Living on a dying delta

[bunkie]

Mississippi Shrimpers Refuse to Trawl, Fearing Oil, Dispersants

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52552

BILOXI, Mississippi, Aug 20, 2010 (IPS) - The U.S. state of Mississippi recently reopened all of its fishing areas. The problem is that commercial shrimpers refuse to trawl because they fear the toxicity of the waters and marine life due to the BP oil disaster.

"We come out and catch all our Mississippi oysters right here," James "Catfish" Miller, a commercial shrimper in Mississippi, told IPS. Pointing to the area in the Mississippi Sound from his shrimp boat, he added, "It's the only place in Mississippi to catch oysters, and there is oil and dispersants all over the top of it."........

[bunkie]

Found Deep in Gulf’s Water and Food Chain

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/oil...ood-chain.html

[bunkie]

Despite "All Clear," Mississippi Sound Tests Positive for Oil

http://www.truth-out.org/mississippi...itive-oil62735

The State of Mississippi's Department of Marine Resources (DMR) opened all of its territorial waters to fishing on August 6. This was done in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the US Food and Drug Administration, despite concerns from commercial fishermen in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida about the presence of oil and toxic dispersants from the BP oil disaster.

On August 19, Truthout accompanied two commercial fishermen from Mississippi on a trip into the Mississippi Sound in order to test for the presence of submerged oil. Laboratory test results from samples taken on that trip show extremely high concentrations of oil in the Mississippi Sound.............

[uprooted_kentuckian]

I would never have any reason to doubt truthout. Let me see what I can find on whats really happening with fishing in Mississippi.

[uprooted_kentuckian]

http://www.wwl.com/No-evidence-of-oi...-catch/8016834

[bunkie]

Originally Posted by uprooted_kentuckian

I would never have any reason to doubt truthout. Let me see what I can find on whats really happening with fishing in Mississippi.

why would the fishermen lie? they took it upon themselves to do their own testing. that's pretty responsible.

[organicbaby]

I guess we'll know soon enough.

http://msbusiness.com/blog/2010/08/i...nch-this-week/

It'll be interesting to see if there's a difference between the VOO boats sampling and those that are owned by the state.

[bunkie]

thanks for the link ob! i still wonder how many studies have been not just for oil but dispersants as well? it would appear that that would be important too before openning fishing areas.

[organicbaby]

Originally Posted by bunkie

thanks for the link ob! i still wonder how many studies have been not just for oil but dispersants as well? it would appear that that would be important too before openning fishing areas.

Your welcome. And yes, I'd think sampling for dispersant would be as important as looking for oil b/f allowing fishing from any waters. It's showing up in several places down here, including the Mississippi Sound.

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/08/degr...ssippi_so.html

Lumpy, degraded oil collected in the Mississippi Sound has tested positive for several of the main ingredients in the Corexit dispersant used in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to scientists working for a New Orleans-based lawyer.

Officials with the federal government and BP PLC have maintained throughout the oil spill that no dispersant products have been used near shorelines in Alabama or Mississippi.

And Orange Beach, AL

http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/a...2010_11-31-pm/

ORANGE BEACH, Alabama - If tests results are true, the absorbent boom being brought to Margaret Longs house on Cotton Bayou may already be too late.

**My chemist found the corexit," she yells to a neighbor. She first got suspicious when she saw something in the water she had never seen before. She even took photographs, "Some times it's about the size of a half dollar. Some times it streams along and its like floating sand."

When the opportunity arose she took some samples. "It was floating in the water. A boat goes by making a bigger wake than its suppose to and it came over the seawall and I had puddles of water along here."

She got samples and sent them to chemist Bob Naman in Mobile whose tests results show 13 point 3 parts per million of the chemical dispersant corexit.

And according to the manufacturer, it's *largely* biodegraded within 28 days. Supposedly none has been sprayed in the Gulf since July 19th. I would submit the 'largely' is very subjective, lol

http://www.nalco.com/news-and-events/4279.htm

Biodegradation
• A March, 1994, report created by France’s Institut National de L’Enviroenment Industriel et des Risques indicated that COREXIT 9500 largely biodegraded in 28 days. COREXIT oil dispersant was first applied to the Gulf oil slick on April 23.

[organicbaby]

FDA's standards for Gulf seafood may be lower than those in past oil spills



http://blog.al.com:80/live/2010/09/f...lf_seafoo.html

A Press-Register examination of the process used to reopen state waters around the Gulf to commercial fishing suggests that the Food and Drug Administration used an imprecise testing method, less protective standards than after past oil spills, and seafood consumption estimates that may not account for the dietary habits of Gulf Coast residents.

“The FDA’s allowable level of cancer-causing PAHs for Gulf shrimp is about four times higher than for fish, and is far higher than levels that have been allowed for human consumption after previous oil spills,” Solomon said. “These levels are not likely to cause immediate health threats, but for people who like shrimp, these contaminants could pose a significant health problem over time.”