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In Pictures: Gulf seafood woes

Fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico are in the initial phase of collapse, according to scientists.

Louisiana provides 40 per cent of all the seafood caught in the continental US, but the state(***)s seafood industry, valued at about $2.3bn, is now fighting for its life [Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera]
By Erika Blumenfeld
Published On 26 Feb 2013

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New Orleans, LA – Nearly two years after BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, fishermen and scientists say things are getting worse. Interviews with fishermen and scientists across Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have shed light on the distressing truth that nearly two years after the BP oil disaster began in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, fisheries for oysters, shrimp, crab and fish are producing dramatically reduced catches.

One scientist told Al Jazeera that many of the Gulf fisheries “have already collapsed” and the only question is “if or when they’ll come back”.

Given that after the Exxon Valdez oil disaster in Alaska in 1989, herring have still not come back enough to be a viable fishing resource, this does not bode well for the Gulf seafood industry, whose fisheries are – according to scientists – still in the initial phase of collapse.

Please note, the feature story Gulf fisheries in decline after oil disaster corresponds with this photo gallery.

While the first phase of BP(***)s trial resulted in a $7.8bn settlement, fishermen across the Gulf Coast still struggle to survive amid fisheries that are often producing less than half the normal seafood harvest [Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera]
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Henry Poynot has been selling seafood for 28 years. Poynot said: "2010 was the worst year we(***)ve had in 15 years. Then 2011 was worse than 2010. Some of this was the economy, but most of it is due to BP. BP has taken its toll." [Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera]
Nicholas Harris(***) family has a 4,000-acre private lease for oysters, but it was destroyed when the State of Louisiana diverted fresh water from the Mississippi River in a failed attempt to flush BP(***)s oil from the oyster fishing grounds in his area [Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera]
Song Vu, a shrimp boat captain for 20 years, has not tried to fish since October 2011, and is simply hoping that there will be shrimp to catch next season. "The shrimp are all dead," he told Al Jazeera. "Everything is dead." [Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera]
Major commercial fishing ports on the Gulf Coast bring in over 1.2 billion pounds of fresh seafood annually, but this will likely decline as Gulf fisheries continue to be affected by BP(***)s disaster [Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera]
Tuan Dang, a Mississippi fisherman for five years, told Al Jazeera, "Normally I can get 8,000 pounds of brown shrimp in four days. But last time I shrimped I only got 800 pounds after one week. There are hardly any shrimp out there." [Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera]
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Most people in fishing communities continue to hope that the industry - which is now in grave danger - will remain viable and survive the current crisis created by BP(***)s oil disaster [Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera]
Many shrimpers in Mississippi have abandoned trying to catch shrimp after repeated failed attempts, and are resigned to keeping their boats clean and hoping that the next season will improve their lot [Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera]