Crabs and oysters will get very expensive this yr

[papasmurfbell]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100430/ap_on_bi_ge/us_louisiana_oil_rig_explosion_300

 

Pelicans, otters along La. shore in path of spill

 

MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER – Oil from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico was starting to ooze ashore, threatening migrating birds, nesting pelicans, river otters and mink along Louisiana's fragile islands and barrier marshes.

 

Crews in boats were patrolling coastal marshes early Friday looking for areas where the oil has flowed in, the Coast Guard said. Storms loomed that could push tide waters higher than normal through the weekend, the National Weather Service warned.

 

A top adviser to President Barack Obama said Friday that no new oil drilling would be authorized until authorities learn what caused the explosion of the rig Deepwater Horizon. David Axelrod told ABC's "Good Morning America" that "no additional drilling has been authorized and none will until we find out what has happened here." Obama recently lifted a drilling moratorium for many offshore areas, including the Atlantic and Gulf areas.

 

The leak from a blown-out well a mile underwater is five times bigger than first believed. Faint fingers of oily sheen were reaching the Mississippi River delta late Thursday, lapping the Louisiana shoreline in long, thin lines. Thicker oil was about five miles offshore. Officials have said they would do everything to keep the Mississippi River open to traffic.

 

 

Related

Gulf spill spells uncertainty for new drilling AP

 

Axelrod: No new drilling until answers on accident AP

Rig explosion dirties BP's green image AP

BP shares dip, recover ground amid oil disaster AP

 

Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice-O'Hara faced questions on all three network television morning shows Friday about whether the government has done enough to push oil company BP PLC to plug the underwater leak and protect the coast. Brice-O'Hara said the federal response led by the Coast Guard has been rapid, sustained and has adapted as the threat grew since a drill rig exploded and sank last week, causing the seafloor spill.

 

The oil slick could become the nation's worst environmental disaster in decades, threatening to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez in scope. It imperils hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife along the Gulf Coast, one of the world's richest seafood grounds, teeming with shrimp, oysters and other marine life.

 

"It is of grave concern," David Kennedy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Associated Press about the spill. "I am frightened. This is a very, very big thing. And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling."

 

Oil clumps seabirds' feathers, leaving them without insulation — and when they preen, they swallow it. Prolonged contact with the skin can cause burns, said Nils Warnock, a spill recovery supervisor with the California Oiled Wildlife Care Network at the University of California-Davis. Oil swallowed by animals can cause anemia, hemorrhaging and other problems, said Jay Holcomb, executive director of the International Bird Rescue Research Center in California.

 

The spewing oil — about 210,000 gallons a day — comes from a well drilled by the rig Deepwater Horizon, which exploded in flames April 20 and sank two days later. BP was operating the rig that was owned by Transocean Ltd. The Coast Guard is working with BP to deploy floating booms, skimmers and chemical dispersants, and set controlled fires to burn the oil off the water's surface.

 

Protective boom has been set out on Breton Island, where colonial species such as pelicans, gulls and skimmers nest, and at the sandy tips of the passes from the Mississippi River's birdfoot delta, said Robert Love, a state wildlife official.

 

The leak from the ocean floor proved to be far bigger than initially reported, contributing to a growing sense among some in Louisiana that the government failed them again, just as it did during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. President Barack Obama dispatched Cabinet officials to deal with the crisis.

 

Cade Thomas, a fishing guide in Venice, worried that his livelihood will be destroyed. He said he did not know whether to blame the Coast Guard, the government or BP.

 

"They lied to us. They came out and said it was leaking 1,000 barrels when I think they knew it was more. And they weren't proactive," he said. "As soon as it blew up, they should have started wrapping it with booms."

 

BP shares continued falling early Friday. Shares were down 2 percent in early trading on the London Stock Exchange, a day after dropping 7 percent in London. In New York on Thursday, BP shares fell $4.78 to close at $52.56, taking the fall in the company's market value to about $25 billion since the explosion.

 

Government officials said the well 40 miles offshore is spewing about 5,000 barrels, or 200,000 gallons, a day into the gulf.

 

At that rate, the spill could eclipse the worst oil spill in U.S. history — the 11 million gallons that leaked from the grounded tanker Exxon Valdez in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989 — in the three months it could take to drill a relief well and plug the gushing well 5,000 feet underwater on the sea floor. Ultimately, the spill could grow much larger than the Valdez because Gulf of Mexico wells tap deposits that hold many times more oil than a single tanker.

 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was focusing on national wildlife refuges on a chain of barrier islands.

 

"We're trying to go for the ones where the pelicans are nesting right now," said Tom McKenzie, the agency's regional spokesman, adding that about 900 were on North Breton.

 

About 34,000 birds have been counted in the national refuges most at risk, McKenzie said. Gulls, pelicans, roseate spoonbills, egrets, shore birds, terns and blue herons are in the path of the spill.

 

Mink and river otter also live in the delta and might eat oiled carcasses, Love said.

 

Bird rescuer Holcomb worked the Valdez disaster and was headed to Louisiana. He said some birds may avoid the oil spill, but others won't.

 

BP has requested more resources from the Defense Department, especially underwater equipment that might be better than what is commercially available. A BP executive said the corporation would "take help from anyone." That includes fishermen who could be hired to help deploy containment boom.

 

An emergency shrimping season was opened to allow shrimpers to scoop up their catch before it is fouled by oil.

 

This murky water and the oysters in it have provided a livelihood for three generations of Frank and Mitch Jurisich's family in Empire, La.

 

Now, on the open water just beyond the marshes, they can smell the oil that threatens everything they know and love.

 

"Just smelling it, it puts more of a sense of urgency, a sense of fear," Frank Jurisich said.

 

The brothers hope to get all the oysters they can sell before the oil washes ashore. They filled more than 100 burlap sacks Thursday and stopped to eat some oysters. "This might be our last day," Mitch Jurisich said.

 

Without the fishing industry, Frank Jurisich said the family "would be lost. This is who we are and what we do."

 

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency so officials could begin preparing for the oil's impact. He also asked the federal government if he could call up 6,000 National Guard troops to help.

 

In Buras, La., where Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005, the owner of the Black Velvet Oyster Bar & Grill couldn't keep his eyes off the television. News and weather shows were making projections that oil would soon inundate the coastal wetlands where his family has worked since the 1860s.

 

"A hurricane is like closing your bank account for a few days, but this here has the capacity to destroy our bank accounts," said Byron Marinovitch, 47.

 

"We're really disgusted," he added. "We don't believe anything coming out of BP's mouth."

 

Mike Brewer, 40, who lost his oil spill response company in the devastation of Hurricane Katrina nearly five years ago, said the area was accustomed to the occasional minor spill. But he feared the scale of the escaping oil was beyond the capacity of existing resources.

 

"You're pumping out a massive amount of oil," he said. "There is no way to stop it."

 

 

With more than likely nothing coming from the gulf now it will be a tough yr. I hope it helps the watermen here with a monster season.

[52isUnstoppable]

This catastophy is going to ruin Louisiana for years. The effects will be felt up here as well. I for example depend 100% on crabs from the gulf for a living. We haul over 500 boxes(750 bushels) a day in the summer from there. My company should be out of business in a few months. This could not have come at a worse time. Fuck bp I will never buy gas from them again. I personally know dozens of the biggest crab packers in LA and believe me these guys are scared, very scared. This has the potential to take years and years to clean up.

[52isUnstoppable]

As for local crabs, there is not nearly enough to supply every carryout and restaraunt in Maryland. You will be eating a lot of carolinas and Delaware this summer. I know the news keeps telling people how great the local crabs are but that's just females, the males are garbage crabs right now

[cravnravn]

It wont affect the Oysters for this cat, Im very selective on my consumption of oysters, warm water oysters blow in my opinion, if it dosent say chincoteague, Im not consuming them.

 

My main concern is, that I was willed time shares on Ft Myers Beach, which we will be using this November, just praying that they have this cleaned up before this mess moves south east.

 

Keep your fingers crossed that a hurricane dosent brew up in the gulf, that would devestate the Coasts of the US.

[52isUnstoppable]

It wont affect the Oysters for this cat, Im very selective on my consumption of oysters, warm water oysters blow in my opinion, if it dosent say chincoteague, Im not consuming them.

 

My main concern is, that I was willed time shares on Ft Myers Beach, which we will be using this November, just praying that they have this cleaned up before this mess moves south east.

 

Keep your fingers crossed that a hurricane dosent brew up in the gulf, that would devestate the Coasts of the US.

 

You would be surprised how many oysters come up from there too. Our truck brings roughly 10 pallets of oysters a day from there, thats about 200 sacks which is equivalent to like 30,000 lbs a day. Most get sent to the eastern shore where they are repackaged and sold as local oysters, sorry to burst your bubble crav. Your best bet this summer is buy from Harris' seafood in kent narrows, they are locals 100%. Or find a place that sells strictly chincoteague, expensive.

 

Im watching this mess and I am still in disbelief. Just when I get off unemployment, start a company making great money, want to get married and buy a house... all this shit happens. Now I dont know if I'll have a job a month from now. Why couldnt this have happened in like october when then crab season is over and Ive made my yearly salary?

 

We might as well prepare for the fact that LA will be a ghost town for years until the fishing comes back, that is literally all that those people have to do for work. How in the world can they contain it? shut off valve is a mile deep. Cant burn the oil because the wind is blowing too hard. Cant contain it becasue waves push it over the booms. Can get it break up with chemicals when its a mile deep, WTF are they gonna do? BP owes me like 60k if this shit isnt taken care of soon

[cravnravn]

You would be surprised how many oysters come up from there too. Our truck brings roughly 10 pallets of oysters a day from there, thats about 200 sacks which is equivalent to like 30,000 lbs a day. Most get sent to the eastern shore where they are repackaged and sold as local oysters, sorry to burst your bubble crav. Your best bet this summer is buy from Harris' seafood in kent narrows, they are locals 100%.

 

Trust me 52 Ive been eating oysters for almost 50 years, I dont eat them now, Nov-March are the only R months I do eat them, and ONLY buy them them from Baileys down on 113 & 404 in Delaware, Mom & Pops dont lie... Thats why all my kids have been born in the summer months ;)..The myth works

Edited May 1, 2010 by cravnravn

[Spen]

This has the potential to the be the biggest man made disaster ever. At least one of them.

[52isUnstoppable]

Good shit crav. When u find quality seafood hang onto it.

Ur right spen this will be bigger than exxon valdez. Four of my biggest shippers of crabs are now officially shutdown. These guys lose money all winter and then make it up in the summer, now just as summer starts they have to shut down. Its sickening, i know these guys, ive met their families, they are in deep deep trouble. Its just a completely tragic event. Im gonna lose some money theyre gonna lose everything

[52isUnstoppable]

Now they want to make a giant sphere like shell to place over the leaking area with pumps that are going to send it back to tankers on the surface. This is starting to sound as rediculous as the plot of arrmageddon. They say they can do this in 10 days as opposed to the 2-3 months using standard practices

[papasmurfbell]

Has anyone noticed that gas at BP is a couple of cents cheaper than everyone other than the independents. I wonder if that is some kind af sly marketing gimick.

[ForceEight]

Has anyone noticed that gas at BP is a couple of cents cheaper than everyone other than the independents. I wonder if that is some kind af sly marketing gimick.

God no.

 

Granted, I don't think you can get cheaper gas outside of Essex, but the BPs are still pricier than anywhere else.

 

I refused to go to them (and Shell) even before the spill. Now there's less chance.

[papasmurfbell]

Up and down York Rd they are always 2 cents or so cheaper than Exxon, Shell, or any other major distributer.

[dc.]

I used to frequent BP pretty much... really, gas prices have as much to do with rent and location as with brand. On York, I saw a number of very cheap BP stations over the years.

 

I have seen them less busy since the spill.

[papasmurfbell]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FnOs-7LVG4&feature=popt00us0c

 

This is pretty interesting. It is so simple but looks like it works.

[papasmurfbell]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-yVBXfW9Z4

 

This is pretty cool.

[cravnravn]

All I know is, if the oil ruins my beach in Ft Myers vacation property, I'll be a part of the law suit..

 

Last year in St Lucia got into a discussion with a yourg Brit. of course it started with Our Navy is better than your Navy, Your Football sucks, Only sissies wear pads..and so on, I'd like to jump in his ass on this one

[ForceEight]

People ran all around yapping their heads off at Bush for taking too long with response to Katrina when he had to wait for the governor to request for help. Bobby Jindal has been screaming for help and nothing's really come yet.

 

I understand the lesson Obama's preparing to drill into our heads: "get rid of oil". But let's clean up the mess first, you idiot. This is getting ridiculous.

 

PS: http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/

 

and (not for lighthearted): http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/caught_in_the_oil.html

[JPPT1974]

Well Katrina the people of Louisana say is just a *** I'm stupid for thinking this game is easy ***. Compared to what is happening in the Gulf. As they can't recover from the oil, as they could Katrina they say on the news.

[Spen]

So a multinational company drilled a well in international waters they thought would make them billions of dollars of profit, and they decided to skirt some safety issues (nothing new for them) and not really have a plan in case things went wrong so now its the American governments (and taxpayers) problem to help fix. (Don't misunderstand me, at this point even though I am not happy about it this needs to be stopped at any cost even our cost)

 

Given that and BP's initial thought it could stop the leak itself relatively quickly I can see why government was didnt jump right in. I can also see why some people think the response has been slow. Then again if three days after the accident if the US government takes over, I am sure they would have been slammed for interfering where they weren't supposed to.

 

If every criticism of a disaster response, terrorist attack, or even pandemic is determined by political affiliation - we are doomed. That seems to be the direction we are heading. And if so we deserve to be doomed.

[vmax]

On Obama's trip to the Grand Isle on the Louisiana coast, his motorcade passed a building that had been adorned with his portrait reminiscent of posters of him during his presidential campaign. Instead of "hope" or "change," the words "what now?" were on his forehead.

 

The oil has reached the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. It has turned marshlands into death zones for wildlife and stained beaches rust and crimson. Some said it brought to mind the plagues and punishments of the Bible.

 

"In Revelations it says the water will turn to blood," said P.J. Hahn, director of coastal zone management for Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish. "That's what it looks like out here like the Gulf is bleeding. This is going to choke the life out of everything."

 

He added: "It makes me want to cry."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gulf_oil_spill

 

I'll answer the question "What Now."

 

It's hitting America and it's beginning to hit home that we have got to stop using oil as our primary energy source. These billions of $$$$$ need to be spent now on developing clean alternative power.

I'm talking about a resource mobilization equal to that of World War 2.

 

We are not only killing the fish, the birds, plankton, marshes ect....we're killing ourselves.

What's it going to take for the people on this planet to wake up and realize we're going under?

 

Edited June 5, 2010 by vmax

[ForceEight]

So a multinational company drilled a well in international waters they thought would make them billions of dollars of profit, and they decided to skirt some safety issues (nothing new for them) and not really have a plan in case things went wrong so now its the American governments (and taxpayers) problem to help fix. (Don't misunderstand me, at this point even though I am not happy about it this needs to be stopped at any cost even our cost)

 

Given that and BP's initial thought it could stop the leak itself relatively quickly I can see why government was didnt jump right in. I can also see why some people think the response has been slow. Then again if three days after the accident if the US government takes over, I am sure they would have been slammed for interfering where they weren't supposed to.

 

If every criticism of a disaster response, terrorist attack, or even pandemic is determined by political affiliation - we are doomed. That seems to be the direction we are heading. And if so we deserve to be doomed.

I absolutely agree with you considering government interference. But that kind of goes out the window when a vastly important portion of your country's land (and all the things living on or near it) is in irreparable condition. I really couldn't care less if they tell BP to get out of the US forever. I'm not on their side. I just want the issue fixed. Now.

[Spen]

I absolutely agree with you considering government interference. But that kind of goes out the window when a vastly important portion of your country's land (and all the things living on or near it) is in irreparable condition. I really couldn't care less if they tell BP to get out of the US forever. I'm not on their side. I just want the issue fixed. Now.

 

Yeah, me too...

[papasmurfbell]

The President was damned if he does or doesn't on this. If he steps in they are messing with private enterprise. If he doesn't we have what we do now. Persoanlly I would like if he had erred on the side of fixing this fast.

 

Then you have how do yo stop this. The feds are not in the oil business so they do not know how to stop a problem like this. BP should know more but it looks like they don't.

 

This morning I was watching CNN and they were doing a story in Annapolis about how the crab houses are paying about 30% more on a bushell this season.

 

As for the partisanship of every decision. I agree that is exactly where we are going. I was flipping through the channels the other night and stopped on Hannity for a second. They were talking about an impeachment for trying to give Sandeck (I think that's his name) a job to bail on the Senate seat in PA. I would bet every administration during my life has tried to give quid pro quo jobs.

[papasmurfbell]

BP is taking it from all sides.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZHnStD690U&feature=topvideos

[vmax]

BP is taking it from all sides.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZHnStD690U&feature=topvideos

 

It's not from the 'side' where they should be taking it.