Archive for June, 2010
Goal Set at $100-Million to Help in Desperate Time of Need
As devastation from BP’s massive oil gusher deep in the Gulf of Mexico spreads along the southern coast, stories of hardship, despair and struggle emerge daily. Thousands of people are out of work, there has been at least one suicide among fishermen and stress from the situation grows.
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BBC Reporter Reflects on Impact of BP Oil Spill
When London-based BBC News reporter Robyn Bresnahan was initially assigned to cover the impact of the BP oil spill on the people and fishing communities in southern Louisiana, she thought it would be just for a couple of weeks.
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Feeling of Near-Desperation on the Lower Mississippi
Kenny Barthelemy is untying a rope that tethers a boat to the dock. He’s getting ready to try his luck at finding some oysters to net … and, he doesn’t mince words about what he calls ‘a real bad situation.’
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Sportsman’s Paradise Helps Deliver Gulf Triage
If you’ve ever spent time on the waters of Terrebonne Bay, chances are you know Connie Townsend or you’ve eaten at her restaurant, Sportsman’s Paradise. The reach of her shrimp gumbo’s reputation is second only to the Southern hospitality she extends.
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Storm Threat in Gulf Brings Worry Among Experts
As Tropical Depression One, which is predicted to be Hurricane Alex before the weekend’s end, gains strength in the northwest Caribbean Sea, the BP oil spill could go from bad to worse to worst case scenario.
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St. Bernard Project Focuses Support on Wives of Fishermen
“Right now the stress level is over the roof,” says Joycelyn Heintz-Gray the Mental Health and Wellness Center Manager for the St. Bernard Project (SBP). “This is shrimping season.”
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Chefs Descend on Grand Isle in Show of Force
Chicago chef and restaurateur Rick Tramonto’s new book is all about steak, but Gulf seafood is the first thing on his mind right now. He’ll be front and center at Chefs Ashore, an event drawing celebrity chefs from around the country to Grand Isle.
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National Fisheries Chief: Seafood on Market is Safe
John Connelly, President of the National Fisheries Institute in Washington, is busy these days, focused on assuring that extensive federal government testing of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico is thoroughly conducted and that the public gets a clear understanding that the seafood is safe.
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Plenty of Shrimp, Harvest Restricted
The current tonnage of shrimp coming into Louisiana coastal ports for first sale is only one third of the 2009 harvest, sharply reduced because of precautionary closures of prime shrimp harvesting areas in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Oil Spill Like “Ground Zero,” Mayor Says
“I will walk away from here with an understanding of what’s going on at ground zero,” said Mayor Randall Henderson Jr. of Fort Myers, Florida, after seeing oil spill up close.
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Chefs Serving Fishermen and Families
It turned out to be much more than just a Father’s Day gift from a dozen chefs at New Orleans restaurants. They traveled to Grand Isle’s Bridge Side Marina to not only feed local fishermen and their families but also as an act of appreciation for years of hard work.
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Fishermen Face Health Risks from BP Oil Spill
Clint Guidry is a third generation Louisiana shrimper and fisherman, a Vietnam vet and he is angry. The enormous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has virtually shut down the main industry – commercial fishing – in his southern Louisiana town of Lafitte.
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Gov. Jindal Moves to Strengthen Seafood Industry
Governor Bobby Jindal has announced that he has signed two bills into law to “bolster Louisiana’s seafood industry and help to uphold the high quality of our state’s seafood.”
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One of America’s Largest Oyster Processors Ceases Operations
Fourth generation Louisiana oysterman John Tesvich is ceasing operations at his Franklin, La., oyster processing company, AmeriPure Oysters, due to sharply declining supplies of fresh oysters caused by the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Fishermen Fear the Economic Worst
Pete Gerica, president of the Lake Pontchartrain Fishermen’s Association, believes the BP oil spill occurred at the worst possible time and place for the financial future of still recovering Louisianan fishermen, like himself.
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