Mississippi Sound closed to fishing, coastal bays and rivers remain open

All recreational and commercial fishing was halted in the Mississippi Sound yesterday (July 1) “in an abundance of caution” because of sightings of oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced.

Click here for a DMR map of the closure.

The closed area includes all Mississippi marine territorial waters starting at a point on the shoreline at the Mississippi/Louisiana state line running easterly, along the southern boundary of Mississippi territorial waters to the intersection with the Mississippi/Alabama state line.

The northern boundary of the closure basically follows the coastline, cutting across the mouths of the bays and rivers.

Specific boundary desriptions have the closure running southwesterly, along the CSX railroad, to a point due north of the Bayou Casotte Ship Channel; running due south to 30° 21’ north latitude; running due west, following the 30° 21’ north latitude line, to a point of intersection with the mainland shoreline on the east side of Bellefontaine Point; westerly and northerly, following the meandering of the shoreline, to the tip of Marsh Point; running due north, to a point on the mainland shoreline; running westerly and northerly, following the meanderings of the shoreline, to the eastern abutment of the CSX railroad bridge; running  southeasterly, following the CSX railroad bridge across Biloxi Bay, to a point on the mainland shoreline at the western abutment of the CSX railroad bridge at Biloxi Bay; running westerly following the meanderings of the shoreline to eastern abutment of the CSX Railroad Bridge over St. Louis Bay; thence running westerly along the CSX railroad bridge to the western abutment of the CSX Railroad Bridge over St. Louis Bay; running southwesterly following the meanderings of the shoreline to the mouth of Bayou Caddy; running due West to the mouth of Bayou Caddy; running southwesterly following the meanderings of the shoreline to the Mississippi-Louisiana state boundary.

Anyone retaining any marine species from this closed area will be required to immediately return them to the waters. There is no catch and release fishing allowed in the closed area.