Mud dumping in Mobile Bay is impacting fishermen and their quality of life, according to the Alabama Commercial Fishermen Association.
The dumping is from the Port of Mobile deepening and widening project to allow larger ships into the channel.
RELATED: Mobile Bay fishing legend fears mud dumping could destroy way of life
Alabama Commercial Fishermen Association secretary Kerry Mitchell said the dumping is impacting the shrimping and oyster business.
She said shrimpers cannot drag the bottom in the areas of Mobile Bay where the mud is being discharged.
"It affects our oyster reef, which it has our whole reefs covered and sealed from the stuff they're putting in the Bay and churning up," Mitchell told 1819 News. "And it's affecting the oysters. It's going to affect the shrimp most likely because everything feeds on the oyster reef. Fish and other marine life are also being affected."
"This is experimental, open disbursement that they're doing in the Bay," she continued. "It's never been done before anywhere. This much material has never been released anywhere, and it's really scary for us in the fishing industry."
Mobile Baykeeper said the plan was to dump around 90 million cubic yards of spoil and mud into Mobile Bay over the next 20 years. That is equivalent to more than 42,000 football fields of sludge. Mitchell said the association has been in talks with Mobile Baykeeper.
"The Baykeepers are upset about it because they want to keep that bay clean, and we want to keep it clean because it's our livelihood," Mitchell said.
Seeing a recent video of the dumping was heartbreaking for the fishing community. After months of asking for something to change, Mitchell said she hopes more people voice concerns.
"When they saw that video, they felt like they were lied to," she said. "We have pictures of pulling oysters up, and they were covered in smut and silt, and because of the silt, the oysters have no spat on them."
"It's really going to be devastating to our bay," she continued. "It's devastating. It's just devastating and it's heartbreaking, and to us, it feels like the end of the world. It's very scary when your livelihood relies on that bay. That's where we shrimp at. That's where we oyster, not to mention fishing."
For shrimpers already facing challenges due to imported shrimp, Mitchell said she hopes the federal government can figure out a way to widen the port without harming the environment.
A town hall on the project will be held at St. Phillip Neri Catholic Church on May 15, starting at 6 p.m.
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