Lot of Talk, Little Action in Coastal Oil Spill Cleanup

WKRG.com News

More frustration on the gulf coast tonight as we have few answers about what coastal communities see as major issues in their recovery from the BP oil spill. There were a lot of high hopes for a work session but in the end it seems like there are only more frustrations.

Part of a tar mat taken out of the surf of West Beach lies on the front table of the council chambers in Orange Beach. It is what so many are concerned with along the gulf coast.

Federal incident commander and Coast Guard Captain James Hanzalik has seen it before. "I've been doing oil spills for 25 years. It's not surprising that you may see something like this especially the large volume of oil that was spilled. It's historic."

It's one of the issues that state and local leaders from Alabama and Florida hoped would be addressed during a working session with Coast Guard and BP officials according to Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon. "Tar mats, they looked at me like a deer in the headlights. They did not acknowledge there was any tar mats out there. They told me to call them if I found one."

Read more...

Shrimpers Say Nets and Shrimp Covered With Oil, After Shrimping Trip Off Louisiana Coast

Read more...

Dead deep-sea corals found near BP well

Read more...

Follow UGA's Marine Science Departments research on the "lost" oil

Scientists at UGA were amongst the first to find signals of the underwater oil plume and more recently a thick layer of oil on the seafloor that was reported on NPR.

Dr. Samantha Joye, who is leading some of this research, has created a blog so you can flow along: http://gulfblog.uga.edu/

Oil found. Science lost.

In January 2009 during his inaugural speech, newly elected President Barack Obama stated,

"We will restore science to its rightful place..."

It is unfortunate that this promise has been forgotten in response worst environmental disaster in US history.

The Obama adminstration has repeatedly tried to down play the impacts of the gulf oil spill, including faking a swim in the Gulf, only to be repudiated by independent scientists.

Today's Congressional hearing revealed yet another insult to science.

After Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told a White House briefing on Aug. 4 that "at least 50 percent of the oil that was released is now completely gone from the system. And most of the remainder is degrading rapidly or is being removed from the beaches.", scientists from several universities, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, University of Georgia and University of South Florida, amongst others, countered that the statement was unsubstantiated and not true.

Today , a senior U.S. scientist rescinds previous claim that 3/4 of oil from spill is gone, says most is still there. Lubchenco appears to still be in spin mode. I hope that fact that most of the oil remains in the Gulf and continues to threaten the ecosystem also makes the front page of the NY Times.

So much for restoring science to it's rightful place. Very disappointing.

Up to 79% of the spill oil still in the Gulf

Contrary to NOAA's August 4th report that most of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill was gone, a new report from five prominent marine scientists at the University of Georgia concludes that up to 79 percent of the oil released into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon well has not been recovered and remains a threat to the ecosystem.

The Obama adminstration continues their long running habit of underestimating the severity and impact of the spill, only to be corrected by independent scientists. First they underestimated the rate of the spill , the toxicity of the dispersants, and denied the existence of underwater plumes before claiming the oil was gone.

Read press release here.

News story here.

The complete Georgia Sea Grant/University of Georgia Oil Spill report is available online at http://uga.edu/aboutUGA/joye_pkit/GeorgiaSeaGrant_OilSpillReport8-16.pdf

Figures from the report are available at http://uga.edu/aboutUGA/joye_pkit/GeorgiaSeaGrant_OilChart.pdf.

Shea and Corey Lopez on the Oil Spill in Their Home State

25,000 barrels of oil a day, 25,000 barrels a day, take 1 down...

Having trouble wrapping your head around 25,000 barrels of oil? Equal to 1,050,000 million gallons. The amount we have been using to estimate the amount of oil gushing into the gulf everyday for the last 62 days! This is a startling and helpful visualization.

Read more...

State of the Spill - Week 8

Spill Size/Extent

Size: 62,244,000 gallons (57 days)

Note: Surfrider’s estimate of the spill volume is based on a rate of 26,000 barrels per day. The most recent estimate of the continuing rate of the oil gusher is between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels per day (1,470,000 to 2,520,000 gallons per day). If the release has been at that rate since Day 1, the total volume of oil released is now between and 84 and 144 million gallons.

NOAA’s new GeoPlatform.gov/gulfresponse online tool provides nearshore and offshore “spill trajectory estimates” for the current oil plume and the next two days. This view shows the current plume, the location of “beached oil” and surface water currents.

State of Efforts to Stop Flow

BP’s “top hat” containment system is collecting around 15,000 barrels of oil per day, although substantial amounts of oil are still escaping through vent valves on the containment dome. BP has been ordered to step up their efforts to capture more of the oil. Their latest response letter (also discussed here) details plans to collect 40,000-53,000 barrels per day of oil by June 30.

Meanwhile, BP continues to drill two “relief wells” that are intended to intercept the blown-out well at a depth of about 16,000 feet. Drilling mud and cement would then be pumped into the well to seal it. The wells will take at least two more months to drill. Read more.

Ecological Damage

The GeoPlatform.gov/gulfresponse online tool can be configured to show the confirmed dolphin and sea turtle strandings as well as the fishery closure area.

The Daily Dead Wildlife Tally shows the current number of birds, sea turtles and marine mammals that have been found dead in the oil spill area.

Volunteer Response Resources

Surfrider volunteer oil spill toolkit

Volunteer Phone numbers: (state-specific contact information below)

Deepwater Horizon Incident Volunteer Hotline: 866-448-5816
Vessel of Opportunities Program - Fishermen should phone 425-745-8017

Fact sheets related to oil spills in general and this spill:
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon
http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/index.htm

Official Response Resources

Deepwater Horizon Response
Twitter: http://twitter.com/usnoaagov
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/usnoaagov
Podcasts: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast.html
NOAA Roles and Tools: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/oceans/spills/
EPA: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

Phone numbers:

NOAA media inquiries: keeley.belva@noaa.gov or 301-713-3066
For response inquiries: Joint Information Center (JIC) at 985-902-5231 or 985-902-5240
BP Horizon Response Hotline: 281-366-5511
To report oil, or general Community and Volunteer Information: 866-448-5816
To report oiled or injured wildlife: 866-557-1401

Coast Guard officials say not to pick up any tar balls you find and to report them at
(800) 424-8802

Florida Specific Volunteer Information:

Oil spill related clean up: http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/
Opportunities will be posted as they become available.

If you live in these areas and want to help:
Okaloosa County call: 850-651-7150 


Bay County call: 763-6587 


Walton County: go to http://www.waltonso.org/

Florida Palm Beach/Treasure Coast area volunteers can email Surfrider's Florida Regional Manager Ericka D'avanzo: edavanzo@surfrider.org

Florida Information Numbers and Websites:

DEP Related Media Questions: Amy Graham at 850-245-2112 or -2113
Florida Emergency Information Line: 800-342-3557
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) incident response website: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/default.htm

Resources in Other Gulf States:

Louisiana: http://www.volunteerlouisiana.gov/
Mississippi: http://www.volunteermississippi.org/1800Vol/OpenIndexAction.do
Alabama: http://www.servealabama.gov/2010/default.aspx

Also see:
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
Galveston Bay Foundation
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources - (228) 374-5000
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program
Restore America’s Estuaries
Save Our Gulf
National Audubon Society
More Information & Call to Action

Help us track oil spill impacts at: http://oilspill.skytruth.org/

Urge Obama and Congress to ban new drilling: http://www.surfrider.org/nodrilling

Participate in the Hands Across the Sand nationwide June 26th event.

State Action Alert for Special Session (FL Only) – Our legislators are holding up Gov. Crist's request for a special session to make oil drilling a 2010 ballet item.

Walk your beaches daily to ensure no garbage or plastic debris is present. Do not disturb bird nesting areas!

Join the Surfrider Foundation: http://www.surfrider.org/join

Gulf surf shops report on spill impact

Ohana Surf and Skate in Galveston, Texas. Texas stores are faring better than stores in some other states.

With the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon and subsequent oil spill along the Gulf Coast, we wondered how surf retailers in the area were being affected by business, and if the spill has impacted actual surfing along their beaches.

I talked to about a dozen stores around Florida, Alabama, Texas and Louisiana to find out how retailers are coping. Results varied from grim and shocking to somewhat surprising and cautiously optimistic.

Read more...

Making Waves: Special Oil Issue

This special issue of Making Waves includes information on national and regional oil spill issues, including an update on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Read it here (~18.5 MB .pdf)

If you like this issue, you should consider joining the Surfrider Foundation through our special membership offer that includes the t-shirt on the right.

Also, check out our Week 7 State of the Spill update here.

Human health effects from gulf oil spill

Crude oil contains a brew of substances dangerous to human health, including chemicals such as benzene that are known to cause cancer in humans, and others that are toxic to the brain and central nervous system, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

“There is overwhelming evidence that many of the compounds found in crude oil are dangerous,” said James Giordano, director of the Center for Neurotechnology Studies at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Va.

A lot of the hazard will depend on the degree of exposure — placing cleanup workers, not surprisingly, at the highest risk. Brief contact with crude oil is not considered harmful, but sustained exposure or high enough doses of the chemicals can sicken people rapidly, said Dr. Cyrus Rangan, assistant medical director for the California Poison Control System.

“If you breathe them or ingest them or absorb them through skin they can cause headaches, fatigue, dizziness, even changes in mental status,” Rangan said. “The severity depends on how much you are exposed to. The longer you out there and being exposed, the higher the risk.”

Read more...

If you are considering getting involved with any clean up activities associated with the Gulf oil spill, please read our Oil Spill Volunteer Toolkit first.

The Oil Spill’s Effects on Life Underwater

Spill’s Effects Underwater

Efforts are under way to keep the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from reaching birds, mammals and critical shoreline habitats, but some marine biologists worry about the effects of the oil slick and the use of chemical dispersants on life underwater.

Read more...

A Real Life Horror Movie

In different times this might be funny. Now, it's way too real.

MMS apologizes for inappropriate Drill, Baby, Drill cake

Just in case you didn't feel that MMS was too cozy with the oil drilling industry, their Alaska office removed all doubt. See apology below after NY Times reported on MMS office celebrating the recent finds about their office lacking appropriate environmental standards in review proposed oil drilling efforts in the Arctic with a cake decorated with "Drill, Baby, Drill" on it.

From: Goll, John
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 7:53 AM
To: MMS Employees Nationwide
Subject: Apology to MMS

As the manager in charge of the Alaska Region, I apologize to
everyone in the Minerals Management Service with regard to the cake
at a recent Alaska Region All Hands meeting, as reported in a New
York Times article today. The cake had the words "Drill, Baby,
Drill', plus other words which were meant to take light of the words.
This was simply wrong to have. I failed in preventing this from
happening in my office.

jg

John Goll

Regional Director, Alaska

U.S. Minerals Management Service

3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500

Anchorage, AK 99503

907-334-5200

This week Interior Secretary Ken Salazar unveiled a plan to separate MMS into three agencies because the energy development, enforcement and revenue collecting functions have conflicting missions and must be separated. Lack of oversight on safety devices and procedures are partly to blame for the BP blow out.

EPA Orders Use of a Less Toxic Chemical in Gulf

One month and 700,000 gallons later, the EPA decides that Corexit, the dispersant that BP has been pumping into the gulf in massive quantities, is too risky to use.

Wow. It took our lead environmental agency a month to figure this out and then only in response from scientists and politicians who have pointed to less toxic alternatives. We must do better.

In directing BP to select a less toxic dispersant, the Environmental Protection Agency said it was exercising caution because so little is known about the chemicals’ potential impact.

BP has sprayed nearly 700,000 gallons of Corexit dispersants on the surface of the gulf and directly onto the leaking well head a mile underwater. It is by far the largest use of chemicals to break up an oil spill in United States waters to date.

Scientists and politicians have questioned why the E.P.A. is allowing use of the Corexit products when less toxic alternatives are available.

Read more...

State of the Spill - Week 4

Spill Size/Extent

Size: 30,576,000 gallons

Continuing rate of spill: 1,092,000 gallons per day.

More details:

http://oilonthebeach.blogspot.com/2010/05/updated-oil-spill-counter-gulf-oil.html

http://blog.skytruth.org/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-new-spill-rate.html

Analysis of aerial photographs by Skytruth on May 15 indicated slicks and sheen covering an area of about 4,922 square miles. There are some indications that the edge of the oil slick may be entering the “loop current” that would take it toward the Florida Keys and potentially up the East Coast. More on this.

Today (May 18) there were reports of oil washing up on the beach in Waveland, Mississippi and tar balls were found by park rangers at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and nearby Navy beach at Truman annex in Key West, Florida. [Update: the tar balls found in Key West have been determined not to be from the Deepwater Horizon oil well blowout.] Oil has previously been reported hitting the beach at South Pass, near Port Eads, Louisiana and also on the Chandeleur Islands. Earlier reports documented oil on Dauphin Island, Alabama.

State of Efforts to Stop Flow

BP has put a mile-long 4-inch diameter “insertion tube” into one of the two leak locations. This tube extends up to a recovery ship where oil is collected and natural gas is burned off. Initial recovery rates were estimated at 1,000 barrels per day and now are reportedly about 2,000 barrels per day (bpd). Keep in mind that we believe the total leak rate is about 26,000 bpd and some scientists have pegged the leak at up to 70,000 bpd. Read more on oil recovery.

Meanwhile, BP has started to drill two “relief wells” that are intended to intercept the blown-out well at a depth of about 16,000 feet. Drilling mud and cement would then be pumped into the well to seal it. The wells will take about 3 months to drill. Read more.

Volunteer Response Resources

Surfrider volunteer oil spill toolkit

Response websites:

http://www.oilspillvolunteers.com/

http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/

http://tinyurl.com/audubonvolunteer

Volunteer Phone numbers: (state-specific contact information below)

Deepwater Horizon Incident Volunteer Hotline: 866-448-5816
Vessel of Opportunities Program - Fishermen should phone 425-745-8017

Fact sheets related to oil spills in general and this spill:
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon
http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/index.htm

Official Response Resources

United incident command

Twitter: http://twitter.com/usnoaagov

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/usnoaagov

Podcasts: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast.html

NOAA Roles and Tools: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/oceans/spills/

EPA: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

Phone numbers:

NOAA media inquiries: keeley.belva@noaa.gov or 301-713-3066
For response inquiries: Joint Information Center (JIC) at 985-902-5231 or 985-902-5240
BP Horizon Response Hotline: 281-366-5511
To report oil, or general Community and Volunteer Information: 866-448-5816
To report oiled or injured wildlife: 866-557-1401

Coast Guard officials say not to pick up any tar balls you find and to report them at (800) 424-8802.

Florida Specific Volunteer Information:

Oil spill related clean up: http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/

Opportunities will be posted as they become available.

If you live in these areas and want to help:

Okaloosa County call: 850-651-7150 



Bay County call: 763-6587 


Walton County: go to http://www.waltonso.org/

Florida Palm Beach/Treasure Coast area volunteers can email Surfrider's Florida Regional Manager Ericka Davanzo: edavanzo@surfrider.org

Donations Needed

Help already trained personnel prepare for animal response by giving supplies or donating. The Wildlife Sanctuary in Pensacola: www.pensacolawildlife.com/ is looking for the following donations:
--Baby blankets
--Towels
--Heating pads (w/o auto shut off if possible)
--Large Rubbermaid containers with lids
--Heating lamps
--Rubbermaid troughs (can be purchased at Tractor Supply)
--Large backyard portable pools like found at Wal-Mart

The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores is looking for volunteers and donations of the following supplies:
--Linens
--Kennels
--Towels
--Sheets
--Dawn dish detergent
--Pepto-Bismol and toothbrushes

The sanctuary is a local dropoff center for the donations at 18328 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores. It is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. See its website for details or call (727) 391-6211 for information, or e-mail jessicag@seabirdsanctuary.com.

Florida Information Numbers and Websites:

DEP Related Media Questions: Amy Graham at 850-245-2112 or -2113
Florida Emergency Information Line: 800-342-3557
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) incident response website: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/default.htm

Resources in Other Gulf States:

Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program

Mississippi Department of Marine Resources - (228) 374-5000
Galveston Bay Foundation

Ecological Damage

17 staging areas are in place to protect sensitive shorelines, including: Dauphin Island, Ala., Orange Beach, Ala., Theodore, Ala., Panama City, Fla., Pensacola, Fla., Port St. Joe, Fla., St. Marks, Fla., Amelia, La., Cocodrie, La., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., St. Mary, La.; Venice, La., Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., and Pass Christian, Miss.

Breton National Wildlife Refuge remains closed to public entry and low-level over-flights continue to be prohibited to protect nesting birds. The refuge’s nesting islands have been surrounded with 4.1 miles of boom to protect them.

Twenty-five national wildlife refuges could potentially be impacted.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service Gulf of Mexico commercial and recreational fishing closure area now measures 45,728 square miles.

More Information & Call to Action

Help us track oil spill impacts at: http://oilspill.skytruth.org/

For more information: http://www.nottheanswer.org/

Urge Obama and Congress to ban new drilling: http://www.surfrider.org/nodrilling Join the Surfrider Foundation: http://www.surfrider.org/join

Stupid is as stupid does...

Just when you thought BP couldn't get any stupider...

In the wake of yesterday's failed attempt to place a containment dome over the breach of the Macondo well (as they are referring to it now), BP is now proposing a new idea - something called a "junk shot."

The effort quite literally involves taking junk - shredded automobile tires, golf balls and other debris - and trying to jam it into the opening of the leak to clog the flow of oil.

That's all we need...an ocean full of oil AND trash!

With growing acrimony over BP's handling of the spill, paired with this weekend's failure to place a dome over the leak, company officials are already acknowledging that the junk shot option offers only marginal chance of success. And there's also this - experts have warned that any further damage to the blowout preventer (you know, that valve that was supposed to prevent a blowout, but didn't) could cause the oil to start shooting out at up to 12 times the current rate.

Meanwhile oil continues to wash ashore along Louisiana, Mississippi, and now Alabama.

-- UPDATE: Monday 2:00 p.m. pst --

Another idea from the great minds at BP...

BP and local officials in Louisiana are also contemplating a plan to build up almost 70 miles of barrier islands by dredging sand and mud from a mile out in the Gulf of Mexico and depositing it onto the outer shores of the islands. A project of this scale normally requires years of environmental assessment to ensure that the cure is not worse than the disease, but officials say there is no time for that now.

Effort to place dome over the leak fails

The effort to place a containment dome over one of two remaining leaks from last month's Deepwater Horizon oil spill has failed.

According to CNN, BP was unable to place the structure over the breach due to large volumes of hydrates - crystals which form when gas combines with water - accumulated inside the dome.

The structure is now sitting on the ocean floor off to the side of the wellhead.

Surfrider Foundation has also received unconfirmed reports that the effort may have somehow actually made the situation worse.

State of the Gulf Spill - Week 2

Spill Size/Extent

Size: 13,104,000 gallons
Continuing rate of spill: 1,092,000 gallons per day.

More details:
http://oilonthebeach.blogspot.com/2010/05/updated-oil-spill-counter-gulf-oil.html

http://blog.skytruth.org/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-new-spill-rate.html

State of Efforts to Stop Flow

On Sunday the NY Times reported: “On Monday, BP hoped to install a shut-off valve on one of the three leaks. But the biggest leak, at the end of the riser pipe, which is the source of most of the spewing oil, cannot be shut off this way. The company intends to address that leak by lowering a containment dome over it and then pumping the oil to the surface. That effort is still at least six days away. Another containment dome, for the third leak, which is on the riser near the wellhead, would follow two to four days after the first.”

Crews broke ground on the sea bed shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday as work began to drill a relief well. That work will take at least two months at best to complete.

Volunteer Response Resources

Surfrider volunteer oil spill toolkit: http://oilonthebeach.blogspot.com/2010/04/oil-spill-volunteer-toolkit.html


Response websites:

http://www.oilspillvolunteers.com

http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org

http://tinyurl.com/audubonvolunteer

Volunteer Phone numbers:

Deepwater Horizon Incident Volunteer Hotline: 866-448-5816

Vessel of Opportunities Program. Fishermen should phone 425-745-8017

Fact sheets related to oil spills in general and this spill:

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon

http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/index.htm


Official Response Resources

United incident command:

www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com


Twitter:

http://twitter.com/usnoaagov


http://www.facebook.com/usnoaagov


Podcasts:

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast.html

NOAA Roles and Tools:

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/oceans/spills/


Phone numbers:

NOAA media inquiries: keeley.belva@noaa.gov or 301-713-3066

For response inquiries: Joint Information Center (JIC) at 985-902-5231 or 985-902-5240

BP Horizon Response Hotline: 281-366-5511

To report oil, or general Community and Volunteer Information: 866-448-5816

To report oiled or injured wildlife: 866-557-1401

Florida Specific Volunteer Information:

Oil spill related clean up; http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org

Opportunities will be posted as they become available.

If you live in these areas and want to help:

Okaloosa County call: 850-651-7150 



Bay County call: 763-6587 



Walton County: go to www.waltonso.org

If Florida Palm Beach/Treasure Coast area volunteers email the Florida Regional Manager: Ericka Davanzo: edavanzo@surfrider.org

Donations Needed

Help already trained personnel prepare for animal response by giving supplies or donating. The Wildlife Sanctuary in Pensacola: www.pensacolawildlife.com/ are looking for the following donations:

--Baby blankets
--Towels
--Heating pads (w/o auto shut off if possible)
--Large Rubbermaid containers with lids
--Heating lamps
--Rubbermaid troughs (can be purchased at Tractor Supply)
--Large backyard portable pools like found at Wal-Mart

The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores is looking for volunteers and donations of the following supplies:

--Linens
--Kennels
--Towels
--Sheets
--Dawn dish detergent
--Pepto-Bismol and toothbrushes

The sanctuary is a local dropoff center for the donations at 18328 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores. It is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. See its website for details or call (727) 391-6211 for information, or e-mail jessicag@seabirdsanctuary.com.

Florida Information Numbers and Websites:

DEP Related Media Questions: Amy Graham at 850-245-2112 or -2113

Florida Emergency Information Line: 800-342-3557

Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) incident response website:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/default.htm

CRCL encourages pre-veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and anyone with HAZWOPER training to volunteer. Anyone with experience in wildlife handling, rehabilitation, or hazardous materials clean up is also strongly encouraged to volunteer.

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program

Mississippi Department of Marine Resources - (228) 374-5000 www.dmr.state.ms.us

Galveston Bay Foundation www.galvbay.org/volunteer_oil_signup.html


"If the oil reaches the shore it will kill all the shrimp, all the crabs and all the oysters," Kim Vo, owner of the largest shrimp distributor in Venice, LA, Sharkco Seafoods International, told the Wall Street Journal. The oil, which will likely also devastate nesting birds and whales, is also threatening two national wildlife refuges, in addition to the tourism and fishing industries of dozens of coastal communities.

Commercial and recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico waters affected by the massive oil leak have been restricted for 10 days, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Sunday. The closings are from Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off Florida's Pensacola Bay. There are fish, crabs, oyster and shrimp near the spill and officials are working to prohibit harvesting from affected areas, NOAA said. The closure will be in effect until 12:01 a.m. local time May 12, 2010, unless conditions allow NOAA Fisheries Service to terminate it sooner.

For more information: http://www.nottheanswer.org

Urge Obama and Congress to ban new drilling: http://www.surfrider.org/nodrilling

Join the Surfrider Foundation: http://www.surfrider.org/join


Link to this entire document as: http://www.surfrider.org/files/StateoftheSpill_week2.pdf"