The devastating "Deepwater Horizon" oil spill cu
rrently
affecting the Gulf of Mexico is turning into one of the worst spills
in American history and continues unabated. Officials estimate that
approximately 5,000 barrels of oil continue to gush from the well daily, and
several attempts to shut off the well's valve have failed. Unofficial reports
have said oil could continue to spew into the ocean for up to two months.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has
restricted fishing for a minimum of 10 days in the waters most affected by the
oil spill - largely between Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the
Mississippi River to the waters off Florida's Pensacola Bay. This is to assess
how long it will take to stop the spill, how successful the attempts will be to
stop oily water from entering vulnerable habitats and determine how the spill
will affect the reproduction of oysters, shrimp, crab and finfish.
Fishing communities in the Gulf, which supply around 40% of seafood
in the lower 48 states, are bracing themselves for overwhelming environmental
and economic hardship not just over the coming weeks, but potentially the
coming years.
Shrimp farmers, ready to start their season after a long, cold
winter and already battling rising fuel costs and plummeting prices fear that
domestic production will be affected to such a great degree by the oil spill that
retailers will have no choice but to rely on imports to make up the difference. Currently, many producers and distributors have frozen
inventory to supply the market, but it seems inevitable that in the near term,
prices for Gulf of Mexico seafood will rise and availability will fall.
This latest disaster comes less than a month after the U.S.
government announcement that large parts of the East Coast, Alaska and Gulf of
Mexico will be opened up for extensive offshore drilling to decrease the
country's dependence on foreign oil, if only in the short term. Obviously, the Deepwater
Horizon spill has raised concerns about these proposed plans. The fears of
environmentalists and businesses that depend on Gulf fisheries have been
realized.
FishWise will be attending a stakeholder conference-call
hosted by NOAA Fisheries this week. We will provide updates on relevant
material as it becomes available.
For
photos of the spill and an opportunity to
take action, see the Greenpeace website. Google maps has also set up a website to
view the spill.
