- Tom Morgan of Tallahassee Fishes off St. George - C. E. Whitehead (share alike)
Apalachicola's oysters number among the best. With just the right mix of fresh water from the Apalachicola River mingling with salt water from the Gulf of Mexico, these oysters are large, juicy, sweet, but slightly salty. The Gulf's Oysters – featuring Louisiana and Apalachicola's – make up more than half of the U.S. oyster harvest.
Gulf oil however accounts for almost a third of crude produced in the U.S. It's oil versus oysters.
Creeping Slick
Several months into BP's oil spill, relief wells are in the works, but slick continues to spread across the Gulf, more than a third of which is closed to fishing (see NOAA, "Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill: Federal Fisheries Closure and Other Information").
Oil sheen has been sighted off Panama City's beaches. Tarballs roll in at Destin. To the east, Port St. Joe and its barrier islands jut out into the Gulf. Tucked behind the islands is Apalachicola Bay. Florida coastline east of Panama City, including Apalachicola Bay, remains open.
While some crude naturally seeps out at the Gulf floor, the MIssissippi Canyon leak seeps much faster. And detergents released by BP to disperse the oil, some themselves toxic, insure that oil, conveyed by the Loop Current, will spread to every cranny of the Gulf.
Work in Cleanup?
Many fishermen have temporarily abandoned fishing for highly-paid cleanup jobs. More than 1300 Franklin and Wakulla County commercial and recreational fishermen attended the one-night "Vessels of Opportunity" class offered by Wakulla County's Division of Emergency Management May 24th, seeking to be paid to use their boats in BP's clean up.
L. Scott Jackson / Premier Safety Management taught classes for non-boat-owners – where students learned how to handle washed up tarballs – at UF's Wakulla County Agricultural Extension Office. Jackson, whose home is the Louisiana delta off the Gulf of Mexico, was quick to introduce himself as having nothing to do with BP. The classes – with 40 students each – were offered twice daily for two weeks, and then, because of popularity, an additional third week.
As of June 22nd, cleanup jobs are still being advertised. BP said that it hired workers through the workforce centers, and that it would help to have already completed a safety class.
Eastpoint's Literacy Center – off U.S. 98 on Island Drive – is a workforce center. Eastpoint's Brandi Horst explained visitros that while many applied most were hired. She was still taking applications 9-5 for unskilled beach cleanup jobs advertised at $9.50 - $20.00/hr. She also directed visitors to employflorida.com (gulfrecoveryjobs.employflorida.com/portals/gulfrecoveryjobs/).
Other jobs advertised require some marine experience. Some require Hazmat training. The jobs are concentrated in Port Saint Joe, Walton County, Pensacola, and Miramar Beach.
How to Protect the Bay?
Eagle SWS was in charge of placing booms around St. George Island bridge. Its workers work 7-day weeks. Workers in boats returned to St. George Island at around 6 p.m.
Franklin County management frets over the booms that it hopes will keep oil out of its bays. Franklin County may seek a 'Home Rule Permit' to obtain three skimmers as well.
Still Good Fishing?
But oil was nowhere in sight of Apalachicola Bay or St. George Island when Tallahassee recreational fisherman Tom Morgan enjoyed his Sunday tossing his line into the sun-specked waters.
A shrimper returning from fishing off St. George Island praised the shrimp. He happily directed others to the best spots to catch it.
Matt McCreless, a manager at Southern Seafood, Inc. (Tallahassee, Florida), said that business was steady, only slightly slower than usual. Customers, several at a time, filed in and out, with occasional lulls. McCreless worries that people are now afraid to eat Gulf seafood. He reminds his customers that much of the Gulf is still free of slick, open to fishing. However, McCreless admitted that both Bluefin Tuna and shrimp may be affected.
A primary spawning area for Western Bluefin, already on the endangered list, lies along the continental shelf in the Gulf. The Bluefin spawn in April and May. While the adults have returned to open waters, the young are believed to be still in the vicinity of the spill. Gulf shrimp spawning is likewise in April.
The forecast for U.S. shrimp had already been a bit grim with cold waters killing some South Carolina shrimp in January. Gulf shrimping season begins in June. However, much deep water where shrimp are harvested is off-limits. Parts of the loop current where bluewater fishermen catch tuna and shrimp have been closed, and it's unlikely that both oil and detergents are not churning in the currents..
Nevetheless, large Gulf Red Snapper, Red Grouper, Black Sea Bass, plus several kinds of shrimp glistened behind the glass at Southern Seafood.
June 13th was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Scallops were offered at beachfront stands in Eastpoint and Carrabelle, while, like in a scene from a BP ad, beachcombers enjoyed sun and surf.
But Gulf seafood, like BP, has a public relations battle to win. Port Saint Joe celebrated its annual scallop festival the August 6-8 weekend. (For a recipe to serve with grilled Gulf shrimp or seafood, try fresh mango salsa).
References:
Cleveland, Dr. Cutler J., "Natural Oil Seeps and the Deepwater Horizon Disaster: A Comparison of Magnitudes," posted by Gail E. Tverberg, actuary/Tverberg Actuarial Services, Inc., node 6552, The Oil Drum.com. (June 3, 2010; retrieved 2010/06/22.)
Dell'Amore, Christine, "Gulf Oil is in the Loop Current, Experts Say," National Geographic Daily News, National Geographic. (May 18, 2010; retrieved 2010/06/22.)
Franklin County Emergency Management, " Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill." (Retrieved 2010/06/22.)
Jacobsen, Rowan, "The Oyster Guide: Gulf Coast: Apalachicola," Oyster Guide.com. (Retrieved 2010/06/22.)
Kirgan, Harlan, "Shrimpers opting for cleaning Gulf of Mexico oil over shrimping," Mississippi Press/Gulflive.com. (June 16, 2010; retrieved 2010/06/16.)
Oyster Radio 105.5 FM, "Workforce Center Taking Applications for Oil Spill Cleanup Jobs in Franklin County." (Retrieved 2010/06/22.)
Schoof, Renee; Davenport, Reid, " Scientists: Gulf oil spill threatens breeding ground for bluefin tuna," McClatchy Newspapers/Yahoo.com. (June 18, 2010; retrieved 2010/06/22.)
Wakulla County Sheriff's Office, " Information About Vessels of Opportunity." Emergency Management Updates. (Retrieved online 2010/06/12.)
Catherine E Whitehead - C. E. Whitehead holds degrees in education and linguistics. She likes languages, computers, and cooking.
