Gulf Seafood Since The BP Oil Spill: A Running History

Since the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and the subsequent oil spill, the degree of catastrophe facing the Gulf's seafood and its industry has been coming in to devastating focus. To chart the chronology of the oil spill's effects on Gulf seafood and the people who make their living fishing, distributing, preparing, and selling it, we've collected some key events in photographs along the way. Captions in some cases are from Getty and the AP, and slides are ordered reverse-chronologically.

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July 20: Fresh Water Kills Oysters

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Louisiana officials opened levees along the Mississippi River in April in an effort to push oily waters back. Although their actions successfully minimized the infiltration of oil in coastal marshes, the consequential drop in salinity has wreaked havoc on the delicate ecosystems of the marshes and bays. The Wall Street Journal reports:

Full-strength seawater typically contains roughly 35 parts salt per thousand parts water, scientists say. Some of the southern Louisiana waters most productive for oysters contain 15 or more parts salt per thousand parts water, said Earl Melancon, a biologist at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. But in recent weeks, Mr. Melancon said, some waters in the vicinity of southern Louisiana's Barataria Bay have been found to have salinity levels below five parts salt per thousand parts water. Even the hardiest oysters, he said, have trouble surviving in that.

(Photo from the Wall Street Journal)

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Louisiana officials opened levees along the Mississippi River in April in an effort to push oily waters back. Although their actions successfully minimized the infiltration of oil in coastal marshes, the consequential drop in salinity has wreaked havoc on the delicate ecosystems of the marshes and bays. The Wall Street Journal reports:

Full-strength seawater typically contains roughly 35 parts salt per thousand parts water, scientists say. Some of the southern Louisiana waters most productive for oysters contain 15 or more parts salt per thousand parts water, said Earl Melancon, a biologist at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La.

But in recent weeks, Mr. Melancon said, some waters in the vicinity of southern Louisiana's Barataria Bay have been found to have salinity levels below five parts salt per thousand parts water. Even the hardiest oysters, he said, have trouble surviving in that.

(Photo from the Wall Street Journal)

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Comments

[lodger16x]

05:20 AM on 07/23/2010

The people of the Gulf have elected oil prostitute politicians for decades. You know, this was bound to happen, and it will happen again. You can't let unregulated free markets run wild and expect no consequences. As far as I can tell, the Gulf people have learned exactly nothing, they're all hyped up for more drilling, anytime, anywhere, no questions asked by "big gummint"! FLA seems to have a liittle more sense.

[SaneThoughts]

10:25 PM on 07/22/2010

Anyone want to eat seafood from the gulf?

Thanks for nothing, BP!

[TheFoodFreak]

10:22 PM on 07/21/2010

I hate BP...

But if there is any humor we can squeeze out of this tragedy, its this video...

http://bit.ly/9gbvgg

UnF*@k the Gulf

[HisPetGoat]

06:07 PM on 07/21/2010

Louisiana easily had enough salt available to salinate the freshwater.

[HisPetGoat]

06:11 PM on 07/21/2010

In 1998, Louisiana produced 15,000,000 metric tons of salt and is the nation's leading producer.

[MaxineFox]

05:43 PM on 07/21/2010

Our whole seafood/aquatic food source is in eminent peril which is sad because it is some of the healthiest food on earth, especially for omega-3!

Maxine Fox
http://reverse-diabetes-naturally.blogspot.com

[mrJJ]

12:08 PM on 07/21/2010

Bobby Jindal is at it again...

First he only deployed 1,053 troops of 6,000 Guardsmen that was allotted to his state for the cleanup.

Then he insisted on constructing his $350 Million Dollar Sand Berm Boondoggle which failed:
http://lacoastpost.com/blog/?p=25001

Now Jindal "said the state has conducted hundreds of tests and found no signs of contaminated seafood,....."

Jindal prods FDA to speed testing on seafood
Commercial fishing could reopen soo

Less than a week after sport fishing was restored in most state waters affected by the Gulf oil spill, Gov. Bobby Jindal called on federal regulators Monday to expedite seafood safety tests needed to lift a ban on commercial fishing in the same waters.

Jindal said the state has conducted hundreds of tests and found no signs of contaminated seafood, but the federal Food and Drug Administration must conduct its own tests.

more: http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-15/127960751010580.xml&coll=1

The problem??? There are no Tests available to assure anyone that corexit has not contamiated the seafood you may but on your dinner table.... continued

[mrJJ]

12:13 PM on 07/21/2010

Sanjay Gupta Warns Contrary To Government Claims Nobody Can Be Sure That BP Gulf Oil Spill Seafood Is Safe

In particular Dr. Sanjay informs us that the Federal Government is only testing seafood contamination for only 12 of the multitude of chemicals that oil breaks down into.

Perhaps the most shocking part of the report is that the Federal Government is not even testing seafood for the neurotoxin pesticide dispersant Corexit.

(on camera): Diepoxybutane, I believe it’s called, one of the — one of the particularly toxic chemicals in the Corexit. You can’t — there’s no chemical test being done right now?

STEIN: There’s no — there’s not a chemical test for that right now.

GUPTA (voice-over): What? No test? So how can the guarantee of safety be complete? We decided to dig deeper to clarify.

video and more: http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2010/07/10/sanjay-gupta-warns-contrary-government-claims-bp-gulf-oil-spill-seafood-safe/

[unimatrix0]

04:59 PM on 07/21/2010

I think for the next 20yrs the UK should buy what ever seafood comes out of the Gulf, and we can buy their north atlantic fish in trade. Let's see how clean BP thinks the food is now.

[mrJJ]

10:25 PM on 07/20/2010

Source: examiner.com

Over 100 scientists and academic institution, research laboratory, conservation organization leaders plus human rights defenders from as far away as Norway and Greece signed the Scientists Consensus Statement on the Use of Chemical Dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico calling for the Obama Administration to immediately halt chemical aerial spraying in the Gulf region. A public petition to end dispersant use is also gaining momentum.

Non-consensual human experiementation

Scientists expressing grave concern about the unprecedented aerial spraying of chemical dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico region believe a large-scale, uncontrolled non-consensual human and environmental experiment is being conducted in the Gulf region according to reports sent to the writer including one from the "Ocean Doctor" David E. Guggenheim, Ph.D.

more: http://www.examiner.com/x-10438-Human-Rights-Examiner~y2010m7d20-Censored-Gulf-news-Stop-spraying-dispersants-Call-for-scientists-plublic-action?cid=examiner-email

[nexxtep54]

10:09 PM on 07/20/2010

If you have thoughts or suggestions related to this article comment or post at new independent site; http://bpspillsolutions.com/BPspill/default.asp

[nickguillory]

09:26 PM on 07/20/2010

Do you think BP is silencing the scientists???? Check this clip for clarification:

http://www.frequency.com/video/bp-silencing/166881

[nexxtep54]

10:11 PM on 07/20/2010

Excellent link ! Take the time to post it at; http://bpspillsolutions.com/BPspill/default.asp a new non BP site.

[mrJJ]

04:50 PM on 07/20/2010

Gulf Seafood Gets Chemically Tested for Oil, Not Dispersant

http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/gulf-seafood-gets-chemically-tested-for-oil-not-dispersant

EPA Whistleblower Accuses Agency of Covering Up Effects of Dispersant in BP Oil Spill Cleanup

With BP having poured nearly two million gallons of the dispersant known as Corexit into the Gulf of Mexico, many lawmakers and advocacy groups say the Obama administration is not being candid about the lethal effects of dispersants. We speak with Hugh Kaufman, a senior policy analyst at the EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response and a leading critic of the decision to use Corexit. [includes rush transcript]

more: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/20/epa_whistleblower_accuses_agency_of_covering

[doctorj2u]

07:21 PM on 07/11/2010

Blaspheme!

[Ohsherri]

02:27 PM on 07/08/2010

Dear Coastal peoples-

You had a precious, precious unique paradise...

and then you sold your soul.

I hope it was worth it. ...especially now with BP's chain around your neck.

[doctorj2u]

07:21 PM on 07/11/2010

Did that make you feel better, because it certainly did not help the situation on the Gulf Coast one iota.

[Aerows]

12:00 AM on 07/12/2010

And you aren't helping one iota, either, by playing apologist. We are getting slammed, and little is being done about it.

Get off of your knees if you even care about our region one bit.

[Biological]

05:25 PM on 07/14/2010

How did I sell it? I live in Florida, we had nothing to do with it.

[clearthinker2008]

09:18 AM on 07/15/2010

Yeah, ALL the poor folks, fisherman, small restaurant owners, and middle class got together and decided to be screwed over by British Petroleum. Yeah, that's how it happened.

*sarcasm*

[Ohsherri]

02:13 PM on 07/08/2010

On top of the oil, there's that lovely COREXIT (banned chemical dispersant)
they try to not talk about that...
as long as we don't see it.

[hubbahubba77]

07:35 AM on 07/07/2010

I guess they don't have much of a choice. :(

[Aerows]

01:56 PM on 07/07/2010

No, and it's incredibly sad. No Blue Crabs, shrimp or oysters.

[doctorj2u]

07:22 PM on 07/11/2010

Man, Aerows has a heart?

[rucognizant]

06:12 AM on 07/07/2010

Slide #19 photo captions by Getty.
Oil continues LEAKING ? from Deepwater well................
OIL CONTINUES GUSHING / HEMORRHAGING...more truthful!