Interesting that the news accounts of a 65 foot DMR vessel capsizing all referenced a press release that does not appear on the DMR website:
65-foot DMR vessel capsizes in Mississippi Sound, nobody injured ~ Gareth Clary
What we do know is the DMR boat was moving Oysters from the polluted waters of the Pascagoula river to the oyster reefs that the CMR routinely allows to be overfished to the point where they are no longer self sustaining. I bet the amount of tax money that is spent on repopulating overfished oyster reefs does not justify the economic impact and I think the economic theory favors that hypnosis.
Now I wasn’t there yesterday when the boat capsized but my various peeks at the Mississippi sound yesterday from here in the Bay did not reveal it to be very choppy, especially for a 65 foot boat. As Eye-Spy points out there has been lots of turnover at the DMR since Miller time began. I am not certain we’ll ever get a straight up account of what caused the accident.
There were some pretty bad showers pop up in Jackson County on and off all day yesterday.
The boat could have sank for any number of reasons. Sure looks like they were traveling in shallow water to me for a boat that size and style. I would like to know if they had a qualified captain on board.Never the less I am in the process of loading my vehicle and heading up that lonesome highway to Oxford. I asked that all citizens of our great state put aside our political differences and join me in supporting our two great SEC teams getting ready to do battle at home in an unprecedented fashion. Four of the nations best teams,all undefeated, will be watched by the entire nation or at least the south half.Never before has this taken place in Ms. and may never happen again. This is big people.Lets all come together. Even those of us that are members of the Slabbed nation should lay down our verbal swords and reach out to the politicians who misuse our money,to the CONsultants that get the contracts that no one else knew about, to the misDirectors of our state agencies who place the feel good ads under “Opinions” in the Sunherald, to the editors and reporters who allow this to happen, to the Ex-COEs of the world who hate everybody who is not a connected Republican and to those that are in prison whether alive or deceased. Let this weekend be without rumbles in the Groove over petty things. Let this be a time of peace for those that will not attend another game for at least 18 months because of prior commitments starting in December. This weekend should be all about Ole Miss and Ms.State .I hope to see some of you in the Groove. I may be onTVs College Day holding up my sign that says “Today I’m a Rebel and a Bulldog but come Monday we goona AUDIT ALL YA,LL!!!!!!!” I’m offline and outta here. BB
Very well said BB. My son almost fainted this morning when I told him that for the first time ever I would be rooting for Ole Miss.
Enjoy the game.
I worked there for 15 years so I knew the young guy that routinely drove the boat. He was not the most reliable boat driver to be sure. I also question the rough water statement as well. This is Mississippi after all not the east coast. Capt Kenny would have never sunk that boat is all I have to say. Many of the new people that populate the agency now know nothing or next to nothing about working in a state agency. That does not matter though they are on the approved list and so are good to go. Was the young guy driving qualified? I think not. They put him on the boat and showed him how to drive it. That’s about what sums this mess all up.
Easy Lurch
I’m no boat captain, no deck hand nor a weatherman. But anytime DMR issues a report, I question it and this boat sinking is questionable. But we should question DMR when it is run by a Phil Bryant appointee.
“…I think the economic theory favors that hypnosis.” Hypnosis, really? Maybe you meant hypothesis??? Sounds like you need more information before you pass judgement! Half-baked accusations do nothing to promote cooperation or the desire to share knowledge.
I would think leaving a few oysters so the reefs can repopulate next year is far cheaper than harvesting and transporting oysters to the depleted reefs (and sinking a 65 foot boat in the process). Thank you for playing.
You hit the nail on the head. Not only are the harvestable reefs depleted, now we are doing the same to our other reefs. Mississippi oysters will be a thing of the past in the very near future.
Agree, agree, Doug,
But remember Gollott needs oysters to keep his factory operating. Need I say more?
This is an interesting post to say the least and I can’t help but mention that I enjoy seeing my name in the headlines of a Slabbed post. It appears that there is more than meets the eye than that of a 65 foot boat sinking in shallow water.
First off, based on the intelligence I have received over a period of time, it does not surprise me that the press release is not found on the DMR website. According to what I have been told the IT department is about depleted (either fired or quit) and the PR department appears as if its been almost at idle since “Miz. Scallan” has taken the lead position in the PR department.
Doug had a good comment about the depletion of oysters from being over fished. The brilliant mind of Richard “Fish the Gulf Dry” Gollott, a current member of the CMR is an advocate of cleaning out the resources. Take a look at what he mentioned at the last commission meeting if your in doubts. I will give him credit as he seems to now be aware of polluted oysters–infested with human waste.
Now for the sinking of a 65 foot state government craft.
To me, it does appear to be very odd that a boat of this size would capsize in shallow water with at worst case, moderate, choppy weather conditions. When I saw the clip on WLOX I was glad that nobody was hurt, but then laughed my ass off because the root cause of this accident could actually be anything imaginable. Two years ago, the public would have never questioned “what could have happened.”
OMG!!!!! The Grove is crazy. What a day for the entire state of Ms. I even saw Scott Walker and his lovely wife earlier. They looked very happy. If I can find him I think I will kiss him. I am so proud of our Rebels and Bulldogs. Will be a late night and I have already lost my voice. BB
The waters and oysters in Pascagoula Bay are not “polluted,” and, if anyone tells you they are, ask them to identify the pollutant and what “state” it is in. In fact, in the absence of rainfall and with the Gautier and Pascagoula sewage treatment plants operating effectively, the oysters off of Pascagoula are no riskier for raw consumption than any other oyster.
And, I doubt our oyster reefs have been overfished or overharvested. I suspect we are dealing with the results of drought conditions affecting production, damage from Katrina and post-Katrina activities in Biloxi Bay and the Bay of St. Louis, unmitigated impacts to the Pascagoula reefs, and overall poor management of our oyster resources. However, I would like to examine the reefs and/or MDMR/MDEQ assessment data before drawing a final opinion.