ulf fishermen say the taint of BP's blowout continues to impact everything they do. They report shrimp catches in some areas are as bad as they've ever seen, while seafood market prices have hit rock bottom. No one wants to buy their seafood after the disaster last year, they complain. Many fishermen also say they have not been compensated by BP for their losses, despite promises made by BP claims administrator Kenneth Feinberg.
Recently, fishermen rallied at the Louisiana's capitol steps to protest the low market prices and lack of compensation by BP. On top of these complaints, shrimpers also are blamed by some environmentalists and NOAA fisheries experts as the main cause of record sea turtle deaths over the past year. That's something shrimpers vehemently deny and say the turtle deaths instead are related to the BP oil disaster.
Many fishermen have no idea how they will make it through the year if conditions stay the same. It can cost them more in gas and expenses than what they make for their catch. "They just like to kick us when we're down," said one Louisiana fisherman. "That's something we're used to. We don't have any choice but to just keep trying to make a living like we've always done."
But it will be years until they really know if their fishery has survived the gusher of oil unleashed by BP and its drilling partners. The beaches may appear clean to some, but what's going on underneath the water is a different story. Scientists continue to investigate the true damage caused by this disaster, a process that won't end soon. Meanwhile, drilling in the Gulf continues to expand while experts warn Congress has yet to pass oil drilling safety legislation recommended by the presidential oil spill commission earlier this year.
But opposition to new legislation by oil companies and their political allies is powerful. Well-funded oil industry PR campaigns will continue to try to deflect attention away from negative realities on the ground and at sea. As the tweet about NRDC's beach report shows, BP will continue to claim success in the Gulf cleanup, even when new reports demonstrate its failures.
(Photo of cleanup workers on Louisiana's Grand Isle by Betty Doud.)