Worries of The South

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In recent years the deep south has had more than its share of tragedies. First with Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that caused, now with the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

April 20, 2010 will go down in history being the beginning of a 113 day oil spill. The largest and longest running in history.

Now that BP seems to have the oil well capped and not leaking the remnants of what has taken place is now being seen in the food chain. The blue crab larvae have oil droplets within them. Scientists are not sure how far this will go, but it will defiantly work its way up the food chain from the bottom.

The government states that over three quarters of the oil has been removed from the water but now with the crab larvae being affected, we know that it has infiltrated the food chain. How bad and for how long is unknown but it is the reality of what has taken place.

Scientists also state that many of the larvae may live but when large amounts of them are eaten by larger creatures of the ocean they may get a toxic amount and may die. Not only are the crab at risk, but all the fish and mammals who live in this area. This is only one species with which we are seeing the beginning of the affects from the spill and I am sure the first of many to come.

They are not sure how many of the larvae has been affected by the spill but what they do know it that over 40 percent of the area that these crab live in has been affected.

Crabs seem to collect hydrocarbons and scientists are afraid this could result in them not being able to reproduce. Scientists when collecting the larvae for testing were happy to report the larvae was alive and that many of them may be able to rid themselves from the oil when they molt.

If large amounts of blue crab have been affected by the oil this may cause a huge reduction in their existence for a very long time. Adult crabs can also be affected by eating tainted food but scientists are more worried about the baby larvae at this time. They also report that they are really not concerned this will cause the crabs extinction but it will still lower their populations thus raising prices at market to all who want them.

Moving forward no one really knows the consequences we will all face as a result of this spill. Who is going to take responsibility for this, BP, the Government? So they both say, but what about those will live their and fish for a living never mind beach closures and tourists not coming because the area has become a ghost town.

Who will take responsibility for all of this and help those who need it in the south? That’s a question that by most has not been answered yet. I do know one thing with what has gone on there one way or another all of us will suffer from the affects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Whether it be from the high price of fish at the local market, to not being able to get the kind of fish your looking for, this is a great tragedy for each one of us.

I have visited the South a few times and was amazed that after all the time that has passed since Katrina ripped through, still today over 5 years later the remnants of the storm are still visible today.

Now an oil spill has happened and taken months not days to control. I am sure that many years from now, maybe even the next generation will feel the affects of whats going on today.

Someone needs to take responsibility for this and get the mess cleaned up. To me it seems that when ever drama hits the poor it is visible for many years, but if this happened to a wealthy town on the coast someplace it would have been dealt with differently.

How can this happen in the year 2010, when with a back up plan this all could have been prevented?

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