BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Responding to an audit challenging millions in spending in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the agency’s former leader told lawmakers Thursday he made “mistakes” in his management, but denied he left behind widespread, systemic troubles.
“Nothing could be further from the truth than that,” said former secretary Robert Barham, who headed the department during former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s eight years in office. “Wildlife and Fisheries was put back in great condition when we were there.”
Barham said he inherited a department “rapidly going into the red” and his leadership team reshaped operations and improved financial conditions. He called the financial review by Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera’s office “one of the worst points of Monday morning quarterbacking that I have seen.”
Purpera’s office said it found extensive financial problems across the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries from 2010 through 2015.
Auditors said they found insufficient sampling of fish and excessive spending in part of the $10.5 million BP-financed seafood safety program overseen by the agency. Gulf oil spill recovery money intended for fish testing was diverted to buy unnecessary equipment like iPads, cameras, boats and now-missing fishing equipment, according to the audit.
Auditors also questioned hundreds of thousands spent on contracts, clothing and sponsorships and federal grant dollars that paid for a boat that “appeared to have little or no benefit to the agency.” They said the department bought a plane without getting a proper inspection and later found damage that could cost up to $581,000 in repairs.
Lawmakers on the Legislative Audit Advisory Council asked questions, but were largely sympathetic to the one-time secretary. Only Sen. Mack “Bodi” White, R-Baton Rouge, targeted Barham directly.
“That’s one of the best jobs I’ve seen, putting it on everybody else,” White said. He said Barham may not have had intent, “but I think there was some mismanagement at some point.”
Barham told lawmakers: “We made mistakes, and I’ll take the blame for the mistakes. But it wasn’t by intent. And in total, we did a great job, including this seafood safety program.”
Now the head of the Office of State Parks, Barham said the testing was handled properly and under budget. He said federal and state agencies agreed Louisiana’s seafood was safe.
Rep. Julie Stokes, R-Kenner, said the audit showed “somewhat of a disregard for proper channels.”
When Stokes asked about seafood risks, Purpera said the state Office of Public Health tested the fish samples submitted by Barham’s agency and reported “there is no contamination, was none, is none.”
“That makes a difference,” Stokes replied.
Rep. Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, said Barham’s department responded to overwhelming disasters, including several hurricanes besides the oil spill, and appeared to learn from mistakes.
“To sit here and say things weren’t done right and the money wasn’t spent exactly right, I think is a little off course for us,” Schexnayder told Barham. “I think it can be done better. I think you said that.”
Gov. John Bel Edwards’ new wildlife and fisheries secretary, Jack Montoucet, sat in the hearing without criticizing the agency the Edwards administration inherited.
“We’re going to work with the auditors to put the reforms in that we need to make sure these things don’t happen again,” Montoucet said outside the hearing.
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