Fishing Season Extended

            The fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico have lost a lot of potential money from the BP oil spill.  The oil was covering their fish or shrimp and the fishing closures the oil was making it impossible for the fishermen to work.  As an Alaskan, I see firsthand how closures affect people who live in fishing communities.  They are affected financially as well as mentally.  Many of the fishermen have sold their boats and left.

            On September 28, 2010, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the following:

 The recreational harvest of red snapper in Gulf of Mexico state and federal waters off Florida will be open for eight consecutive three-day weekends, beginning October 1.  The regular recreational harvest season for red snapper in Gulf waters took place from June 1 until July 24 this year. Anglers, except for the captain and crew of for-hire vessels, may keep two red snapper greater than 16 inches total length per person on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning October 1 and extending for eight consecutive weekends through November 21 (FFWCC, 2010).

            Many people are saying that these extra fishing days and increased numbers mean that the oil spill was good.  This is false and they anger me.  The BP Oil Spill was the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States.  The fishermen really need this extended season.  The fishing laws are decided on after checking fish numbers, and the BP oil spill may have killed some fish for the next year.

Fishermen Caught Fishing in Closed Area

            Fining the fishermen for fishing in closed areas is the right thing to do, because it is an unfair advantage for the law abiding fishermen.  It is also not safe to eat oil tainted seafood.  However, I don't blame the fishermen either.  Some people call it poaching, but these guys were dying financially. 

            On November 22, 2010, the NOAA website recently posted that since the spill a total of eight shrimp trawlers were fined the following:

·         Six fishermen were fined for $15,000 and one of the six was fined an additional $3,000 on two accounts of not having bycatch restriction devices.

·         A seventh shrimp trawler received a $50,000 - $30,000 fine for allegedly fishing in the closed area a second time after having been previously warned by state officials, and $20,000 for four alleged violations regarding turtle excluder devices.

·         $20,000 to an eighth shrimp vessel for allegedly fishing in the closed area in August, following significant public outreach and prior enforcement actions putting the regulated community on notice that fishing in the closed areas was prohibited.

         We can see that a good fishermen always follows the law, because he knows that the law is there for a reason.  The fishermen that were fishing in the closed areas had to throw back a total of 107,500 pounds of shrimp (NOAA, 2010).  I think that those fishermen should have their licenses revoked permanently. 

Coral Reefs Show Signs of Damage

I am very concerned with the long- term effects that the BP oil spill will have on the fishing industry.  With all the oil burning, it is almost as if our ocean has picked up a smoking habit. The American Petroleum Institue reported that in-situ burning of oil on water under ideal circumstances can be very efficient, removing up to 90-98 percent of the oil that is contained for burning (2010). (API) Light oils such as diesel and fresh oils have the highest burn efficiencies; whereas, heavy crude oils, heavy refined products, and weathered oils tend to have lower burn efficiencies; even with high removal efficiencies, there is usually some residue left at the end of the burn (2010).  Once the oil burns it creates a residue that can vary in density.  The density depends on the type of oil, thickness, degree of weathering, and the efficiency of the burn (API, 2010). 

            According to Membrino, 2010, coral reefs in the areas next to the oil spill now have a brownish substance on them and are showing increased amounts of dead coral, while other areas are unaffected (2010).  Now that a little time has passed we can see some of the long term effects of the oil spill, but it is still early.  It is sad to see the fish habitats dying and turning black.  The coral reefs are protected areas, but nothing could protect them from this.

Fishing Industry in the Gulf of Mexico is Possibly Irreparably Ruined

            I am a student attending the University of Alaska, Anchorage.  I have a desire to fish for the rest of my life.   I do not fish commercially but I eat fish that was commercially caught.  It makes me angry that the BP oil spill has caused harm to the fishing industry and the fish.

            My concern with the BP oil spill is that it's effect on the fish has only begun.  We can see from the Exxon Valdez oil spill that the effect that oil has on fish is slow working.  I am afraid of what will happen in ten years after the oil spill.  I am concerned about the lives of the fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico.  They have already lost a whole fishing season, and I do not know how much more they can take.  People do not want to buy seafood from the Gulf anymore because they are scared that it may be tainted with oil.  The Gulf of Mexico used to be responsible for 30 percent of the seafood sales in the U.S. (Levy, 2010, p.297 - 315).

            Most of the fishing areas have been re-opened --- for now.  However, on November 6, 2010, the U.S. Coast Guard had to check out an area that appeared to have an oil slick.  Because of this possibility the government almost closed down fishing in this area.  In addition, the area right above the spill is still closed to fishing; and I wonder if it will ever be open to fishing again.