About this episode
This episode explores the conflict between fishermen and fossil fuel interests over land loss in Louisiana.
Why are fishermen being arrested in Louisiana? An epic battle over "Sportsman's Paradise" is being waged on Louisiana's water. This is a story about public rights and private power colliding. As more and more of Louisiana’s coast disappears underwater, the state’s two most powerful and iconic forces – fishing and fossil fuels – are waging war over who owns the drowned land. Check out a print version of this story in Southlands Magazine. Read and subscribe here . Want to dive even deeper into the legal issues surrounding this story? Beginning with how private ownership of wetlands traces back to the Swamp Land Grant Acts in the 1800s? Then check out property law scholar John Lovett's legal paper. This episode was hosted and reported by Sea Change's executive producer, Carlyle Calhoun. The episode was edited by Eve Abrams. Additional help from Johanna Zorn, Drew Hawkins, Eva Tesfaye, and Michael McEwan. The episode was fact-checked by Philip Kiefer. Sound design by Dennis Funk, and our theme music is by Jon Batiste. Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf…
People in this episode
Host: Carlyle Calhoun
Topics covered
- fishing rights
- coastal erosion
- property law
- Louisiana
- public rights
- private power
- wetlands
Keywords
- Louisiana
- fishing
- coastal erosion
- property law
- wetlands
- public rights
- private power
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sea Change, WWNO, WRKF, NPR Podcast Network, PRX, Walton Family Foundation, Meraux Foundation, Greater New Orleans Foundation
More episodes of Sea Change
- It's All Elementary: Part 1 – Nitrogen · June 5, 2026 · 26 min
- Climate Wayfinding: A Compass for the Climate Crisis · May 22, 2026 · 36 min
- Catching the Codfather · April 23, 2026 · 57 min
- Returning to the Carbon Coast · April 9, 2026 · 52 min
- Can We Save Millions of Migrating Birds? · March 25, 2026 · 15 min
- Sea Change Live: The Future of Seafood · March 11, 2026 · 43 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Sea Change podcast page.