“One week into CP2 LNG’s construction, and it's already a calamity.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“One week into CP2 LNG’s construction, and it's already a calamity.”
Cameron Parish Fisherfolk & Advocates Condemn Dredging Discharge
CAMERON, LA — August 5, 2025 — Commercial fishermen, coastal advocates, and residents of Cameron Parish are voicing alarm and dismay over an apparent unauthorized discharge of dredged material from the Calcasieu Loop Pass dredging project, now spilling into canals and Calcasieu Lake, damaging sensitive ecosystems and threatening the future of the region’s fisheries.
The dredged sediment, pumped from the east side of the loop under the road into containment berms in the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, is overtopping or bypassing those containment areas and flowing north into canals, where crab traps have been buried and waters reduced to a slurry of mud. The discharge is now flowing through the southeast “No Name” weir and into Calcasieu Lake, a critical estuarine habitat.
“It’s always something. They're going to kill our estuary. It’s a shame.” — Keith McCauley, Cameron Fisherman
“It’s thick, it's slush. There must be only 4 or 5 inches of water; the rest is slush. I know the rest has killed the shrimp; it's already killed crabs.” — Captain Ray Mallet, The FACTS (Fisherfamily Advisory Council for Tradition & Stewardship)
“I refuse to sit back and watch further destruction of my lake. We won’t be lied to, bought off, or silenced. Cameron Parish residents should expect these same standards.” — Captain Jeremy Waltrip, Cameron Guide Fishermen
Local observers report that the canal is now silted to only 3–4 inches of water. Commercial crabbers have found their pots filled with mud, and viable shrimp habitat appears to have been destroyed. These impacts are unfolding in an area that was not supposed to receive dredged material, and without sufficient public notification or hearing.
Environmental and community advocates, including For a Better Bayou and the Habitat Recovery Project, are raising urgent concerns about possible violations of the Clean Water Act, which prohibits unauthorized discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States.
Community Demands
Fishermen, advocates, and Cameron Parish residents are calling for:
Immediate investigation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
Cessation of all discharges until containment failures are resolved.
Remediation of fisheries and compensation for local fishermen whose gear and livelihood have been impacted.
Full public transparency, including a public hearing to address these impacts and ongoing dredging activities.
The impacts of this unauthorized discharge add to a broader pattern of industrial and coastal infrastructure projects displacing working fishers, threatening coastal wetlands, and undermining the ecological foundation of southwest Louisiana.
Video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/UMsNMoDPI3Q
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1ujJr22chZNGd4uV0ZDR2PyW6yvb7Ocri
Contacts:
James Hiatt
For a Better Bayou
james@betterbayou.net | 337-515-0655
Alyssa Portaro
Habitat Recovery Project
alyssa@habitatrecovery.org | 973-632-1695