The Gulf Of Mexico is countable for about 20 percent of the nations total commercial seafood production. (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6412DN20100503) On May 2nd US officials banned fishing in large waters due to the oil spill on the Gulf. The affected waters, which span the coastlines of four states, are largely between the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana and Florida's Pensacola Bay, the NOAA said. The ban took immediate effect and was in place for at least 10 days. According the recent report done by the US scientists, they estimated that the BP oil spill incident in the Gulf of Mexico is the biggest oil disaster in the world, over 174 million gallons have been split. The gulf is a rich breeding ground for oysters, shrimp, fish and crabs. The oil spill has badly affected the ecosystem of the Gulf and many people have been suffering from financial difficulties. This unfortunate incident has actually brought a lot of negative impacts to the global economy. Fishermen who live on the Coast rely on fishing to supply them with money and gives them a living. When disasters like this happen and certain waters are closed, that dramatically hurts the fisherman. Gulf fishing and tourism industries produced an average annual income of $3.5-$4.5 billion for the past few years. Right after the oil spill incident, the annual income for the year of 2010 has been reduced dramatically. (http://www.backinjurycompensation.org/how-will-the-bp-oil-spill-affect-the-economy-in-the-near-future-what-does-it-mean-to-the-average-joe.html)
Once the oil spills contaminate the water and the fish. Fish require oxygenated air in order to breathe. As oil penetrates the water, fish lose the ability to filter oxygen from the water and suffocate. Additionally, as fish consume the oil, it poisons them. How are fishers supposed to make a living when all the fish they catch are poisoned. The fishing industry is considered “dead” at the moment because nobody dares to eat seafood in the Gulf region.
