The Fisherfamily Advisory Council for Tradition & Stewardship brings together coastal families, seafood workers, and cultural stewards to guide Habitat Recovery Project’s programs, legal strategies, and organizational practices regarding the preservation of our waters.
Core Purpose:
Captain Ray Mallett using his decades of knowledge of the Calcasieu River to educate boat passengers.
This council of 6 multi-generational fisherfolk and coastal families from Southwest Louisiana serves as a frontline voice for ecosystem and cultural preservation within Louisiana’s intergenerational fishing communities.
As ecological assessment agents and community liaisons, we monitor the changing conditions of our waters and the people who inhabit them. We witness and report the changes we see, our observations grounded in generations of traditional ecological knowledge. Through amplifying our lived experiences and intrinsic knowledge of our ecosystems, we connect to the global conversations.
An Ongoing Crisis:
100,000 dead oysters and counting.
In August 2025, the dredging in preparation for CP2 breached containment, leaking hundreds of millions of gallons of water into Big Lake.
The fishermen of Cameron face extreme losses, with no avenue for remediation.
Teaching the FACTS:
A key aspect of the FACTS program is public education. The Fisherfamily’s inherent knowledge of Cameron Parish is invaluable to the lifeblood of the community. The FACTS sits on Panel discussions about the welfare of their waters and informs policymakers, culture bearers, advocates, and citizens alike on the importance of protecting the fisheries.
Pictured: The Williams Family, FACTS Council Members, visit Victoria Styrbicki’s ‘Caught Up’ Exhibit in Lake Charles.
“A powerful and inspiring visit today at the gallery with oystering family Solomon, Jay, and Cheyenne Williams. Cheyenne brought the levity, Solomon the passion, and Jay the insight—especially when she looked at the central net and said, “It’s like a target… like how the Louisiana fishing industry is being targeted”—by imports, lack of political support, industrial interference, and climate change.”
Their lived knowledge and fierce advocacy are essential to the story we’re telling—and to the future of Gulf Coast communities. So grateful for their presence, and excited for more collaboration with these incredible fisherfolk.”- Victoria Bradford Styrbicki
How The FACTS Got Started…
The fishermen of Cameron Parish came together with a common question: Where did all the shrimp go? In seeking to answer this question, they have spoken to scientists and journalists from around the world. Below, here are the FACTS members investigating the air and waters they shrimp in with Oilfield Witness.
Ray and Stephney Mallet are shrimpers in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. In this video, the Mallets share their testimony on how Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal has led to a decline in shrimp production.
Oilfield Witness visits members of Fisherfamily Advisory Council for Tradition & Stewardship (FACTS) on their shrimp boat. Tad Theriot, a FACTS member, shares testimony on how Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility (CP1) has impacted their livelihood as shrimpers.