Louisiana Fishermen Slam Claims that Oil Almost Gone, Seafood Safe
Fishing grounds are full of oil-soaked grass and tarballs, with shrimp season set to open next week, locals say

HOPEDALE, LA.— In the small towns of coastal Louisiana, the widespread consensus is that the oil is far from gone.

Fishermen return from working on cleanup crews or from recreational angling trips with stories of crabs whose lungs are black with oil, or of oysters with shells covered in sludge. They take photos and carry tarballs home like talismans to show what they have seen. They talk about their fears with anyone who will listen, and often their voices are tinged with panic.

Yet a government report released last week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that 75 percent of the oil has been cleaned up, dispersed or otherwise contained. And the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that of all the samples of seafood that have been tested since the oil spill, none have shown evidence of contamination.

Confused?  Well, hello. The FDA and the government are misleading you.  Wouldn’t be the first time.  With the economy so bad, they are putting business and industry over your health. Wouldn’t be the first time they did that, either.  Trust the fishermen and eyewitnesses.

Still want some Louisiana oysters? It’s probably best to give up Gulf seafood for a while, and even the fishermen are agreeing with that.   What to replace it with?  Maybe seafood from elsewhere.   The problem is that Chinese seafood, another major source for American seafood eaters,  is not safe either. If you’re concerned about your health, you probably won’t eat fish from China.  Look on any fish package in your grocery story.  If it’s cod or tilapia or another common fish, it’s probably from China or Brazil.  Americans actually don’t get much seafood in their stores from the Gulf.  But thanks to fossil fuels, we are polluting ourselves out of at least one major food supply all over the world.  (See story below this too).

While some in the coastal seafood industry agree with these assessments, a majority seem to view the news with a sense of betrayal.

“The cleanup isn’t even close to being done,” said Karen Hopkins of Dean Blanchard Seafood, which accounts for about 11 percent of the U.S. shrimp supply, on the barrier island of Grand Isle.

Read the rest of the story here.