Fishing Boats

Photo courtesy of Krista Schlyer/Defenders of Wildlife

AP reports that almost one-third of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico is now closed to commercial and recreational fishing. As of 6 p.m. EDT Tuesday, nearly 76,000 square miles, more than 31% of federal Gulf waters, are off limits.

These gulf closures can leave fishermen with nowhere to turn. Shrimp boat captain Ronald Polkey tells Reuters, “All my life, that’s what I do. That’s my living. My Daddy, my brother, we’re all commercial fishermen … . I don’t know nothing else.”

According to the American Sportsfishing Association, should a worse case scenario occur and the entire Gulf of Mexico be closed to recreational fishing, there would be a per day $8.6 million dollar loss in recreational fishing trip expenditures for purchases of bait and tackle, food and beverages, ice, gas and lodging.

The Washington Post reports on the delicate balance between oil and fishing, two industries that have helped to shape many Gulf cities. Lousiana shrimper Joey Toups says, “It’s the best fishing in the world here because we have so many reefs.”

Oil is not the only contaminant worrying fishermen in the Gulf. The Southern Shrimper Alliance worries that chemical dispersants used to treat the spill could put the entire Gulf seafood industry at risk.

Anxious to make ends meet, many fishermen are now employed in clean-up efforts throughout the region. But CNN reports the dangers of exposure to the spill, such as those experienced by fisherman John Wunstell Jr., who was hospitalized after becoming ill while cleaning up oil in the Gulf.

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