Impact of Oil Disaster on Fishing Community
GNOF’s Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund’s first grant was to the Seedco Financial Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center to support fishermen and their families during this uncertain time.
Chuck Huber – Commercial Fisherman “There are some 4,000 commercial fishermen who could be out of work. But, then you have the grocery stores, the recreational fishermen, and right on up the ladder.” |
Neil Beshel - Co-owner, Beshel Boat Launch “My father opened the business in 1971 and I’ve been working here since I was 12. I support the fishermen since I sell fuel and bait. It we get shut down, there is no use for us being here. If we have to close this area and go look for jobs, where do we go look? The Fisheries Center needs to stay around as long as it can. People need information. It is nice to have extra help when you need it.” |
Robert Whittington – Commercial Fisherman “I crabbed for 25 years, until Katrina took my boat and everything. I’ve worked at the marina since Katrina. It was getting better until the oil spill. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen because of the oil, if we’ll even have a business. The future is undecided. I’m 72 years old… If you like going out in a boat, then this is the place to spend the rest of your life.” |
Bernard Picone – Commercial Fisherman “I’ve been in the oyster business for about 13 years. The Fisheries Assistance Center helped me with a loan after Katrina to fix my boat so I could get back to work. If the oil comes here, we don’t know what normal will be like.” |
Chris Danos - Beshel Boat Launch employee “People are just finishing paying for their Katrina loans. This was supposed to be the year that they could finally put money back in their pockets. Looks like we’re back to square one.” |
Immediate and Urgent Plan of Action for the Gulf Coast Oil Disaster
Here are some suggestions for turning this disaster into an new economy by facing up to the worst case scenario that this on-going oil gusher could bring, namely, toxins entering the high water table, food shortages, and massive unemployment.
Simple Plan of Action:
Immediately set up incentives to create or transform businesses that provide rainwater collection systems, installation and maintenance, with double distillation capabilities for processing of drinking water. Do this now before the toxins enter the water table, which in many places is just 4 feet below the soil surface. Immediately set up incentives to create or transform businesses that install small, medium or large aquaculture systems for the raising of fish, shellfish, crabs, etc. Immediately begin a collection of clean specimens all over the Gulf coast. Establish an Extension Agency to advise, and to provide clean specimens to small farmers. Foster the smaller more resilient operations by providing maximum support and assistance to these rather than to large operations whose failures are catastrophic. Recruit scientists and researchers world-wide to assist. Other types of farms such as vegetable farms, poultry and small livestock operations will be included in this program. Do this now before the price of food rises.The same system should include provision of land and equipment for those who have the expertise but not the start-up capital. Advertise world-wide for ideas, solutions and warnings from other places that have experienced oil spills. Create a public forum with a public rating mechanism for review of ideas submitted from experts and amateurs alike. Also establish a review committee with such notables as Dr. Ivor van Heerden (formerly of LSU). In order to eliminate conflicts of interest, funding from major corporate donors and foundations should go into a Public Trustee account first, and then distributed with an up-front agreement to fund whatever solutions the people of the Gulf Coast agree to.
Looking for work in oil clean up will do anything
looking for fisherman who need work!! new company in the bahamas 48ft fiberglass vessal. its a dive boat right now looking to makie it a trapping boat. looking for someone to come in a provide some traps and experience.