Local anglers stand to lose fishing access to the north and south levees on Pleasure Island due to a variety of problems which center on dumping, vandalism and other crimes that sometimes take place out there.

    Last week I spoke with Port Arthur Police Chief Mark Blanton who said someone burned several of the fishing piers on the north levee and there has been an increase in the amount of trash dumped out there.

    “We’re having to close it at night right now and if things don’t get better it might be closed altogether. That would be a real shame because we know how valuable that area is to fishermen however the problems out there are going to have to get better,” Blanton said.

    He hopes local citizens will turn in those they see vandalizing the area and committing other crimes.

    “If they see someone committing a crime out there they can call 911 or call us direct at 983-8600. We need the community to help us police that area because of its remote location and to be our eyes on the ground,” Blanton said.

     On these pages, we have reported on problems with the levee a number of times. Last year when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (who has authority over the levee) contracted someone to do repair work, they reported severe vandalism on their equipment and other shady behavior. At the time Corps officials told me they could close the levee permanently.

     “It is very much the intent of the City and the Corps of Engineers to keep these areas useable for legitimate recreational users, but we can’t keep hauling car bodies out or repairing our levees when vehicles tear them up which causes erosion,” said Rick Harrison, chief of real estate for the Corp’s Galveston office last spring.

    “We hope the fishermen and bird watchers who use that area will turn in those who are causing the problems because we know it’s not them. We want to keep it open but we are going to have to make some progress. We need the help of the people who care the most about this important resource to keep it available to the public,” he said.

    The people of this area also need to do whatever it takes to keep the levee open. It is an invaluable resource for anglers without boats.

    There are thousands of people in the area that do not own a $30,000 bay boat or even a john boat. The only fishing they can afford is from the bank and if the north levee is lost what I consider to be the best bank fishing spot in the entire Upper Coast region will be lost.

    I don’t know how many times the officials in charge will warn the public about the problems out there. At some point these closures will become permanent unless the problems discussed above decrease dramatically.

    Pleasure Island is a wonderful resource for those of us who enjoy the outdoors but it could be ruined by the criminal actions of a few. We need to do whatever we can to make sure that does not happen.

    Chester Moore, Jr. is the Port Arthur News Outdoors Editor. To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him at saltwater@fishgame.com. You can hear him on the radio Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.