Research Project Aimed At Restoring Chandeleur Islands Underway

A Louisiana-based research organization and a professor at the University of Southern Mississippi are joining forces in a research project aimed at restoring and protecting the Chandeleur Islands in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

In a news release announcing the effort, USM notes that the islands provide habitat for gulf fish and wildlife, and provide storm protection for coastal Louisiana.

Led by Dr. Kelly Darnell, an assistant research professor at USM, the project is one of 20 awarded a combined $2.3 million to find ways of best managing natural resources in the Gulf, including marine, mammals, shorebirds, barrier islands, seagrass and fisheries.

The projects are funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration restore Science Program.

The Water Institute of the Gulf, based in Baton Rouge, will be among those working with Darnell.

Others include the University of Florida, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Gulf of Mexico Alliance.