New Orleans - Mercury, a marine industry leader in manufacturing and sales of outboard, inboard and stern drive engines, gauges and controls, today added its name to a rapidly growing list of businesses and organizations to sign a letter urging Congress to dedicate the resources needed to restore Louisiana’s vanishing coastal wetlands.
The letter, authored by the National Wildlife Federation’s and Ducks Unlimited’s Vanishing Paradise campaign, asks the federal government to begin building large-scale, land-building projects to reverse nearly a century of wetland and habitat loss along Louisiana’s coast. Mercury joins nearly 500 other businesses and organizations to sign the letter including B.A.S.S. Inc, Plano Molding, The Louisiana Wildlife Federation, four-time Bassmaster Classic Champion Kevin VanDam, Mike Iaconelli’s Professional Edge Fishing, Quantum Fishing, Bill Lewis Lure Company, InFisherman Magazine, CarecoTV, Primos, Hank Parker and a host of others.
The letter and the complete list of businesses and organizations that have signed are available at http://www.vanishingparadise.org.
“It’s vital that we conserve our nation’s wetlands so future generations can enjoy the vast fishing and outdoor opportunities these areas have to offer,” said Mercury Sales, Marketing and Commercial Operations President Kevin Brodsky. “Mercury Marine is proud to join these organizations in advocating the conservation and restoration of Louisiana’s coastline. These wetlands play an important role in maintaining a sustainable fish population throughout the Gulf of Mexico that is essential to the recreational and commercial fishing industry.”
Flood control and navigation projects that have isolated the Mississippi River from its delta and the widespread construction of canals over that last 80 years have led to the loss of more than 2000 square miles of wetlands, barrier islands and other habitats along Louisiana’s coast, an area about the size of the state of Delaware. An area of wetlands the size of a football field is lost every 38 minutes in Louisiana.
“Louisiana’s coast is truly a Sportsmen’s Paradise and is home to some of the best hunting and fishing opportunities in the world,” said National Wildlife Federation Sportsmen’s Outreach Coordinator Land Tawney. “But, that paradise is literally vanishing before our eyes. Simply put, if we don’t act quickly, one of the greatest places on earth to hunt and fish is going to wash away. Having Mercury, a company universally recognized as one of the best in the business, give its support will go a long way in the effort to save this incredible resource.”
Louisiana contains about 40 percent of the nation’s coastal wetlands but experiences 90 percent of the nation’s wetland loss. Those wetlands serve as nursery grounds for fish and shellfish that populate the entire Gulf of Mexico and overwinter millions of waterfowl and other migrating birds.
The continued loss of Louisiana’s coast not only threatens one of the world’s most productive fishery and wildlife habitats but has removed the natural protection of Louisiana’s coastal communities from hurricanes.
“As we saw by the record-setting fish weighed in during the Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans in February, Louisiana is a first-class destination for freshwater fishing while hosting the best saltwater fishing in the country,” Louisiana Wildlife Federation Coastal Outreach Coordinator Chris Macaluso said. “But our saltwater and freshwater fishing, our tremendous waterfowl hunting and the communities that support those efforts are all threatened by the continued loss of our coastal wetlands. With the help of Mercury and all of the companies that have signed and will sign this letter to Congress, we are hopeful that the commitment will be made by the people of America to restore this national treasure.”
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