COASTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENTThe Office of Coastal Resources Management (CRM) is responsiblefor IMPLEMENTING THE MISSISSIPPI COASTAL PROGRAM,which was mandated by the Legislature in Section 57-15-6of the MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972 and approved by NOAA.CRM also administers these programs:•COASTAL PRESERVES•WETLANDS PERMITTING•INVASIVE SPECIES•BENEFICIAL USE Jan Boyd Director • Coastal Resources Management • 46
GOALS:• Administer the regulatory program under the Coastal Wetlands Protection Act.• Review proposed projects for Coastal Zone Consistency determinations in accordance with the Coastal Zone Management Act.• Acquire, protect and manage Mississippi’s remaining coastal wetlands ecosystems.• Partner with the Secretary of State’s Office to manage Coastal Preserves.ACCOMPLISHMENTS:• Developed a mapping portal to organize and display GIS layers from many different sources. Office staff and permit applicants can use this portal to view and interact with relevant spatial data.• Staff participated in planning with MDEQ, other agencies and partners on potential projects funded through the RESTORE Act, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund and the Natural Resource Damage Assessment to restore and protect our coastal environment.• Partnered with USDA-APHIS to control feral hog populations on Coastal Preserves and with USDA Forest Service to produce local genotype slash pine seedlings for planting on Deer Island.• Staff continues to conduct pre-application permit meetings. These meetings help applicants understand the federal and state regulations and contributes to a smoother, less time-consuming evaluation and permit process.47 • Mississippi department of marine resources •
WETLANDS PERMITTING BUREAU Director: Willa BrantleyTHE WETLANDS PERMITTING BUREAU HANDLES WETLANDS PERMITS IN THE MISSISSIPPI COASTAL ZONE,WHICH INCLUDES HARRISON, HANCOCK AND JACKSON COUNTIES. Staff issue these permits under amemorandum of agreement with the Mobile and Vicksburg districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.GOALS: 776 PROJECTS WERE PROCESSED DURING FY2018:•Provide information to the public about the Coastal Wetlands Protection Act. 44 Consistencies 1 Consistency Modification•Evaluate applications for proposed coastal wetlands impacts and 16 Direct Federal Consistencies evaluate comments from state, federal and local agencies, as well 2 Direct Federal Consistency Modifications as the public. 2 Emergency Orders 33 Exclusions•Compile data to make evaluations if project requires a variance 8 Exclusion Modifications from the Guidelines for Regulated Activities or a change to the 1 Exclusion After-the-Fact Coastal Wetlands Use Plan. 340 General Permits 55 General Permit Modifications•Conduct pre-application meetings when necessary and review 3 General Permits After-the-Fact potential wetlands alterations before application is filed. 6 Permits 4 Permit Modifications•Verify compliance of permitted activities and investigate potential 2 Permit Extensions wetlands violations, as well as recommend mitigation to compensate 85 Waivers for wetlands loss. 16 Waiver Modifications 1 Waiver After-the-FactACCOMPLISHMENTS: 111 Reviews 46 Violations•Worked with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District to reauthorize Regional General Permits. These permits are issued for activities that cause minimal wetland impacts. They also reduce the burden on the public and ensure timely issuance of permits, while effectively administering the laws and regulations which establish and govern the program.•Approved a permit to expand the Mississippi State Port at Gulfport. This project will contribute to the long-term economic development of the State of Mississippi and the Gulf Coast region by expanding the Port footprint and facilities, providing employment opportunities, and increasing the economic benefits generated by Port operations. In addition to these benefits, mitigation for the project provided enhancements to the Mississippi Coastal Preserves.•Two off-bottom oyster aquaculture areas were permitted in the Mississippi Sound south of Deer Island and in Pascagoula Bay. These facilities will consist of areas for training and research, as well as commercial use. • Coastal Resources Management • 48
COASTAL PRESERVES BUREAU Director: Jennifer WittmannThe Coastal Preserves Program was developed in 1992 to acquire, protect and manage Mississippi’s remaining coastal wetlands ecosystems.THE STATE HAS IDENTIFIED 20 COASTAL PRESERVE SITES OF IMPORTANT COASTAL WETLANDS HABITAT AND ASSOCIATED UPLANDS.Acquired lands are managed to safeguard and protect their natural characteristics, ecological integrity, environmental functions and economicand recreational values for the benefit of all Mississippi residents. The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office is an active partner in the program.GOALS:•Participate in planning with Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for future acquisitions within the Coastal Preserves boundaries through the RESTORE Act, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund and the Natural Resource Damage Assessment.•Protect sensitive coastal habitats.•Coordinate biological surveys and assessments and develop individual Coastal Preserve management plans.•Develop a public outreach and education program to increase awareness and interest in Mississippi’s coastal wetlands.•Develop partnerships with federal, state and local agencies, and identify approaches to protect and restore wetlands along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.ACCOMPLISHMENTS:• MDMR partnered with Gulf Corps, Climb CDC and The Nature Conservancy to assist with giant applesnail egg mass destruction and live snail control. MDMR provided partnering companies with specialized control and collection equipment to aid in efforts and partners provided 144 hours of no-cost labor over an eight week period. Together they removed and euthanized 378 live giant applesnails and destroyed 10,607 egg masses.•Supported regular maintenance to public access areas to ensure safety. Repairs were made on the bridge and boardwalk at the Ansley Unit of the Hancock County Marsh Coastal Preserve, the boardwalk at the Bells Ferry Unit of the Wolf River Coastal Preserve and portions of the pier at the Deer Island Coastal Preserve. A total of 38 miles of grass and shrubs were kept maintained on trails located on Coastal Preserves at the Indian Point Unit of Pascagoula River, Deer Island and both Bells Ferry and DeLisle Unit of the Wolf River. DURING FY18, THE PROGRAM ACQUIRED 20 TAX-FORFEITED PROPERTIES IN HANCOCK COUNTY. THE TOTAL ACREAGE OF STATE-OWNED LANDS MANAGED BY THE COASTAL PRESERVES PROGRAM, AS OF JUNE 30, 2018, IS 40,054 ACRES. In addition to the state-owned lands within the coastal preserve boundaries, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service manages 3,300 acres at the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The National Park Service and Gulf Islands National Seashore manages 6,486 acres within Cat, Ship, Horn and Petit Bois islands. Collectively, this includes 49,840 acres (69 percent) of the 72,000 acres proposed for acquisition in the original 20 coastal preserves.49 • Mississippi department of marine resources •
OYSTER AQUACULTURE Oyster Extension Agent: Jason RiderThe oyster industry is an integral part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast – its economy, its history and its culture. It has sufferedgreatly because of several natural and man-made disasters since 2005, including Hurricane Katrina, the BP Oil spilland three separate openings of the Bonnet Carré Spillway (2008, 2011 and 2016). IN 2004, OYSTER FISHERMEN IN MISSISSIPPIHARVESTED NEARLY 500,000 SACKS OF OYSTERS. IN 2012, THERE WERE 66 SACKS HARVESTED, AND IN 2016,ABOUT 40,000 SACKS WERE HARVESTED. Gov. Phil Bryant created the Governor’s Oyster Council on Restoration and Resiliencyin 2015 to address the problems this industry faces and to come up with solutions. These solutions include a remote-setting facility at thePort of Gulfport and oyster aquaculture training programs.PORT OF GULFPORT REMOTE SETTING FACILITYRemote setting is a method of producing oysters that differs from natural oyster production. It is the production of oyster spat by settinghatchery-reared larvae onto cultch (hard material for oyster larvae to attach, typically shell, crushed concrete or limestone) at a remote locationfrom the hatchery. Spat are then planted on-bottom or off-bottom.GOALS:•Assist in increasing the production of the natural oyster reefs along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.•MDMR will increase production in FY19 to determine the feasibility of building a large scale remote setting facility.ACCOMPLISHMENTS:•During FY18, MDMR set oysters in four 2,600-gallon tanks at the Port of Gulfport. During its second year of operation, the facility restored over 25 acres of water bottom by the remote-setting method. This assisted in increasing the production of the natural oyster reefs along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.59 • Mississippi department of marine resources •
OFF-BOTTOM OYSTER AQUACULTURE TRAINING PROGRAMThe oyster industry along the Mississippi Sound currently is limited to harvestable reefs; however, the number of oysters available for harvest has decreasedin the past decade, which has limited the number of oystermen and fishermen engaged in this economic sector.MDMR WAS AWARDED A RESTORE ACT GRANT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN OFF-BOTTOM OYSTER AQUACULTURE TRAINING PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM IS SET UP IN TWO PHASES THAT OCCUR OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD.PHASE 1 Includes classroom and field education on aquaculture, business operations and demonstrations of off-bottom aquaculture techniques. During the first phase, participants attended training meetings, workshops, received assistance with development of a business plan, deployed grow-out systems at training site(s) and stocked those systems with seed.PHASE 2 Incorporate hands-on training by allowing participants to select an oyster-growing technique from the range of permitted methods using information gained from phase one. Participants will maintain their assigned gear and oyster seed, including all aspects of fouling control, grading, splitting and site maintenance following best management practices. Instructors and participants will periodically evaluate oyster survival, growth and quality, as well as comparing individual success among program participants to facilitate collaborative learning.If all requirements are completed the participants will be eligible to sublease two acres from the MDMR to begin their own off-bottom oyster aquaculture business.GOALS:•Diversify the oyster industry by training oystermen and fishermen in off-bottom aquaculture to support and grow the oyster industry and the overall Mississippi economy.•MDMR expects the program to create 30 new jobs in the off-bottom field after completing the first year.ACCOMPLISHMENTS:•MDMR trained coastal residents in the techniques of off-bottom oyster aquaculture. The training program addressed all aspects of off-bottom oyster farming appropriate to the local/regional area with the capability of training and accrediting up to 20 participants per year.•The program included classroom and field education on aquaculture, business operations and demonstrations of off-bottom aquaculture techniques.•Received over 30 applications, which allowed MDMR to successfully fill the program’s capacity of 20 for the June 2018 class.•Completed phase one of the two-year program, which included classroom and field education on aquaculture, business operations and demonstrations of off-bottom aquaculture techniques. Each participant is responsible for the survival and harvest of 12,000 oysters. • Aquaculture Program • 60
COMMISSION ON MARINE RESOURCES The Commission on Marine Resources is comprised of five members appointed by the governor for four-year terms to represent the following areas:commercial seafood processors, nonprofit environmental organizations, charter boat operators, recreational sports fishermen and commercial fishermen. The Honorable Phil Bryant Governor, State of Mississippi Mark H. Havard, II Natalie Guess Steve Bosarge Ronnie Daniels Richard Gollott Vice Chairman Nonprofit Environmental Organizations Chairman Charter Boat Operators Commercial Seafood ProcessorsRecreational Sports Fishermen Hancock County Commercial Fishermen Harrison County Harrison County Jackson County (Term effective October 11, 2018) Jackson County (Term effective July 1, 2018)61 • Mississippi department of marine resources •
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