The

East Bank of Mississippi River

Way down on the east bank of the Mississippi River about an hour from New Orleans lies a

small fishing community by the name of Pueblo LaHash.

This is a place like Northern World.

This predominantly black fishing village in Plaquemines Parish has built their life around

the water.

That was our bank, that was our food, that was everything.

Byron Ankalade is the founder of the Louisiana Oyster Minn Association, a mostly black union

that represents Oyster Min of color.

Byron's grandfather began harvesting oysters and passed the tradition down to Byron's father,

who then passed it to him.

You can't remember when you first thought because you start from a job, you know.

For at least four generations, the majority of black residents in Pueblo LaHash have

sustained their families on fishing, mainly for oysters.

This was known as one of the richest oyster grounds in the world.

The bayous between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico have long been the economic

engine for their businesses, the backdrop for play and leisure and the force that kept

this village nourished.

With each new generation, the art and labor of oyster harvesting was passed down and with

it, many treasures the sea offered, work, food, culture.

In the way that wooder shapes a canyon, wooder has shaped Pueblo LaHash.

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