in the future.

CORPS OF ENGINEERS TECHNIQUE

In July of 1977 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New
Orleans District completed a study entitled Value of
Wetlands and Bottomland Hardwoods (henceforth referred to
as Value of Wetlands). This study derives dollar values
per acre of marsh and swamp for the coastal region of
Louisiana, primarily based on data from the Fish and
Wildlife Study of the Louisiana Coastal Area and the
Atchafalaya Basin Floodway (henceforth referred to as the
Fish and Wildlife Study) completed by the New Orleans
District Corps earlier in 1975. The wetlands valuation
study was not published for general distribution; it is
used by the New Orleans District Corps as an "in-house"
document to guide Corps personnel in evaluating proposed
water resource-related projects. The following section
presents a summary of the methodology and results of the
Corps' evaluation of several coastal hydrologic units.
However, this summary will consider only Hydrologic Unit IV
(the Barataria Basin),study area for the present report,
except where otherwise noted. The components on which

117

TABLE 4.15

ESTIMATED NET ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF A WETLAND ACRE
IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

ANNUAL RETURN PRESENT VALUE
ACTIVITY CATEGORY PER ACRE PER VALUE

Commercial Fishing $ 26.45 $ 384.73
Co ercial Trapping
UK $ 1.91 $ 27.84
lts & Meats)

Recreation:
Economic Value of
User-Benefits $104.33 $2,428.17

TOTALS $132.69 $2,840.74

Source: Authors. Values compiled from text of this chapter.

the total value of wetlands is based include commercial
and sport fishing, commercial and sport wildlife, and
water-oriented recreation.

Commercial and Sport Fishing

The first step in the Corps' evaluation is a breakdown
of total wetland acreage in the study area by habitat
type. There is a total of 582,700 acres of wetlands in
the Barataria Basin, of which 418,200 acres are marsh and
107,000 acres are swamps (see Table 4.16). The Corps'
estimates of acreage are based on 1970 data revised to
reflect annual percent losses of marsh in the period from
1970 to 1977.

After determining the composition of the Barataria
wetlands, the authors of the study proceeded to derive a
total value for commercial fishing in Hydrologic Unit IV.
Commercial fish species taken into consideration are listed
in Table,4.17 %long with production and value figures for
each. Production is recorded in millions of pounds and is
defined as the total commercial catch of a particular
species from the Barataria Basin. Value in millions of
dollars was computed on the basis of exvessel prices. The
totals indicate an average annual catch of 468,830,000
pounds valued at $40,360,000 in 1973 dollars.

The aggregate figures for production and value are
broken down according to wetland type (marsh or swamp) in
Table 4.18. The difference in percentage contribution
between wetland types is related to the variety of marsh
as well as productivity and export levels for both marsh
and swamp. The following quote from Value of Wetlands
describes the method used in computation of the figures
shown in Table 4.18:

Day et al. (1976) found that 9,217 metric
tons-of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus
per year were exported from the 107,000
acres of unleveed swamp.in Hydrologic
Unit IV. This converts to approximately
50 grams of dry weight/square meter/year
(g.d.w./M%r). Day et al. (1973 showed
that approximately 1,500 g.d.w./m /yr
were produced in saline marshes in
Hydrologic Unit IV,, Of this, 760
g.d.w./@n%r were exported. Work by other
investigators indicated that productivity
of other marsh types is approximately

119

TABLE 4.16

TYPES OF WETLAND HABITAT IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

ACRES
HABITAT TYPE (10001s)

Saline Marsh 128.6

Brackish Marsh 110.8

Intermediate Marsh 16.4

Fresh Marsh 162.4

Total Marsh 418.,2

Swamp 107.0

.Total Wetland 582.7

Percent Marsh '72.0

all

Source: U.S..-Army Corps of Engineera, 1977.

120

TABLE 4.17

COMMERCIAL FISHERY PRODUCTION AND VALUE OF MAJOR
ESTUARINE-DEPENDENT COMMERCIAL FISHERIES
,IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

PRODUCTION VALUE
SPECIES (million lbs.) (million

Menhaden 430.17 18.07

Shrimp 23.25 18.81

Croaker 5.62 0.187

Blue Crab 3.14 0.436

Oysters 4.07 2.64

Seatrout 1.46 0.152

Spot 0.916 0.025

Red Drum 0.207 0.044

TOTALS 468.83 40.36

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1977.

121

TABLE 4.18

SALTWATER COMMERCIAL FISHERY PRODUCTION/ACRE
AND VALUE/ACRE FOR MARSH AND SWAMP
IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

Marsh Acre s* .418

Swamp Acres* .107

Percent Production from Marsh 97.2%

Percent Production from Swamp 2.8%

Pounds/Acre from Marsh 1083.2

Pounds/Acre from Swamp 122.7

Dollar/Acre from Marsh $93.85

Dollar/Acre from Swamp $10.56

*Millions of acres from Table 4.16.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1977.

122

equal.to saline marsh. However, export
from these marsh types is less: approxi-
mately 50 percent is exported from saline
marsh, 20 percent from brackish marsh,
16 percent from intermediate marsh, and
10 percent from fresh marsh (U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, 1977: 1).

In order to find the percent that marsh contributes to
productivity in the Barataria Basin, the acreage of each
marsh type was multiplied by the appropriate export figure
using a conversion factor of 4046.72 (the number of square
meters in an acre). These individual production figures
were then summed, yielding a total in grams. To get a
total production figure in grams from swamp, the number
of swamp acres in the Barataria Basin was multiplied by
the conversion factor and that product was multiplied by
50 g.d.w./m2/yr (production and export included). The
production figure for each type of wetland was then divided
by the combined total production of both marsh and swamp
to derive percentages indicating contribution levels for
each. As indicated in Table 4.18, these are 97.2 percent
for marsh and 2.8 percent for swamp.

The above percentages were then applied to the average
annual figures for production and value to determine total
pounds and total dollars attributable to each wetland
type. Dividing total marsh value by the number of acres
of marsh in the Barataria.Basin, the authors derived a
per-acre value for commercial fishing of $93.85. A per
acre value of $10.56 for swamp was computed in the same
way.

Values forsport fishing calculated in the Corps
study are based on the economic concept of demand in excess
of supply. Total potential fishing supply by type of catch
(crawfish, saltwater finfish and freshwater finfish) is
shown in Table 4.19. The potential supply available to
W
sport fishermen represents the difference between total
and commercially harvested supply. Commercial harvest
percentages from the Fish and Wildlife Study were used to
estimate the potential sport supply for each category.
Estimated demand in 1977 was calculated on the basis of
figures for sport fishing man-days from the same study.
Th,-@ authors updated the 1968 figures to take into account
a five percent per year increase based on fishing licenses
issued.

The Corps of Engineers study attributed values to
sport fishing only in those categories for which demand was
shown to exceed supply. In the case of a sport fishing

123

TABLE 4.19

SPORT FISHING IN THE BARATARIA BASIN IN MAN-DAYS
(11000)

TOTAL POTENTIAL SUPPLY ESTIMATED 1977
POTENTIAL AVAILABLE TO SPORT FISHING
ACTIVITY SUPPLY SPORT FI.SHERMEN DEMAND

Crawfishing 431 33.2 76

Saltwater
finfishing 1,098 439 1,607

Freshwater
finfishing 2,249 1,709 740

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1977.

124

activity for whi ch demand did in fact exceed supply, the
total demand figure was used to compute a value. Demand
figures for sgort fishing activities, including shrimping
and crabbing, are shown in Table 4.20. Total sport
fishing demand, according to the table, is 2,583,000
man-days.

In the same way that the valuation of wetlands for
commercial fishing was broken down by wetland type,
distinct values for recreational fishing are attributed to
marsh and swamp. The procedure followed in estimating the
contribution of each is outlined in Table 4.21. Production
percentages from Table 4.18 were applied to total sport
fishing demand to derive the amount of demand (in thousands
of man-days) attributable to marsh and swamp respectively.
The authors then divided each figure by the appropriate
number of acres and multiplied the resulting numbers by
$2.00, the man-day value derived from Principles and
Standards. The economic contribution of a marsh acre in
the Barataria Basin for sport fishing is $12.01 per year.
The corresponding value for a swamp acre is $1.35 per
year.

Commercial and Sport Wildlife and Water-Oriented Recreation

The next component in the Corps' evaluation of
wetlands is commercial wildlife. Column 1 of Table 4.22
shows the average annual dollar value of meats and pelts
for the entire Louisiana coastal region, based on data
supplied by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission.
The percentage of each furbearing species harvested from
forested areas--based on interpretations of the available
data made by New Orleans District Corps personnel--is
indicated in the second column of the same table. Values
for animals trapped in forested areas, according to
species, were derived by applying the percentages in
1W column 2 to the average animal values in column 1. The
authors next obtained per-acre values (column 4) by dividing
the figures in column 3 by the number of forested acres.
The percentage of each species trapped ih bottomland hard-
wood areas (column 5) was derived from Nichols and

8Sport shrimping and crabbing supply figures are not given
in Table 4.19 because, according to the Corps report the
yield of shrimp and crabs is presently at a maximum level.
Therefore, demand necessarily exceeds supply.

125

TABLE 4.20

TOTAL SPORT FISHING DEMAND WHERE DEMAND
EXCEEDS SUPPLY (1,000 MAN-DAYS)

1,000
ACTIVITY MAN-DAYS

Sport Crawfishing 76

Saltwater Sport Finfishing 1,607

Freshwater Sport Finfishing

Sport Shrimping 149

Sport Crabbing 751

Total Sp ort Fishing Demand 2,583

Source: From Table 4.19 and U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, 1.977.

126

TABLE 4.21

SALTWATER SPORT FISHERY MAN-DAYS/ACRE AND
VALUE/ACRE OF MARSH AND SWAMP IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

MARSH SWAMP

Percent Production 97.2 2.8

Total Sport Fishing Dema.nd (1,000 Man-Days) 2,583 2,583

Demand Attributable 2,511 72

Thousands of Acres 418 107

Man-Days/Acre 6.0 .67

Value/Acre P&S ($2.00/Man-Day) 12,01 1.35

Source: From Tables 4.18 and 4.20.

127

TABLE 4.22

COMMERCIAL FURBEARER VALUE PER ACRE FOR THE LOUISIANA COASTAL REGION

COLUMN 1 COLUMN 2 COLUMN 3 COLUMN 4 COLUMN 5 COLUMN 6 COLUMN 7 COLUMN 8 COLUMN 9

PERCENT TOTAL
AVERAGE ANNUAL FROM VALUE $ VALUE/ PERCENT $ VALUE $ VALUE TOTAL $ VALUE
VALUE ($) MEATS FORESTED FROM ACRE FROM FRO)A PER ACRE PER ACRE AMOUNT FROM PER ACRE
SPECIES PLUS PELTS AREAS FORESTED FORESTED BLHW` BLHW SWAMP MARSH MARSH

Muskrat 1,172,325 1 11,723 .009 13 .001 .008 1,160,602 .475

Nutria 6,805,379 5 340,269 .265 17 -.045 .22 6,465,110 2..648

Mink 117,565 45 52,904 .041 65 .027 .014 64,661 .026

Raccoon 856,307 35 299,707 .233 82 .191 .042 556,600 .228

Otter 196,319 10 19,631 .015 81 .012 .003 176,688 .072

Opossum 63,290 20 f2,658 .010 60 .006 .004 50,632 .021

Fox 25,439 100 25,439 .019 100 .019

Bobcat 9,005 100 9,005 .007 57 .004 .003 -

TOTAL 9,305,629 .31 .29 3.47

1. Bottomland Hardwoods.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1977.

gal "I
-am

Chabreck (1973) and multiplied by the dollar per acre
values from forested areas to obtain values per acre for
bottomland hardwood areas, shown in column 6. Dollar
values per acre of swamp (column 7) were calcualted by
subtracting the per-acre values for bottomland hardwoods
from the corresponding values for forested acres. The
rationale behind the latter method for determining the
value of trapped animals from swamps is that total forested
acreage represents the sum of bottomland hardwood and
swamp areas, The resulting annual value per acre for
furbearers from swamps is $.29.

Employing a method similar to the one described above,
based on the rationale that total acreage in the coastal
region represents the sum of forested areas and marsh,
the authors of the Corps study calculated total values
or furbearing animals from marsh. Each of the figures in
column 8 represents the difference between average annual
f

species value and the species value for animals from
forested areas. The figures for marsh were then divided
by total marsh acreage to derive per-acre values. The
ove.-all annual value for furbearers from marsh i's $3.47
.per acre. Both this figure and the figure for swamp
acreage apply to the entire coastal region of Louisiana.
Because data for individual hydrologic units were unavail-
able, the authors did not attempt to calculate values
specifically applicable to the Barataria Basin.

The final component in the Value of Wetlands study
includes valuation of marsh and swamp for non-commercial
(sport) wildlife production and water-oriented recreation
(WOR). With respect to sport wildlife ' the authors draw
a distinction between small game and large game. Man-days
data for each recreational category (water-oriented
recreation, small-game hunting and big-game hunting) are
shown in Table 4.23. For each activity, the respective
numbers of man-days attributable to marsh and swamp were
multiplied by the appropriate Principles and Standards
factor to obtain total values. Per-acre figures were
derived by dividing the numbers in the man-days and total
value columns by the number of marsh or swamp acres in
the Barataria Basin.

Table 4.24 offers a summary of the total annual per
acre values derived in previous tables. By adding the
respective values for commercial and sport fishing, com-
mercial and sport wildlife, and water-oriented recreation,
the authors of the Corps report arrived at overall values
of $112.78 per year for an acre of marsh and $16.26 per
year for an acre of swamp in Hydrologic Unit IV.

129

TABLE 4.23

SPORT WILDLIFE AND WATER-ORIENTED RECREATION
VALUES IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

MAN-DAYS TOTAL VALUE MAN-DAYS/ VALUE/ACRE
(1,000) ($1,000) ACRE P&S

WOR 1 P&S ($2.00/.MD)

Marshes .274.7 54-9.4 .66 1.31
Swamps 106.9 213.8 .65 1.30

Small Game P&S ($3.00/MD)

Marshes :90..19 272.7 .22 .65
Swamps 69.9 209.7 .43 1.28

P&S ($9.00/MD)
Big Game
Marshes 69.3 62.3,.7 .17 1.49
Swamps 27.0 243 .16 1.48

1. Water-Oriented Recreation.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of'Engineers, 1977.-

130

TABLE 4.24

TOTAL ANNUAL VALUE PER ACRE OF MARSH
AND SWAMP, IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

ACTIVITY CATEGORY MARSH SWAMP

Small Game $ .65 $ 1.28

Large Game $ 1.49 $ 1.48

1
WOR 1.31 $ 1.30

Commercial Wildlife $ 3.47 $ .29

Commercial Fishing $ 93.85. $10.56

Sport Fishing $ 12.01 $ 1.35

TOTAL $112.78 $16.26

1. Water-Oriented Recreation.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1971.

131

Review of Corp s Methodology

In reviewing the methodology employed in Value of
Wetlands, the authors of the present study noted --,Pvera.1
shortcomings. The first 'of these is related to the fact
that the authors of the Corps report make no attempt to
subtract from the values for commercial fishing and wild-
life the costs of obtaining fish, fur and meats: i.e., no
consideration is given to expenditures for licenses, boats,
labor, equipment, etc. In failing to deduct expenses
from total value, Corps personnel apparently overlooked
the following guidelines from Principles and'Standards:

The beneficial effects from the increase
in output of fish and wildlife products
resulting from a plan are measured as the
total value to the final users of the
output reflected by the applicable
market price, minus the expenditures
incurred to obtain the fish or game
(Water Resources Council, 1973: 53).

However, such costs are exceedingly difficult to obtain.

A second shortcoming of the study involves the'way in
which values for sport fishing are calculated. The authors
attribute a net value to recreational fishing only when
estimated demand exceeds supply. When such a situation
does in fact exist, total demand is used as the basis for
calculating total value. The authors of the present study
are of the opinion that actual supply, regardless of
demand, should be the prime consideration in determining
the value of wetlands for recreational fishing. In other
words, valuation should relate to the resource itself
rather than demand for it.

The motivation for the Corps approach may lie in a
Water Resources Council (1973) requirement relevant to the
proposed addition of specific recreational facilities in
an area that has no need for such faciliAes. In analyzing
a proposal of this kind, the additional facilities are not
included as a benefit; since supply exceeds demand (Water
Resources Council, 1973: 50). The distinction, of course,
is that Principles and Standards is oriented to evaluating
the benefits of a proposed project whereas the valuation
of wetlands in their natural state is not. Consequently,
supply rather than demand is the issue.

132

In addition, the demand-oriented methodology adopted
for thesport fishing section is not implemented with
respect to sport wildlife or water-oriented recreation.
Therefore, the demand approach is not only ill-advised, in
the opinion of the authors of the present work, but
inconsistent with the Corps study as a whole.

Another significant shortcoming of the study is that
no attempt was made to take into consideration the
multiplied effects of maintaining wetlands. Use of a
multiplier is endorsed in the following description of
location effects on regional development from Principles
and Standards:

Location effects are generally estimated
as a multiplier factor of the more direct
project outputs on the region being
considered. General alternative means
of calculating such a multiplier value
are available. They include input-output
studies, economic base studies, and the
application of Keynesian multiplier concepts
to regions. Recent studies have indicated
that all three approaches provide comparable
values for the same region. The Water
Resources Council will provide information
on the appropriate multiplier values to use
for specific planning studies (Water
Resources Council, 1973: 78).9

The Office of the Chief of Engineers, Department of the
Army, has also recognized the legitimacy of using a
multiplier in the following interpretation of Principles
and Standards:

Subsequent impacts. This category includes
expenditures made after the NED and direct
expenditures. For example, a reduction in
agricultural flood losses may mean that
farmers have more income which can be
.expended on additional farm equipment or
house furnishings; obviously farm equip-
ment and furniture retailers will, in turn,
have increased income to spend; and so
forth. Such second and third round
economic impacts are generally referred to
as "multiplier" effects. Their measurement

9The use of multipliers relates only to calculations under
the Regional Development Account (RDA), not those concerned
with National Economic Development (NED) benefits (Roy,
1978).

133

is especially difficult, particularly for
small regions. These subsequent impacts
will be separately shown. The Bureau of
Economic Analysis (BEA), U.S. Department
of Commerce, has developed some preliminary
tools for the estimation of multiplier
effects. Whenever a planner decides to
display multiplier effects for an ar'ea in
which BEA is capable of making an estimate
at reasonable cost, the BEA data will be
obtained; deviations will be explained.
In addition, WRC, in conjunction with BEA,
is developing a set of regional multipliers.
When these become available, they will be
used (Office of the Chief of Engineers,
1975: 14).

In conclusion, the authors of this study found the
following flaws in the Value of Wetlands:

1) Failure to subtract the costs of operation
in commercial fishing and hunting.
Inclusion would decrease the value per acre
considerably.

2) Sport fishing values based on demand in
excess of supply rather than simply total
supply. Considering only supply would
affect total value per acre.

3) Failure to include multiplied effects. The
use of a multiplier would obviously increase
total value per acre.

SUMMARY

This chapter has investigated three tczhniques for
the evaluation of Wetlands in the Barataria Basin: two
developed by the authors of this study as well as the
methodology adopted by the Corps of Eng-neers' New Orleans
District for its own use. A summary @.)f the values derived
from employing each of these techniques (plus a revision of
the "Gross Benef its Technique" from Appendix 4. 2) is provided
in Table 4.25. The first method outlined in this chapter
involved estimating gross benefits to the economy. For
commercial fishing and trapping, a multiplier was applied
to include value added due to processing. Because the
non-commercial fish catch represents a significant portion
of-total landings, the value of fish landed by sport
fishermen was also claculated by multiplying the average
price per pound*for commercial fish by the estimated number

134

TABLE 4.25

SUMMARY OF VALUES FROM ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR VALUING
AN ACRE OF WETLANDS IN THE BARATARIA BASIN

ANNUAL RETURN PRESENT VALUE
VALUATION TECHNIQUE PER ACRE PER ACRE

Gross B*enefits .$465.65 $9,058.93

Consumer's Surplus $132.69 $2,840.74

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers $129.04

Value from Appendix 4.2 $197.65 $3,093.28

*The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers only computes wetlands
value on an annual basis.

Source: Authors. Compiled from the text of this chapter.

135

of pounds caught by recreational fisherman. A dollar value
for sport fish landings was not included in the Corps
study and its use herein represents a significant improve-
ment on the methodology employed in Value of Wetlands.
Another improvement adopted in the "Gross Benefits
Technique" section of this chapter involved calculation of
values for total expenditures by sport fishermen and
hunters. In addition, the total value of recreational
experiences in the Barataria wetlands was estimated by
applying user-day data to suggested values from Principles
and Standards.

The second approach to valuation of wetlands developed
in this chapter was based on the economic concept of
consumer's surplus. This approach attempts to measure the
amount that a consumer would be willing to pay to continue
receiving a good or service.over and above what that
consumer is already paying. The market price reflects
only the value placed on the good by those consumers who
are only marginally interested in consuming the product
or service; it does not take account of the value placed on
it by other consumers, as reflected in their willingness
to pay. The consumer's surplus method seeks to determine
the entire value attributed to a commodity by all consumers.
Another important aspect of the consumer's surplus
approach is that it excludes the need to know the costs
of production from the valuation procedure. The assumption
made here is that the resources employed to produce the
good are not part of the value of the resource but are.
transferable to other uses. Thus, the net value to
society of wetlands in the Barataria Basin is properly
measured'in terms of consumer's surplus.

To apply the consumer's surplus model, de,.nand curves
for commercial fishing and trapping were estimated using
past landings and price per pound data for the State of
Louisiana. Average values for quantity and price were
derived and the contribution of the Barata,.,ia Basin was
subtracted from the state total to determ-Me a new quantity
and price. The area of the polygon under the demand
curve depicting the net loss of consumex's surplus to
society (see Figures 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3 in Appendix 4.1)
was calculated to represent the value of Barataria wetlands
to commercial fishing and trapping.

Because recreational services are generally not priced,
the difficulty of applying the consumer's surplus model to
recreation made the use of this approach impractical. The
user-days model used in the gross benefits section was
substituted in this instance.

136

It should be understood that there is a fundamental
difference in philosophy between the consumer's surplus
approach and the.other two methods discussed in this
report. The consumer's surplus approach represents the
theoretical economist's concept of the net economic
value of a resource to society. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers' method and the gross impact method evaluate
wetlands, for the most part, in terms of their monetary
contribution to the economy of Louisiana.

Finally, this chapter outlined the methodology
developed by the Corps of Engineers' New Orleans District
in Value of Wetlands and Bottomland Hardwoods. The latter
study was faulted for its failure to include multiplied
effects of commercial fishing and trapping activities and
for its computation of the value of sport fishing based
on demand in excess of supply rather than supply itself.

137

APPENDIX 4.1

RESULTS OF REGRESSION ANALYSIS

Commercial Fishing

A demand curve was estimated using annual landings of fish
and shellfish for Louisiana for the years 1966-76
(see Figure 4.1.1).

The slope of the line is -.000000000040713
The Y intercept is .13664
R2 is .21155

This is equivalent to:

A catch = 10,000,000,000
A price = $.41

From Value of Wetlands:

average landing per year in
Louisiana (in pounds) 1963-73 is 1,041,440,000.0

From Value of Wetlands:

average landing per year in the
Barataria wetl ands (1963-73) is 468,830,000.0

Therefore,

average landing per year in
Louisiana without the contribution
of the Barataria wetlands is 572,610,000.0

Based on the specified demand curve and
average landings,
average annual price in Louisiana is $.0942

average annual price in Louisiana
without the contribtuion of
Barataria wetlands is $.1133

138

The area of consumer's surplus at price $.0942 is shown
as triangle ACF in Figure 4.1.1. The area of consumer's
surplus at price $.1133 is triangle ABD. The loss in
consumer's surplus is the trapezoidal area BCFD. That
area is calculated as follows:

The area of rectangle BCDE is

width .1133 - .0942 .0191

length 572,610,000

length x width $10,936,851.00

The area of triangle DEF is

base 468,830,000

height .0191
x base x height $ 4)477,326.50

The total area of consumer's
surplus is $15,414,177.50

The per acre value is $15,414,177.50 $26.45
582,700

Present value is $26.45. $384.73
06875

139

FIGURE 4.1.1

ESTIMATED DEMAND CURVE FOR LOUISIANA COMMERCIAL FISH PRODUCTS (1966-76)

V0 .10- 141"
7%

C 1110

CrI -

0 'bQ9,009,000 460'0c@'000 400 000,000 -150,000,000 dfoo'"Q'000 1, 1.00".001 000 1
I
&YjAwo, 000 1,0440440,ooo
-rOTAL, L-AWt71H&-4z, IN V70t4Np,:,:,
Source: National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 1967-77.

Mi Mh M) 1")

Commercial Trapping

1) Pelts

A demand curve was estimated using annual harvestofpelts
for.Louisiana for the years 1967-75 (see Figure 4.1.2).

The slope of the line is -.00000113

The Y intercept is 7.292
R2 is .1391

This is equivalent to

A catch = 1,000,000

A price = $1.13

From Table 4.6

average annual harvest of Pelts in
Louisiana 1967-75 is 2,386,903

Based on the percentage computed in
the text,

average annual harvest of pelts in
Barataria wetlands is (2,386,903)(.1786) 426,301

Therefore,

average annual harvest of pelts
in Louisiana without the contribution
of the Barataria wetlands is 1,960,602

Based on the specified demand curve

average annual price in Louisiana is $C5997

averag.e annual price in Louisiana
without the contribution of Barataria
wetlands is $5.0806

141

The area of'consumer's surp-lus at price $4.5997 is shown
as triangle GIL in Figure 4-.1.2. The area of consumer's
surplus at price $5.0806 is triangle GHJ. The loss in
consumer's surplus is the trapezoidal area HILJ. That
area is calculated as follows:

The area of rectangle HIJK is

width 5.0806 - 4..5997 .4809

length 1,960,602

length x width $ 942,853.150

The area of triangle JKL is

base = 426,301

height = .4809

x base x height $ 102,504.08

The total area of consumer's
surplus is $1,045,357.58

The per acre value is 1,045,357.58 $ 1.7-9
582,700

Present value is $1.79 $26.09
06875

142

FIGURE 4.1.2

ESTIMATED DEMAND CURVE FOR LOUISIANA COMMERCIAL PELTS (1.967-75)

7.50

Ica Hit,

-rK-
4-65o

ep. 00

0 P.S00,000 2"000,090 2,,000.000 1p,010,090 *51000,000 41000,000
. I I
"02- Z"*64v'4Qt'
*1976 was not included. -T0-rAL'- Fr-1L1-rfv'
Source: Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, 1977b.

2) Meats

A demand curve was estimated using annual harvest of meats
for Louisiana for the years 1967-76 (see Figure 4.1. 3). Ir

The slope of the line is -.0000000045
The Y intercept is .19126 t
R2 is .333 t
This is equivalent to:
A catch = 10,000,000 F
A price = $.045 t
From Table 4.8
average annual harvest of meats in t
Louisiana (in pounds) 1967-76 is 9,815,100.00

Based on the percentage computed in
the text t

average annual harvest of meats
(in pounds) in Barataria wetlands t
is (9,815,100)(.1758) l$725)494.58

Therefore,

average annual harvest of meats
(in pounds) in@'Louisiana without
.the contribution of Barataria
wetlands is 8,089,605.42;

Based on the specified demand curve,

average annual price in Louisiana is $.1472

average annual price in Louisiana
without the contribution of the
Barataria wetlands is $.1549

144

The area of consumer's surplus at price $.1472 is shown
as triangle MPS in Figure 4.1.3. The area of consumer's
..surplus at P@ice $.1549 is triangle MNQ. The loss,.,in
consumer's surplus is the trapezoidal area NPSQ. That
area is calculated as follows:

The area of rectangle NPRQ is

width.= .1549 .1472 .0077

length 8,089,605.42

length x width $62,289.96

The area-of triangle QRS is

base = 1,725,494.58

height = .0077

x base x height $ 6,643.15

The total area of consumer's
surplus is $68,933.11

$68,933.11
The per acre value is $ .12
582,700

$.12
Present value is - $1.75
.06875

145

FIGURE 4.1.3

ESTIMATED DEMAND CURVE FOR LOUISIANA MEAT PRODUCTS (1967-76)

.04

ow
000,000 4,500,000 60,000,000 4,000,000 10
1 '600,0000
1,910,100
TOTAL, HFA-re@ I t-4 PO U N Vg@:p
1"1 9 -14

Source: Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, 1977b.

IMP Mj "I M) =3 =I M1 M) mi M3

APPENDIX 4.2

REVISED GROSS BENEFIT TECHNIQUE

On April 12, 1978 representatives of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers New Orleans District, Louisiana
Department of Transportation and Development, Louisiana
Wildlife and Fisheries Commission,.LSU Center for Wetland
Resources and Burk and Associates met to discuss the
preliminary draft of this report. Some useful.suggestions
were made and certain changes were incorporated into the
final report.

It became apparent at the meeting that the "Gross
Benefits Technique" required some revisions in order to
make it comply with internal regulations which govern U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers wetlands valuation procedures. :Two
specific changes were proposed. First, it was suggested
that the multiplier effects which the authors considered
part of the benefits from commercial fishing, commercial
trapping, and recreation expenditures be excluded. The
second issue concerns the recreational user day values
proposed in Water and Related Land Resources: Establishment
of Principleg and Standards for Planning (1973). The
authors of this report updated these 1973 values to reflect
1977 prices, but representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers stated that their regulations.would not allow
the use of values other than those published in the original
document.

An alternate value per acre of wetlands, incorporating
these two changes is presented in Appendix Table 4.2.1.
The annual value per acre decreases to $197.65 and the
present value per acre becomes $3,993.28.

The "Consumer's Surplus Technique" was found to be
in full compliance with Corps of Engineers regulations.

147

TABLE 4.2.1

REVISED ESTIMATE OF GROSS ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION
OF@A WETLAND ACRE IN THE BARATARIA BASIN
BASED ON U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS REGULATIONS

ANNUAL RETURN PRESENT VALUE
ACTIVITY CATEGORY PER ACRE PER ACRE

Commercial Fishing $ 93.13 $1,801.76

Non-Commercial Fishing $ 3.19 $ 46.40
Commercial Trapping . . f
(pelts & meats) $ 3.80 $ 55.30

Recreation

Economic Impact of
Recreation Expenditures $ 20.58 $ 299.28

Economic Value of User
Benefits from Recreati on $76.95 $1,790.54

TOTALS $197.65 $3,993.28

Source: Authors. 'Values based on Table 4.13.

148

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151

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