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.
I can see how the oil effects the water and the fish in it, poisoning them. What affect does fish that have consumed large quantities of oil have on people who come in contact with them? How threatening is it to humans to eat these poisoned fish?
ReplyDeleteLiving in a town on the coast where many people's jobs revolve around the ocean and fishing, I couldn't begin to imagine how much it affects people on the Gulf. Is there an estimated time frame when it will be safe to fish again?
ReplyDeleteDo you think BP should reimburse the fisherman?
ReplyDeleteAlthough this is something that will heal over time, it doesn't change what's happening in the present. Fisherman are suffering in the gulf due to lack of business. But, how long can they last before it is safe to fish again? I think they should be reimbursed.
ReplyDeleteI think BP should reimburse the fisherman, they practically destroyed their careers. When is it okay to eat this fish any time soon?
ReplyDeleteWith such a large contribution to the nation's supply of seafood production, I wonder if this dreadful event had any large impacts on the economy in the nation as a whole when focused on seafood production. Did other seafood producing regions benefit from this oil spill, since the economy would depend on them more for the production of the seafood? When not focusing on the seafood section of the economy, did this accident set the nation back even further from coming out of its economic "depression"?
ReplyDeleteIs this having an effect on fishing industries not on the gulf? For instance has the price of fish gone up since one of the supplies is now shut down?
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