Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2010
Revised Precautionary Closure: Additional Areas of Mississippi Marine Waters Closed to Commercial and Recreational Fishing
BILOXI, Miss. – The executive directors of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, in an abundance of caution, are closing a certain portion of Mississippi’s territorial marine waters, effective immediately, to all commercial and recreational fishing, including all species of finfish, crabs, shrimp and oysters.
The closed area includes those Mississippi territorial marine waters lying both south and east of the southern shoreline of Horn Island; lying both south of 30 degrees 18 minutes north latitude and east of 88 degrees 39 minutes’ west longitude; and lying both south of the CSX Railroad and east of the Bayou Cassotte Ship Channel to the Mississippi-Alabama state boundary.
Any individuals retaining any marine species from this closed area will be required to immediately return them to the waters. This precautionary closure is a result of the presence of oil in this general area and the potential impacts of the oil on Mississippi’s coastal marine resources. The continuous monitoring of this situation is to ensure public safety and protection of Mississippi’s coastal resources.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at www.dmr.ms.gov.
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