NEWS

No more fishing in Melville?

Jordan Arceneaux
jarceneaux@gannett.com

Fishermen in Melville will have to find another place to launch their boats into the Atchafalaya River.

Early Tuesday morning, a crew from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) placed a concrete barricade along the boat launch area, blocking boat access to the river.

Melville residents Cindy and Gerald Williams said they received a call at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday about the barricade. They couldn't believe it.

"I cried when I heard the news," Cindy Williams said. "I'm brokenhearted. All of my family was raised on this water."

"It hurts," said Gerald Williams. "When you've been here (Melville) for 60 years and now this is going on. It just doesn't make any sense."

The Williams said they did not receive any explanation behind Tuesday's events.

Melville is a town with a little more than 1,000 people, according to the 2010 census. The town has lost its only school, bank and other businesses in the last several years.

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"This strips us of a lot of recreation," Cindy Williams said.

DOTD Public Information Officer, Deidra Druilhet, said the area was a ferry landing that was closed in 2010. Druilhet said her agency utilized the landing through a right-of-way agreement with Union Pacific. Once the landing was closed, the agreement was left in limbo. She said it was discovered residents were using the landing as a boat launch, and that's when barriers were put up for liability reasons.

Melville Police Chief Anthony Moreau said early Thursday his phone had been ringing constantly with complaints about what was going on by the river.

"I'm 48 years old and people have been launching boats from here since I was a baby," he said. "People use this for a recreational area. I don't think this is fair."

Allen Moreau agreed with Williams and the chief.

"This is the last thing we have out here besides the grocery store (Cannatella's)," he said Thursday leaning up against the barricade. "This is my sanctuary. This is where I come to get my mind. On weekends, you normally can't park because of all the trucks and boat trailers."

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Moreau, who currently lives in Sunset, said when he heard about what was going on, he had to drive to Melville, where he grew up and lived for over 25 years.

"It floored me," he said. "It took my breath away."

The barricade doesn't completely stop fishing for locals, but it requires them to drive at least 10 miles to get their boats in the river.

The nearest towns with boat ramps are Krotz Springs and Simmesport. Krotz Springs is 12 miles and Simmesport is about 25 miles away from Melville.

Allen Moreau said Melville should get what Krotz Springs and Simmesport already have.

"Krotz Springs has two concrete boat ramps; Simmesport has three," he said. "Why can't Melville just have one."

Druilhet says the DOTD is working with Union Pacific to figure out a way to allow Melville residents back in the water to retrieve their belongings.