Impacts of Extreme Weather Conditions on Coastal Fisheries Near Bayou Teche, Louisiana from 2019–2023

Between 2019 and 2023 an exceptional series of extreme weather impacted southcentral Louisiana. These events include Hurricane Barry, Hurricane Laura, Hurricane Delta, Hurricane Zeta, Hurricane Ida, and a United States Drought Monitor (USDM) D4 drought. These extreme weather conditions have never been studied as a series, and, intriguingly, they impacted the same region in a short period. The extreme weather conditions between 2019 and 2023 caused tremendous damage; however, the impacts on local coastal fisheries are only briefly mentioned. This thesis will analyze the extreme climatological aspects of these conditions, the estimated reoccurrence of similar events, and how this series of events impacted the coastal fisheries in southcentral Louisiana near Bayou Teche. Biological methods include fish biodiversity and species abundance statistics alongside Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) model testing. The climatological methods include extreme value statistics, reoccurrence intervals, and analysis of the event's extreme aspects.