An informational meeting has been organized for area commercial fishermen to answer their questions concerning the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The meeting will take place Tuesday, May 25, at 2 p.m. in the Viet Hall, 1201 North Lafitte Road, Abbeville.
The agenda will focus on the issues facing commercial shrimpers and crabbers who fish inshore waters around Vermilion and Atchafalaya Bays and the offshore waters from Cameron to the Mississippi River.
“We have quite a few large fishing vessels that trawl offshore and come into Intracoastal City and Delcambre to offload their shrimp,” according to Mark Shirley, Marine Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant. “We also have a significant number of smaller boats that fish in the bay and sell their catch directly to consumers throughout Acadiana. With the current closure of some of the coastal waters, these fishermen have many questions about how the oil spill will affect their livelihood.”
Marine Extension Agent Thu Bui attended several meetings in the New Orleans area where fishermen’s concerns have been addressed. Because the threat of the oil spill has spread to the west and, local fishermen have asked for a similar meeting to be held in Abbeville. Representatives from British Petroleum, the U.S. Coast Guard and several state and federal agencies have been contacted and will be present to provide pertinent information and answer questions. Bui indicated that while there are a large number of Vietnamese fishermen in the area, this meeting is for all commercial fishermen who may be affected.
Tom Hymel, Marine Extension Agent in Iberia, has been working with the Port of Delcambre to develop a direct marketing program making fresh caught seafood available to the public. “This threat to the fisheries resources could not have come at a worse time,” said Hymel. “The Port Commission just recently launched a website to provide consumers with contacts to local fishermen. The whole idea is to make fresh seafood available to consumers while at the same time supporting fishermen and the port’s fishing heritage. Fishermen are duly concerned that this oil spill will have an extended impact on the people and communities who depend on the fishery resources.”
Tuesday’s meeting is open to the public. A special request has been made to British Petroleum and the various agencies to have a Vietnamese interpreter available. Arrangements for the meeting were made by LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant agents Bui, Shirley and Hymel.
For more information, contact Shirley at 377-898-4335.
