The fragile Biloxi Marsh, located about 40 miles east of the City of New Orleans, has lost more than 16,000 acres of land over the last 90 years due to shoreline degradation and erosion.

This rapid land loss threatens the Biloxi Wildlife Management Area (WMA), an adjacent 40,000-acre estuary vital to hundreds of species and vast vegetation. The Biloxi WMA is also a critical shelter for mammals during high tide events and serves as a natural storm surge protection for the densely populated Greater New Orleans area.

CPRA completed construction on the project in July 2023. The project supports both restoration and resiliency objectives with 11 miles of shoreline protection through two types of breakwater structures: Wave Attenuation Devices (WADs) and interlocking ShoreJax. These concrete structures are designed to furnish protection against wave erosion for the fragile marsh and to offer ideal surfaces for oysters to settle and grow. The resulting oyster reefs are anticipated to enhance productivity of a variety of species and other oyster reefs in the estuarymore broadly supporting Louisiana's oyster industry, which leads the nation with $35 million annual dockside sales.