An employee of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was fired in 2019 because she claimed to have only raised concerns about a $1 billion coastal restoration project that she believed would harm and kill bottlenose dolphins.
Researchers on the Gulf Coast are now warning about the same project, a report from the Gulf Coast Louisiana Illuminator Highlight the nuances of coastal projects and employee stories.
Mandy Tumlin is the Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries [LDWF] His job is to collect data on the deaths of dolphins in the state.
When she was fired in 2019, records showed that she was fired because of failing to enter data about dolphins and sea turtle strandings into the online system before the federal deadline. However, Tumlin’s lawyer J. Arthur Smith III stated that these allegations are untrue.
According to the Louisiana Lighting Company, the Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened for a total of 118 days in 2019 to relieve pressure on the Mississippi River dam in New Orleans.
That year, there were 337 dolphins found on the beach According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only 9 people survived on the Gulf Coast.
Tumlin said that the dolphins were dying due to freshwater damage caused by the second opening of the Bonnet Carre spillway, but said she was unable to discuss the issue with reporters. “When the media asked, I had to abide by the regulations as a national employee,” she said. “It feels like there is this persistent obstacle.”
Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is a $1.4 billion restoration project that will involve opening an opening in the Mississippi River embankment south of New Orleans to channel water into Barataria Bay to rebuild the wetland.
Given that more dolphins are more likely to die, other researchers are now expressing concerns about the project.
Captain George Ricks, a strong opponent of the project, is Tumlin’s ally in this situation. He said: “They asked me to take an oath and asked me if there is any reason to think she should be terminated. I said no.”
“I will give you my opinion,” he added. “She was fired because they didn’t want her to talk too much about the river that caused these dolphins to die.”
Tumlin still cares about the welfare of animals, knowing that the project may further damage the ecosystem and the dolphins that inhabit it. She said: “These diversions will lead to a sharp drop in salinity levels in these areas,” she said. “We cannot capture more than 2,000 dolphins and move them.”
A study requested by the Marine Mammal Council Submitted in May It was discovered that the project may lead to the “functional extinction” of dolphin populations in two areas of the Balataria Bay. The study stated that these deaths were caused by long-term exposure to fresh water, which left them with burn-like lesions and made them more vulnerable.
Tumlin is currently fighting LDWF in the Court of Appeal, And an LDWF spokesperson told the Louisiana State Illuminator that state civil servants will make a decision on this case in the next few months.
Weekly newspaper Contacted Mandy Tumlin for more comments, but did not respond to publication in time.
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