CitizenGulf Day of Action

Update on the impact of your Gulf Coast Education Program project!

We've recieved an update from the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans on the positive impact that the After School Program is having for children of New Orleans affected by the gulf coast oil spill!

Click "read more" below to see more pictures and to read more about how the funds from this project are affecting the lives of Gulf coast residents.

read more | leave a comment

What Your #Citizengulf Donation Does: After School Assembly Program

The following is a guest post by Catholic Charities of New Orleans

A Vietnamese fishing family receives aid in St. Bernard's Parish

CitizenGulf’s National Day of Action will help to support fishing families in coastal Louisiana through starting a Catholic Charities After School Assembly program in the affected area.

You might wonder why we are asking for donations for an after school program. How can that help the situation in the Gulf? Though we plan to provide this program for children, After School Assembly has proven to be a family strengthener. When children are educated and cared for in a safe and no-cost environment, it reduces the stress of the parents and the stress on the family. Because we consider the oil spill to be an economic mental health crisis, we are trying to help families through many varied services.

We have helped hundreds of families along the Louisiana coast with necessities, such as food and emergency bill payment, but they will continue to need our assistance as they struggle to regain their lives and livelihoods. Despite the fact that many of our fishing waters have been reopened and despite media reports that fish are considered safe to eat, many fishermen do not believe that the waters are safe and have not started fishing again.

We started After School Assembly after Hurricane Katrina to fill a need in our community. Many childcare facilities had been wiped out after the storm, and parents needed to know that their children were in a safe environment so that they could good go back to work and help our region’s economy to rebound. And we went further than simply providing childcare; our After School Assembly program provides tutoring and homework help, nutritious after-school snacks, art and other activities.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has given Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans another opportunity to help individuals and families in need. Our work not only addresses the most urgent needs like food and rent, but also has the potential to positively affect the health and safety of the entire family through our After School Assembly program. Thank you for opening your hearts to our community.

read more | leave a comment

Thank You, #CitizenGulf

The following is a guest blog post by Geoff Livingston

Yesterday’s national day of CitizenGulf events ranged from the first Social Media Club event in Fredericksburg, VA to a big get together in Honolulu, Hawaii. With tickets starting at $10 a pop, it looks like 400 people came together and raised roughly $10,000 (preliminary estimate) benefiting at least eight children of fishing families in Catholic Charities of New Orleans After School Program.

Considering that this whole effort is volunteer based on literally no budget and named after a hashtag, I am just stunned. Two months ago, four of us were heading down to the Gulf on a fact finding mission with no idea about what we would find. And two months later we had this incredible day of action, thanks to you.

Huge thanks to Geoff and the team -- and most importantly to YOU. Thank-you to everybody who danced, donated, tweeted, talked up #CitizenGulf last night.

We'll have more about our impact soon.

read more | leave a comment

Nearly 76% of Facebook Users Find BP Irresponsible or Criminal

The following is a guest post from Geoff Livingston

These survey results are being released in conjunction with the CitizenGulf events held on Wednesday, August 25 this week. The benefit meet-ups seek to help fishing families affected by the oil spill with education programs. Register today.

As part of its efforts to sway American opinion about its responsible approach towards the Deep Horizon oil spill clean-up, BP engaged in a significant advertising campaign, with major online components including social media properties and search engine buys. Ogilvy 360 was brought on to help with the effort. So nearly three months later and four months after the spill how are those efforts working out for BP?

Not so well as a MyType survey reveals. Seventy six percent of all Facebook respondents thought BP was either very irresponsible or criminal in its actions.

The survey was conducted during the past week of 3,000 US Facebook respondents, normalized to the general US population. Survey respondents were offered one open ended statement, "BP's oil spill was...," and offered four answers:

A technical malfunction that the company cannot be blamed for
An honest mistake
Very irresponsible
Criminal

When you look under the covers, the survey shows at best some mixed results that are very polarized by children, age, income and environmental. All of the results are statistically significant. Here's an analysis:

Families

Families were more likely to see BP as criminally responsible for the disaster than single adults. Fifty three percent of two children families thought BP was very irresponsible, while a whopping 29 percent thought the oil company was criminally at fault. Single adults were 56% leaning towards very irresponsible but only 17% thought the company was criminal.

One and thee children families had similar results as two kid families, but large families skewed the other way with 25% thinking BP was not to blame, and another 25% believing the company made an honest mistake.

The Older Are Less Forgiving

Older Facebook users were much less forgiving of BP than teenagers. No where was this more pronounced that those aged 40-49 years old, who did not believe BP was innocent. Fifty six percent of this demographic found BP very irresponsible and 23% said the company was criminal. Teens on the other hand felt differently, with 51% believing the company was very irresponsible, and only 8% criminal. Twenty three percent of teens thought BP made an honest mistake.

To read the full post click here

read more | leave a comment

What Bloggers Say About #CitizenGulf

The following is a guest post by Geoff Livingston

If you've seen this post, then you likely are connected to a #citizengulfer on Facebook or Twitter. But what do other's have to say about the oil spill relief project aimed at helping fishing families in Louisiana? Here are eight blog posts by independent bloggers (those not part of the CitizenGulf national team).

If Live Aid were crowdsourced, would it look like CitizenGulf. NTEN Executive Director Holly Ross examines the project from a cool nonprofit perspective.
"While the news coverage may have died down a bit, the Gulf Coast is still suffering, especially the fishing families," writes prTini blogger Heather Whaling. See what else Heather has to say about our efforts to affect change in the wake of the oil spill.
Guest blogger Kate Olsen asks on the Whats the Point blog, "Does it makes sense to help out those in need during a man made disaster."
Casual fisher and seafood lover Luis Sandoval explains why CitizenGulf matters to him. I believe Luis is attending the San Jose event.
"The great thing about the project is that it takes very little from us to get involved, yet it can make a huge difference to those affected," writes ace communictions blogger Danny Brown.
"I hope you'll take action to help our brothers and sisters in the Gulf recover from this most recent storm," says nonprofit blogger Jocelyn Harmon in her examination of CitizenGulf in the context of crowdsourcing.
"For every family like Voisin's, many have folded as oil continued to slosh up on the coastal beaches and shut most of the fishing, shrimping, and oyster businesses down. Many may never fish again, despite skill sets handed down for generations," says Richard Becker in his Liquid [Hip] endorsement of CitizenGulf.
"It may not be in the cards for us to take a sabbatical from work and go directly to the sites most harmed by the BP oil spill or still suffering from Katrina’s wrath five years ago, but we can still help make a difference," says Lauren Vargas in her write up.

Want more? NetSquared and Causecast have brief write ups. CitizenGulf co-founder Jill Foster wrote up her perspective of the effort on the Matrix Files. I wrote how our fact finding mission activated me on the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and the strategy behind the effort on FrogLoop.

I know there are some more posts coming this week, but thanks to all of the bloggers who have already supported CitizenGulf.

read more | leave a comment

Don't Believe the BP Hype

The following is a guest post by Geoff Livingston

Let's be frank, lots of people are helping with #citizengulf and it's awesome. Thereare so many people spreading the word, I can't even begin to thank them. But this is not Haiti, in large part because of BP's responsibility for causing the oil spill, and its moral and legal obligation to clean up the mess.

Many people express this to me, "Why should I help? It's BP's fault!"

But as we have seen over and over again, BP continues to promise fully responsible actions, only to have its actions completely contradict its PR and messaging. Consider the most recent lies that have been exposed this week:

1) The oil is not gone from the Gulf waters. In fact, University of Georgia scientists have done a study showing that 70-79% of the oil remains in the water. Now we see the role dispersants have played in this Dantean nightmare.

2) Phytoplankton, the base element of the fishing food chain, have been poisoned by this oil. This means the entire Gulf food supply has been affected and will have crude oil poisoning to contend with.

This continued public lying (and the co-signing of this behavior by the Obama Administration) should tell all of us one thing: BP will abandon its responsibility to clean up the Gulf at the first opportunity. The Gulf cannot count on BP or the federal government to resolve this situation.

Any of us would be furious if our homes and livelihoods were treated in such a fashion. In fact, many of us who do not live in the Gulf are angered by the public hucksterism we are being offered by BP and the Obama Administration. But what can we do about it? Plenty, and as my trip to the Gulf convinced me, this hurricane ravaged region definitely needs our help.

The citizengulf program was designed to provide easy, mindful actions to affect change, specifically, by using education to provide fishing families new opportunities for a brighter, more sustainable future. I hope you'll join us on August 25 as we take a day of action together by attending an event, donating or voting.

Beyond the citizengulf program, there are more mindful actions: Write your elected officials and tell them to stand up to big oil and large corporations ruining our country, live a better sustainable life, and restore ethics to the communications profession. Want more? The AARP offers six ways you can make a difference for the Gulf.

No , it's not Haiti. But it's happening in our own back yard at the hands of corrupt oil company with the federal government cosigning it. Whatever you do, friends, I encourage you not to sit this one out. In my mind, it's a civic duty. Take mindful action and say no to BP.

read more | leave a comment

National Day of Action on 8/25th: CitizenEffect, Social Media Club, and More to Help the Gulf

The following is a guest post by Jill Foster

Since joining Citizen Effect’s Gulf fact-finding mission trip last month (also called the #CitizenGulf project), it’s been a non-stop learning curve on my end, plus tough emotional processing.

The social media factor and the #CitizenGulf fact-finding trip

CitizenEffect, a nonprofit that helps anyone online be a citizen philanthropist, formed the social media team seven weeks ago to personally visit the Gulf, meet with fishing families impacted by the oil spill, and figure out ways to help them. Local nonprofits in Louisiana met with us too, clarifying perspective and the needs of parishes there. We published content (audio, video,photo essays, written commentary) via CNN’s iReports, Twitter, Posterous, Live Earth’s blog, and more. It was difficult to see such hardship up close. But what helped get beyond the heavy emotional response was a decision made by CitizenEffect after the trip:

A CitizenGulf National Day of Action on August 25th (and you)

You, your friends, and communities can be involved. What’s the goal on 8/25th? To help create a more sustainable future for Gulf fishing families by investing in education. All funds raised on the National Day of Action (less processing fees) will go to the project’s charity partner, Catholic Charities of New Orleans, who will then administer an area children’s educational program.

What’s also exciting is how organizations – online and offline – are offering their support

Social Media Club chapters across the country are organizing meetups to occur on 08/25th — which you can attend (or you can certainly form your own meetup too). In the spirit of Louisiana and many Gulf communities, we suggest that meetups include great music (stereo or live!,) like blues, jazz, or Zydeco. Gulf Coast Benefit, which had fantastic success with a national Gulf awareness and fundraising campaign in early July, is a lead supporter of the CitizenGulf project as well. Enthusiastic partnerships both offline and online in the social space have been incredible.

Would you join us to help children of Gulf fishing families? (lots of different options exist)

In DC? You can RSVP here for the local SMC chapter event on 08/25th.
In another city? RSVPs are open in many cities at event pages already set-up.
Want to donate instead?
Or you can vote for a PepsiRefresh project that will help Gulf communities.

The oil spill presented a huge challenge which I know, for one, can feel daunting when considering solutions. Thanks to you for listening, to Matrix Group for the chance to share here, and to all those helping Gulf families imagine and hope for a better life beyond the oil spill.

read more | leave a comment

Can Education Resolve Overfishing?

The following is a guest post by Geoff Livingston

Long before the oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico had dead zones and overfishing issues. Overfishing has reduced stocks by as much as 67% for some Gulf sports fishers. While tight fishing management has worked for species like Red Snapper, overfishing has been a primary issue for the Gulf of Mexico for the past 15 years.

Now with BP's Deep Horizon disaster, even with the cleaned up surface oil, greater pollution and damage exists. No one knows how bad this will heart the increasingly fragile Gulf ecosystem. NOAA is still assessing the long-term impact of Deep Horizon, but it's likely that most fishers will be the first to know based on their yield.

Generally, overfishing continues to be a huge problem nationally and globally. It has already crushed some marine ecosystems, and can disrupt global food supply for a population that's only growing.

One critical tenant of the #citizengulf education program is to provide fishing families impacted by the oil spill, the possibility of a new path towards different careers. Reducing fishers obviously creates less nets (maybe replaced by others), but there's also the possibility that some of the children may turn their eyes towards creating more sustainable solutions for marine fishing. Wouldn't that be something?

If we don't provide a different opportunity and approach, it's likely that we will push ourselves to the edge with less options. As history has shown, education means more money, greater employment options and better job security. And jobs like marine biology require education and certification.

Let's give these kids a shot.

read more | leave a comment

3 stories: what Gulf fishing families confront, seek, and receive

The following is a guest post from CitizenGulf team member Jill Foster

Since joining CitizenEffect's Gulf fact-finding mission trip last month (called #CitizenGulf on Twitter), there are memories of certain stories, small clips of conversations, that keep coming to mind. A few in particular clarify the vulnerable ways many fishing families and Gulf residents find themselves since the oil spill. I haven't shared them much beyond the fellow bloggers that experienced these stories too during the mission trip. There's something tender about these specific memories that I think have caused me to shy away from talking more about them. It seems time to be more direct and open now, especially as CitizenEffect's National Day of Action on August 25th draws near.

Story #1
A local Louisiana resident shared a conversation she had with a priest in St. Bernard's parish. The priest had been supporting a local community center that distributed meals to fishing families. He realized the confidence and pride many of his parish shared, including one woman in particular. He hadn't seen this woman for a while and grew concerned on her well being. Recently he saw her approach the food line for a meal. He realized then the level of need she must be facing in light of her pride and resourcefulness he'd observed in her before the oil spill.

Story #2
Another conversation involves a neighborhood where many Vietnamese fishing families live. Many stand in line at a particular community center weekly, supported by Catholic Charities of New Orleans, to collect food vouchers. There were a range of parents and children. And some local center counselors described the impact on family dynamics: children acting out from family tension and fathers, often the head of the fishing businesses, refusing to stand in food stipend lines due to hurt pride about lost means to provide family income.

Story #3
A waitress that we met in Pensacola, Florida, who raised her sons near a neighborhood beach there, said she didn't know what to tell them (her sons) about how their cherished beach had been affected by the oil spill. She and her sons want to go back to the water but, as the waitress/mom admitted, it's too toxic. She knows their way of life will change for her family and in her words, she: “...doesn't want to burden her sons' spirit by telling them the truth.”
Would you join us August 25th?

These stories are just some of the many reasons that make CitizenEffect's National Day of Action on August 25th such a compelling event and cause. Would you join us?
The goal on the 25th is to raise funds for children of Gulf fishing families (and their education) -- with CitizenGulf funds going to Catholic Charities of New Orleans who will administer the education program. Do you know of events going on in your area? Do you want to host an event with friends or even join your local Social Media Club chapter for a community meetup – with jazz, Hurricanes, and more -- all to help the future of Gulf fishing families?

Photo, Gulf fisherman-Willie, by Geoff Livingston, Creative Commons.

read more | leave a comment

Supporting Gulf Coast Fishing Families with Catholic Charities

“We see our partnership with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans as a long-term commitment to help the fishing families and as the perfect organization to not only kickoff our National Day of Action on August 25, but also to keep individuals engaged in the relief effort by taking pledges to fund small but critical projects.”
– Dan Morrison, CEO Citizen Effect

On April 20, 2010, an unprecedented disaster hit the Gulf of Mexico: one of the worst oil spill's in the history of the United States. The catastrophic aftermath of the spill has affected the entire Gulf Coast region in its extensive damage to marine wildlife, the fishing industry and Gulf Coast communities.

Citizen Effect traveled to the Gulf Coast in late June on a fact-finding mission to learn from local organizations and community members on how we can directly help fishing families overcome this disaster. Our conversations with local organizations and fishing families on who we should work with and how we can best help all led back to one question: “Have you spoken with Catholic Charities yet?”

Everyone from the Greater New Orleans Foundation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater of New Orleans referred us back to Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans (CCANO). Standing out as an unanimous leader in the relief effort, CCANO’s extensive resources and respected roots in the fishing communities made it the perfect fit as Citizen Effect’s field partner in the Gulf Coast.

(... read more!)

read more | leave a comment

CitizenGulf Day of Action: Just the Beginning

Just over a month ago, CitizenGulf was formed during a trip to the Gulf Coast in an effort to determine how we, as everyday citizens, can best support the families affected by the Gulf oil disaster. Comprised of Citizen Effect team members and DC-based Social Media & Communications strategists Geoff Livingston (Zoetica, Mashable) and Jill Foster (LiveYourTalk), CitizenGulf established relationships in the Gulf community and is currently working to support Catholic Charities of New Orleans.

Support for the initiative only grew stronger as partnerships were formed with Gulf Coast Benefit, Social Media Club, el-studio.com and Taylor Davidson. Thanks to the passion and dedication of like-minded people CitizenGulf has grown from a fact-finding mission into a National Day of Action. This August 25^th, in conjunction with the 5^th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, communities throughout the country will host events to fund education programs for children of Gulf fisherman through Catholic Charities of New Orleans. Having worked in the Gulf Coast community for well over half a century, Catholic Charities of New Orleans is best suited to use the money raised to directly impact the community through education and health initiatives. The funding will help support after-school learning programs designed to engage and empower youth to utilize education to fulfill their dreams.

But the CitizenGulf National Day of Action is merely the beginning. Citizen Effect is committed to making sure that the national outcry for support of fishing families in the Gulf is a long-term commitment to work with Catholic Charities in helping rebuild the lives of those affected. The empowerment of local Gulf Coast organizations to develop sustainable practices that benefit the entire comunity is the key to making this goal a reality. We’re currently working to design projects that you as an individual citizen can pledge to fundraise for by engaging your network of friends and family in unique and fun ways. No one event is going to help solve the problems caused by this tragic event. It’s up to us to step-up and make a long-term commitment to support our fellow citizens through their struggle. To learn more about our upcoming projects with Catholic Charities of New Orleans or to make a direct donation visit - http://citizeneffect.org/projects/citizengulf_day_of_action.

read more | leave a comment

#citizengulf Events Open Amidst Another Oil Spill Controversy

The following is a guest post from Geoff Livingston

Today we opened the first #citizengulf city events for registration on the Gulf Coast Benefit site. Citizen Effect's national day of citizen action seeks to help fishing families in need by providing an education for their children, in the hopes that they may be able to pursue new careers in the wake of the oil spill's long term impact.

And as we launch, a raging controversy brews about the latest spin from BP and Obama - claims that the oil spill's impact is disappearing - fishing families and other members of the Gulf economy still struggle to survive. As the above video from a Grand Isle City Hall meeting last week, shows even with BP's financial aid, the oil spill survivors are suffering and cannot pay their bills.

Meanwhile, though fishing waters may be opening again, oil and dispersant traces have been found in blue shell crab larvae, entering the food chain. Further, as satellite imagery of the Gulf waters show there's a malignant brown stain to the oil spill water still. Many believe this is from a combined tarry mixture of over-deployed dispersants and oil, sunk below the surface.

The fishing families of Louisiana and the Gulf beyond still need our help. It's clear that BP and Obama will shirk this responsibility at the first opportunity. Meanwhile fishing families are left to pursue their profession of generations in diminished, or worse, permanently tainted waters.

Andy Gibson's story is the classic example (on Friends of the Fishermen's charity site). A fourth generation fisherman who found his waters closed to shrimping and the market for his goods bottomed out, Gibson simply went further out to the fertile fishing grounds of western Louisiana and Texas, untouched by the oil spill. Gibson is "determined he will figure out a way to make it through."

Many fishing families will continue to choose this life style in the face of adversity. But their children can have an option. Working with Catholic Charities of New Orleans -- an organization working directly with fishing families everyday in eight parishes -- we can provide an opportunity for kids to have a better education and the choice for a different career path.

Join the #citizengulf effort today to make a difference. Host or attend an event on august 25, donate or vote in the Pepsi Refresh contest.

read more | leave a comment

A Soft-Spoken Fisherman Holds BP Responsible

The following is a guest blog post via LouisianaSeafoodNews.com

With his full snow white beard, Frank Woolley has been known to scores of New Orleans children as Santa Claus. He gets into character as the jolly old man during the holiday seasons to help out events and charities. The rest of the year, Woolley fishes giant Lake Pontchartrain, north of the city, to make a living.

Woolley fishes alone “in a good little one-man boat … not very pretty,” he says, with a pure New Orleans draw. Now age 67, he’s been fishing to lake and nearby Gulf of Mexico waters around the mouth of the Mississippi River all his life … like his father and grandfather did before him. As soon as he learned to swim, he says, his mother allowed him to go out on the fishing boats. And, he hoped his son might follow the tradition.

Looking out on the open water of Pontchartrain, Woolley talks of his concern for the future. TheMississippi delta area with its tributaries and wetlands are a national resource, rich with wildlife, fish and shellfish. It is a critical breeding ground for much of the Gulf’s sea life … creatures Woolley is worried about because of weeks of unprecedented contamination by oil from BP’s runaway well 40 miles out in the Gulf.

He admits to not being an expert. But, at the same time, he knows the waters and marshes as only a southern Louisiana fisherman would … and, something’s not right, he believes, with delicate creatures and plant life being inundated by heavy crude oil.Looking out on the open water of Pontchartrain, Woolley talks of his concern for the future. The Mississippi delta area with its tributaries and wetlands are a national resource, rich with wildlife, fish and shellfish. It is a critical breeding ground for much of the Gulf’s sea life … creatures Woolley is worried about because of weeks of unprecedented contamination by oil from BP’s runaway well 40 miles out in the Gulf.

Woolley holds BP fully responsible, not only for destruction to wide areas of the formerly pristine fishing waters but also for ruining his career as a commercial fisherman. A quiet, soft-spoken man, it’s clear he is not happy and believes the oil giant should fairly compensate him for his boat and his inability to continue the work he’s loved for all his life.

read more | leave a comment

Faced with Adversity, a Gulf Fisherman Seeks a Way to Survive

The following is a guest blog post via LouisianaSeafoodNews.com

Everything was going perfectly this year for Dulac, Louisiana-based shrimp processor Andy Gibson – he had re-branded his family’s company – Tidelands Seafood Co. – as a provider of premium large Gulf shrimp. He had a broadened list of clients nationwide. And, the 2010 Gulf shrimp harvest was looking like one of the best ever.

Then, it all changed April 20 for Gibson and thousands of other people along the Gulf coast who have made their living from the bountiful seafood in the Gulf of Mexico – the massive BP oil blowout turned the Gulf into an ecological disaster. Prime fishing grounds were closed for precautionary reasons, and an inaccurate perception quickly spread that Louisiana seafood was dripping with oil.

Demand for Gibson’s premium shrimp dried up overnight while prices fell. Like somany people in Louisiana’s seafood industry, he went from the top of his game to financial and marketing challenges within a matter of weeks … all because of perception and gushing oil.

Gibson, who is a fourth generation Louisiana fisherman, is determined he will figure out a way to make it through. “We’re pretty resilient people here,” he says, referring to decades of coping with hurricanes and constant wetlands erosion along the coast.Demand for Gibson’s premium shrimp dried up overnight while prices fell. Like so many people in Louisiana’s seafood industry, he went from the top of his game to financial and marketing challenges within a matter of weeks … all because of perception and gushing oil.

The real challenges, he says, are fighting off wrong perceptions and a flood of imported shrimp, much of which is not inspected and tested as thoroughly as seafood from Louisiana and along the Gulf.

He’s currently looking west … to the fertile fishing grounds of western Louisiana and Texas, untouched by the oil spill. In the meantime, he’s on the phone, reminding customers that Gulf shrimp is the best quality in the world.

read more | leave a comment

A Gulf Fisherman Speaks Out About Surviving the Oil Spill

The following is a guest blogpost via LouisianaSeafoodNews.com

Pete Gerica is 57-years-old and has fished the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Portchartrain, north of New Orleans, all his life. As a 3rd generation southern Louisiana fisherman, there is determined grit in his words when asked about the massive BP oil gusher in the Gulf and pride in his profession as an independent Louisiana fisherman.

Gerica’s keenly aware of public concern over seafood safety but he points out that Louisiana seafood is under more testing scrutiny and inspections than any other seafood in America, and far more carefully checked than the significant influx of seafood from unregulated foreign sources.

Gernica has been catching drum fish in Gulf waters in recent weeks that are open to fishermen and has not seen or heard of fish tainted by oil.

While millions gallons of oil have poured into the Gulf of Mexico, Gerica steers away from anything that might sound promotional or self-serving. He talks about the research that is being done by scores of scientists and marine biologists and prefers to stick with the facts.

There is currently a significant shortage, he says, of wild caught seafood from Louisiana due to Gulf fishing waters being closed for precautionary reasons, and not – he emphasizes – because of any pollution of seafood. Louisiana fishing waters are a main source for America.

Gerica believes the lack of usual availability of fish and shellfish from Louisiana has shortages and that’s led to a false perception about quality.

Furthermore, he points out that tar balls in the water – now making for sensational media coverage – are nothing new. Tar balls have been seen on beaches and in Gulf and ocean waters for generations … and, as long as anyone can remember. Many come from natural oil leakage in the ocean floor, he says.

Gerica and his wife lost everything five years ago during Hurricane Katrina, including three fishing boats. They nearly died after being swept into a tree. He rebuilt and takes pride in the quality of fish and shrimp he catches, when available, and says that he’ll survive the BP oil spill … even though the end is not yet in sight today.

read more | leave a comment