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and dozens of people , for his efforts during the flood , but that he certainly wasn ’ t looking for recognition . “ This is the nature of a hunter and fisherman . We are wired to go into risky situations .” He explains that there ’ s nothing else he would have done besides participate in rescue efforts . “ It ’ s like a lab puppy retrieving a duck . You don ’ t ask the Labrador why he ’ s retrieving . He just does it . It ’ s in his nature . This is what Louisiana outdoorsmen do .” Like Jared Serigné , Kyler says the police and Wildlife and Fisheries agents who were dispatched in his area weren ’ t a tenth of what was needed in that situation . “ Louisiana anglers are diligent , capable , driven , and compassionate . We mobilized ourselves without any organization necessary .” Kyler went door to door , pulling horses out of pens , trying to convince skeptical residents to evacuate to safety before the water rose even higher , and even personally rescued a baby deer . On one of his trips , he picked up a husband and wife from their flooded residence who were carrying laptop bags and zippered garment bags of dress clothes . Both were doctors , and both were prepared to go to work immediately upon being rescued . “ Everyone was in good spirits . A flood affects everyone , so no one feels personally targeted , no one feels sorry for himself . Race and class are irrelevant in situations like this .”
The flooding continued well into the following week , by which time hundreds of volunteers were taking off of work , packing their boats full of supplies , donning life vests , and heading into the disaster zones where more than 10 rivers had reached record flood levels . No one sent out a call to arms , no one acted as “ head ” of the Cajun Navy , and the vast majority of the volunteers didn ’ t look for direction , they simply showed up and helped wherever they could . With a growing number of
September 2016 www . marshandbayou . com
fatalities and widespread flood damage across several parishes , there was plenty of work to be done . Unfortunately in the midst of these efforts , rumors began to surface that there was a “ Go Fund Me ” account set up in the name of the Cajun Navy to reimburse volunteers for gas , wear and tear on their boats , and lost wages . This disgusted a great number of fishermen and boat operators and caused them to disassociate themselves from the name . Although the Cajun Navy had been credited with rescuing thousands of people and animals from flooded areas , most of the volunteers wouldn ’ t ever seek to be recognized or compensated . With their reputations at stake , boat owners continued to work selflessly , omitting the # cajunnavy hashtag in their pictures and social media posts to avoid being grouped with anyone who would seek to benefit from the tragedy . When Jared Serigné announced publicly that he was in no way connected with any kind of fundraising efforts for himself or his teams of boat operators , I began searching for clarification on the Cajun Navy .
Thankfully , my friend at the
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and seasoned charter captain Sam Barbera offered to shed some light on the controversy , and give some much-needed guidance to anglers for the future . First , Captain Sam put an end to the question of who does and who does not “ belong ” to the Cajun Navy . “ The term Cajun Navy began after Hurricane Katrina devasted the city of New Orleans and surrounding areas . Back then , if you put your boat in the water to help others , you were a member of the Cajun Navy , and you wore that badge with honor .” He explained it is the same today , and it ’ s similar to being a part of the Who-Dat Nation . If you ’ ve ever cheered for the Saints , worn a black and gold jersey on game day , or been to a game in
“ It ’ s like a lab puppy retrieving a duck . You don ’ t ask the Labrador why he ’ s retrieving . He just does it . It ’ s in his nature . This is what Louisiana outdoorsmen do .”.”
the Superdome , you ’ re a member . Captain Sam says there ’ s no leader , no rank structure , nothing formal in the Cajun Navy . It ’ s just a bunch of boat operators who want to serve in times of crisis . He insists , “ Any hint of fundraising efforts on our behalf is offensive to the core . None of the true boat operators who were out on the water want to be paid back .”