Gulf Coast Fishermen Challenge US Government Over Dispersants

Source: Truthout

Gulf Coast Fishermen Challenge US Government Over Dispersants

Tuesday 10 August 2010

by: Dahr Jamail, t r u t h o u t | Report


Commercial fishing communities in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida have united to demand that local, state and federal agencies force BP to discontinue the use of toxic dispersants and conduct better testing before reopening fishing waters.

"We need to get our government to get a handle on this situation and shut down our fishing waters until they test for dispersants and get the use of dispersants stopped unless they can prove to us they are not harmful," Kathy Birren, a spokesperson for commercial fishermen in Florida, told Truthout. "We are seeing fish kills. They (US Government and BP) are covering this all up."

Since the BP oil disaster began in late April, the secretary of Louisiana's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) was granted emergency powers to open and close fishing areas. The department recently announced the opening of three shrimp management zones for August 16. These areas include zones that have been severely affected by the oil disaster. Dates were also set to open fishing for sea trout and harvesting oysters.

These moves are being questioned by commercial fishermen, who are skeptical of the motives of the state and federal governments' decision to begin reopening fishing areas that had been closed by the oil disaster.

Read more: http://www.truth-out.org/gulf-coast-fishermen-challenge-us-government-over-dispersants62183

Some people have argued to eliminate this coin. Instead, they've issued *new* ones. Guess why.

I don't think they are still using the dispersants. Interview with Adm. Thad Allen.

I do not doubt however that there will be many fish kills as a result of the dispersants as well as the oil.