“When will the spills stop?”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fisherfolk capture dramatic discharge of sludge related to dredging 

Video 1 here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOXJL8SjFmE/?igsh=MWlrOWRvZGk2aTNvbg==

Video 2 here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOXRpNcDF0J/

CAMERON, LA — September 9, 2025 — A burst of muck from a booster barge spewed for hours outside monkey island on September 8th. It is unknown if this was a planned or accidental release of sediment, but it is in violation of the current permits for the dredging at Monkey Island. Residents say that Venture Global's dredging for CP2 LNG construction has been disaster after disaster -- first escaping containment and filling bayous and getting into Calcasieu Lake, wrecking inland shrimp season and muddying up oysters. 

****THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. MORE FOOTAGE AND STATEMENTS TO BE ADDED AS DISASTER UNFOLDS.****

“Just imagine the sediment coming through that spray! It was shooting out upwards, sideways, coming out both ends! We need people in office who will put a stop to all these permits. The first accident shouldn’t have happened. [These agencies] let them continue, and now this. They have the money to do the job right, they are doing it quickly though and screwing up every step of the way.” - Solomon Williams Jr., Multigeneration Oysterman

“It’s in the same canal where we dock. We would go unload shrimp right there by Monkey Island. You know they are messing up the shrimp. It didn’t look right.” - Stephney Mallett, Cameron Fisherwoman

“It’s probably worse than the sludge. It’s 100% all of it right at the source. We need them to let the sediment settle and slow down this whole dredging operation.” - Captain Ray Mallett, Cameron Commercial Fisherman

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.

Contacts:

James Hiatt
 For a Better Bayou
 james@betterbayou.net | 337-515-0655

Alyssa Portaro

Habitat Recovery Project

alyssa@habitatrecovery.org  | 973-632-1695

Misha MayeurComment