Craig Giesecke: Do I trust Gulf seafood? One shrimp at a time

Posted by Robert Morris

One of the several usual questions I get from tourists at our shop (aside from, “did it flood here?”) is about the quality of Gulf seafood these days. It should be an assumption that I would not bring out anything I’m not comfortable serving. But maybe they just like to hear it from the guy who actually prepares it, I dunno. Here’s how I feel about it.

I’ve been very pleased with the Gulf shrimp we’ve gotten into the shop lately. They’re plump, tasty and wonderful. I look at them carefully every time I open up a new box. I trust our purveyors to not send us anything that doesn’t look and smell right and, so far, they’ve been true. The state hasn’t put out anything that raises an alarm, and consumer protection is what they’re all about, right? Of course, the seafood industry says everything is Just. Fine. Really. Seriously.

On the other hand, Alabama has closed some of its waters to shrimping (“shrimp size” is the issue, they say — pollution has nothing to do with it). Professional fishing guides on our coast say the oil is still visible in the marshes, even after two years. Seafood folks in Barataria Bay say they’re catching loads of shrimp with no eyes or even eye sockets. Fish are being caught with unexplained black lesions. From all I can gather, things are seriously weird and wrong out there. At least in some places.

Seafood has always been an iffy industry, similar to farming dryland cotton in its vulnerability to all sorts of pests, diseases, weather events and whatnot. I love the Gulf and I love that my kids were raised as beach rats. I love swimming in the Gulf, when I get the rare chance to do so anymore, and I hated having to give up my sailboat in Panama City, but I just didn’t get the chance to go sail anymore. When I die, dump my ashes in the Mississippi so they can flow into the Gulf. Please.

But my youngest son, who lives in St. Petersburg, Fla., says they now get tarballs on their beaches, just as they do in the Florida Panhandle, Alabama and in Mississippi. Entire several-generation families on our own coast can’t make a living from the Gulf anymore, even if they’d only take people fishing from time to time. As my dad used to say, “ain’t right.”

Part of my menu is made up of Gulf seafood. Do I trust it? So far, yes — based on personal observation. Do I trust those who tell me it’s safe? Not on your freaking life. There’s too much money and spin involved. I have to assume I’m being lied to on several levels. Maybe that’s not the case. But the world is what it is and I have to be honest with myself and, more importantly, my customers.

When I left the shop this evening, things were good. Hopefully, they will be tomorrow. But tomorrow ain’t here yet.

Things are seriously weird and wrong out there in the Gulf of Mexico — at least in parts of it. I wouldn’t get so worked up if I thought there was some kind of honest monitoring going on. Maybe there is, but I can guarantee you a highly-paid someone is going to try to shout down anything negative. I wouldn’t mind if those responsible would admit they screwed up and they really don’t know what’s going on out there and they really, really want to fix it. But no — instead we get Olympic sponsorships and PR shills telling us about BP’s wind farms.

My opinions can sometimes run me afoul of good friends I have in the seafood, restaurant, grocery and tourism promotion industries. But I cannot in good conscience simply jump into the “c’mon down, things are just fine” pool anymore when it comes to Gulf seafood. The only one I trust is me. I need to open each box to look at it and sift it with my own hands and smell it with my own nose. Reputable places do this. Particularly now.

As a consumer, you should ask questions and, if need be, be a pain in the ass. Any chef worth his/her apron won’t mind this kind of scrutiny if they’re serious about any sort of quality in their operation.

…but it’s a shame you’d even have to consider it. Things are not OK. At all.

Craig Giesecke has been a broadcaster and journalist for over 30 years, including nearly two decades at the AP and UPI covering news, sports, politics, food and travel. He has been the owner of J’anita’s for five years, serving well-reviewed upscale bar food and other dishes, and is now in charge of the kitchen at The Blind Pelican on St. Charles Avenue. Comments are encouraged and welcomed.

source : Craig Giesecke: Do I trust Gulf seafood? One shrimp at a time Uptown Messenger

by Gypsy Gina

I will take this as far as it could reach, if need be.

My husband had invested much of his life to commercial fishing, always investing our hard earnings back into our business to have a nice home, to send our children to better schools, and school functions is a must with my husband, and I. We owe our lives to the Gulf of Mexico with its plentiful oysters, shrimp, and crabs to live upon, and to sell to our community consumers. My husband served our country as a Marine for four years, but that was years ago.

I just want to let you know what a great husband and father he is, as well as a great person he his to our community, and state. He was on the water about to go fish for craps, but with so much stress that came with the Bp oil spill he had a stroke on his sons birthdate Aaron DeRouen 3/16/1990.

Bp has to know how they are making the commercial fishermen starve to take the $25,000.00. Bp has our paper work, and the information needed to at least give us an intern payment, but Bp never helped us at all. Bp must know with a 50ft oyster vessel, crab vessel with 400 traps are just for there looks. Why would Bp ever have a question about the payment if our family has these vessels in our own back yard? Our family are now on food stamps, and getting little help from the church. We own a 50 foot oyster vessel, crab vessel with about 400 trips that we live on to pay our bills, but the spill has made the waters baron with no seafood to support our families living.

Can you see now how my husband had his stroke?

I will call it a Bp stroke!

We never called an attorney yet, because we thought that would hold up any payment we might have received, but this is my husband! How can you do this to a family? Oh, and never mind about the main issue of people working at Popeye’s that receive money.

Where are their vessels? Tosure5@att.net or 504-682-0379. A very upset wife of a fishermen.

UPDATE:  I have spoken to an assistant at BP claims.org.  He gave me the information about getting blood test looking for VOC.  I have made my husband go to our Doctor here in St. Bernard parish to do the test.  I will email this site when the results come back.  I thought it was stress, but now I see that this is the outcome of the oil spill.

Thank you for this blog.

Gina

by Imogen Reed

Is it really two years since the Deepwater Horizon disaster began?  For those in the region who saw their livelihoods in the fishing industry, tourism and as oil workers; those who saw their coastline, the pristine waters and the wildlife they had taken for granted, threatened with utter destruction; and mostly for those who lost their loved ones in the tragedy, it must seem much, much less.  However, for the global oil business motivated by an insatiable appetite for profits, time passes much more quickly, and the drive for deep water exploration and exploitation is now going forward at an even faster pace than it was prior to the Gulf disaster.

Worrying in Any Language

It happened, they said sorry, helped clean up, reluctantly paid up, and now the message from the oil companies appears to be that everyone needs to move on. In the aftermath of the disaster, local people unaccustomed to using scientific jargon, soon learned what bio-diversity, eco-systems and sustainability actually meant.  It meant less fish and marine wildlife, damaged feeding grounds, worries about important food sources, dead zones on the sea bed and on beaches, less opportunities for tourism, and a disruption of the lives they had previously enjoyed.  Even in March this year, they have learned that scientists are worried the deteriorating health of coral beds and anomalous results from examination of immune system, lung and liver facts and functions in the Gulf’s dolphin population.  For the people of the Gulf, the continuing impact of the spill, and worries that it could happen again, mean that it is far more difficult for them to move on in the same way.

Deeper & Deeper

Their concern is justified.  French owned energy company Total are currently dealing with a massive gas leak at their Elgin platform in the North Sea.  It has resulted in the imposition of a two mile exclusion zone for shipping in the area, extended to three miles for aircraft, and the company is estimating that resolving the issue may take several months.  Only days before, BP was given the go ahead for its North Uist deep water operation off the Shetland Islands, and plans for the exploitation of huge deep water gas deposits, are in advanced development in the eastern Mediterranean and off the east African coast.

Closer to home, drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is now even more widespread, and production will soon exceed levels before the Deep Horizon explosion.  In May the state owned Mexican oil company Pemex is for the first time to put two platforms into deep water close to the maritime boundary with the US.  Carlos A. Morales, chief of the Pemex exploration and production has said that “Pemex is ready to undertake the challenge and to do it safely,” and that the rigs will both be “sixth generation, which means they are the most modern. They have all the safety devices that rigs should have.”  Gulf residents must feel that they have heard such assurances before, but Pemex are not alone.  All the major oil companies are expanding their Gulf operations in not only American but also Cuban waters, and are seizing opportunities elsewhere.

Price & Security – Politics & Spin

Part of the reason the for the oil business to feel confident in expanding it deep drilling program, is that they are aware that there is growing concern about energy security and the price of oil.  Newt Gingrich probably expressed that concern most succinctly when he said that, “The price of gasoline is becoming a genuine crisis for many American families”; but he is not alone in recognizing the political sensitivity of the issue with the electorate, with even President Obama boasting that “We’ve opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and approved more than 400 drilling permits since we put in place new safety standards in the wake of the gulf oil spill.”  It is a political climate that the industry is happy to exploit and encourage, and are lobbying hard not only for further concessions, but also to blur the facts around recent history.

Doc Hastings, Republican Chairman of the controlled House Natural Resources Committee recently issued a subpoena to the Interior department, for documents relating to professional input into their report that recommended the initial deep water drilling moratorium.  The aim is to show that support for the moratorium was not quite as universal as the report implied.  Those who question the veracity of the DOI argue that their actions are motivated by the economic hardship the moratorium had on the Gulf region.  However, the subtext is that undermining the report would label the moratorium as an overreaction to events, and infer that there is no inherent problem with practice of deep water drilling. According to the pen Secrets Organization the top four contributors to Doc Hastings’ Campaign Committee in 2011-12 were Edison Chouest Offshore, Exxon Mobil, Puget Holding Co and Chevron, and energy and natural resources companies contributed in excess of $100,000 to his PAC.

Realities, Risk & Honesty

In a recent article in the New York Times, Amy Myers Jaffe, associate director of the Rice University energy program, was quoted as saying that, “We need the oil…The industry will have to improve and regulators will have to adjust, but the public will have to deal with the risk of drilling in deep waters or get out of their cars.”  Gulf residents are as aware as every other American of the need for oil and gas, and indeed many of them make their living from involvement in the industry.  They know that life is never risk free, but they also know that the Gulf region would not easily survive another environmental and economic disaster on the scale of Deepwater Horizon, and want the highest standards of safety to be imposed and maintained.  If the oil business wants to build trust with those who live in proximity to their operations, they must re-establish a substantive record of competence in acting safely, responsibly, and transparently. Perhaps they would do better to devote their energies to that task rather than to spin, lobbying and politicking, because for those still living with consequences of the Gulf disaster, warm words, smoke and mirrors don’t wash any more.

Sources: Kansas City Star 04/03/12, New York Times 03/04/12, Voice of America  03/28/12, newsmax.com 04/03/12, bbc.co.uk 03/22/12, opensecrets.org, The Guardian 03/31/12, politic.com 04/03/12, sky.com 03/27/12, Daily Record 03/30/12

by  Imogen Reed

The worry is the potential long-term health effects on public health of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill which only time will tell. It’s like playing a waiting game to see what health problems appear in the future, it can’t be pleasant. Scientists fear that prolonged exposure to the oil as well as to the more than 3,640,000 litres of chemical dispersants sprayed on the slick will cause health problems to the workers and volunteers who helped clean up the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill.

Prolonged exposure to the oil in the form of tiny airborne particles as well as dispersants could have wreaked devastating damage on health of those thousands of people. The worry is that at the moment they could be ‘silent’, not causing any symptoms, but heath problems may appear in the future.

Not much research into the long-term health effects of oil spills has been carried out in the passed and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is the largest. The question is whether the workers should have been given protective respirators to protect their health just in case. Why should their health have been put at risk? At the time locals were reported to be falling ill after exposure to tiny airborne particles of crude which included severe headaches, nausea and respiratory problems. The long-term effects could be far more serious and even life threatening but only time will tell. Long-term effects could be neurological ailments and cancers, which can take years to appear. For those who helped out it can be like living with a time bomb believing that a serious health problem will occur.

A health study has already been launched for workers and volunteers who helped clean up the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. The GuLF STUDY (or Gulf Long Term Follow-Up Study) says it is a health study for individuals who helped with the oil spill clean up, took training, signed up to work, or were sent to the Gulf to help in some way after the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is leading this research which is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and part of the U.S. Government.

The NIH is sponsoring the study

It aims to enroll 55,000 workers who helped clean up the oil spill to learn how different aspects of oil clean up may affect health, says the study. The GuLF STUDY it says is designed to learn about potential health effects and potentially health hazards from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and perhaps answer some of the questions that matter to oil spill clean-up workers and their community.

The only comfort to those workers is that they can prevent people suffering in the future, as the study should provide answers as to what are the health risks and how future generations can take protective precautions against them. The study it says will compare the health of clean-up workers and others who did not take part to learn if health problems are more common in workers.

All participants who live in the GuLF will be invited to have a clinical home visit which will include a health interview, collection of blood and other samples, and clinical measurements like blood pressure and lung function testing.

“We will give people in the study the results of these screening tests and help them find a doctor or clinic if they don’t have one,” it promises.

Participants have been promised a $50 gift card and those who have the home visit will also be asked to complete short questionnaires every 2 years. The questionnaires will ask about changes in health over time and some people in the GuLF STUDY will be invited to be in a part of the study that includes additional medical tests.

Who is taking part?

Those who are at least 21 years old will be able to take part and “who did oil spill clean-up work for at least 1 day; or who were not directly involved in oil spill cleanup but who worked near the oil spill or completed some oil spill worker training.”

What are they being asked to do?

They are being asked or will be asked if they haven’t already volunteered, to complete a telephone interview about your oil spill clean-up activities, health, and lifestyle. They will also be followed up with medical tests over time.

It is hoped the study will provide workers and communities with information on how oil spills affect physical and mental health. It will also create a resource for future research.

Lets hope the study looks after these brave people who did their best to minimize the damage of the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill, they weren’t taking part in their hobbies at the time such as American real money poker.

source:  Wealthy People are Unethical

BP to Pay $7.8B to Settle Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Lawsuit. Is it a Bad Deal For Gulf Residents?

On Democracy Now!, investigative journalists Greg Palast and Antonia Juhasz examine who wins and who loses in BP’s settlement. “[BP’s] basically being told, like a bank robber — you put the money back and everything will be forgiven,” says Palast, who also investigated the Exxon Valdez settlement. Meanwhile, state and federal governments are still pursuing separate civil claims against BP for environmental damage. “That’s when we’re going to hopefully uncover those 72 millions pages of investigation that will include wrong doing not just by BP, not just by Transocean, not just by Halliburton, but by every major oil company involved offshore, and very likely based on my research, wrongdoing by the Obama administration,” says Juhasz. “It is a desire to keep that out of the public that has pushed the settlement process forward.” We also speak with Florida State University Oceanography Professor Ian MacDonald about what it means to restore the Gulf of Mexico. In the wake of the oil spill, BP pledged up to $500 million over a decade to conduct independent scientific research on the environmental effects. But MacDonald notes that, “When the oil was gushing, there were literally hundreds of ships … studying this disaster. Now as we try to learn what happened, and prepare ourselves for the next catastrophe, we have nothing like those kinds of resources present.”

www.democracynow.org

Detoxification Program addresses Gulf Coast health challenges

Hope at last!

Health Concerns have gone unaddressed for too long.
Detoxification program providing first sign of real solutions.
The Gulf Coast Detoxification Project is open and results are looking GREAT!

It has been almost two years now since we began raising concerns about the possible health impacts of the Oil Disaster of 2010. We worked to advocate for clean-up workers, fishermen and coastal residents and ensure the use of appropriate safety equipment. Unfortunately, there have been many cases of health problems believed to be related to the oil spill. We have heard the same unbelievable symptoms being described by individuals across the Northern Gulf Coast. Most of these concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

We’ve done our best to get these concerns out to the public. Advocating everywhere from radio interviews to tv shows and through our own e-alerts. If you have not seen the series of testimonials released on the LEAN website please view them here:

LEAN series of Gulf Testimonials

To our knowledge, as of the date of this e-alert, NO health claims have been paid by BP for illnesses related to the Oil Spill of 2010.

While we have done our best to sound the alarm; awareness alone does not solve a problem. In early 2011, Marylee Orr, executive director of LEAN, reached out to Dr. Michael Robichaux.

Dr. Mike Robichaux speaking about growing health problems along the Gulf Coast

In the process of searching for solutions, a group of local divers who were experiencing health problems connected Marylee with Jim Woodward. Jim has managed detoxification programs for many years, including for first responders following the Sept. 11th attacks in New York City.

After over a year of struggles, thanks to the dedication of Dr. Mike, Jim and LEAN, we are pleased to announce that the Gulf Coast Detoxification Project has begun and initial results are looking GREAT.

The facility is operating in Raceland, LA under the supervision of Dr. Mike and has treated over a dozen individuals already. We will be releasing the first video testimonial of this programs success in the next few days. We hope to continue to be able to share positive stories as the program continues and those suffering find relief.

If you or someone you know feel they have suffered health impacts from the Oil Spill please contact:

The Gulf Coast Detoxification Project
(985) 664-1394

source: Detoxification Program addresses Gulf Coast health challenges | Louisiana Environmental Action Network

Frogsville is a 4 block neighborhood located in Hammond, Indiana bordered by East Chicago on the north, Stauffer Chemical  east of 75-year-old, 1,781-foot-long, 9-span bridge, a junk yard on the west, and a Gibson Railroad train switching yard on the south.

Frogsville is a blue collar steel mill neighborhood.

Famous people who have lived there include: Donny Pudko, Dave Sokol, Kevin Matovina, and Raymond Fogel.

source: Where’s Frogsville Anyways?

If you have any connection to Frogsville, please leave a comment, it will be fun.

AP

A minority partner in BP’s blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico has agreed to pay $US90 million ($A84 million) in a settlement with the US government and Gulf states over the 2010 oil spill. It includes the largest civil penalty ever recovered under the federal Clean Water Act.

MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC owned 10 per cent interest in the Macondo well, about 80km off the Louisiana coast. The well blew out in April 2010, destroying the BP-leased rig Deepwater Horizon, killing 11 men and resulting in the nation’s worst offshore oil spill.

The agreement, filed in US District Court in New Orleans, calls for MOEX to pay $US45 million in civil penalties to the federal government and $US25 million to the Gulf states affected by the spill. The company also agreed to pay $US20 million for coastal protection projects.

The Justice Department said the agreement is the largest civil penalty ever recovered under the clean water law that was enacted in 1972.

“The Department of Justice has not wavered in its commitment to hold all responsible parties fully accountable for what stands as the largest oil spill in US history,” said Attorney-General Eric Holder said in a statement.

“This landmark settlement is an important step – but only a first step – toward achieving accountability and protecting the future of the Gulf ecosystem by funding critical habitat preservation projects.”

MOEX is the first company involved in the disaster to settle with the US government over the spill. The federal government also sued BP, rig owner Transocean Ltd and another minority partner in the well, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.

A federal trial in New Orleans designed to determine the causes of the blowout that spewed millions of litres of oil into the Gulf is scheduled to start on February 27.

MOEX Offshore, a wholly owned subsidiary of MOEX USA Corp and unit of Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co, no longer owns any share of the lease for the Macondo well.

In May 2011, MOEX Offshore agreed to pay BP more than $US1 billion to settle all claims between the companies.

The federal government’s $US45 million share of the civil penalties will go toward replenishing the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which covers the cost of cleanup and damage from future spills.

Louisiana’s share of the civil penalties is $6.75 million. Alabama, Florida and Mississippi will each get $US5 million, while Texas gets $US3.25 million.

MOEX officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

source: Minority BP partner to pay $90m for spill

STATE OF FLORIDA – OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR Executive Order Number 12-10 (Review of Special Districts)

“The Governor has determined that it is appropriate and necessary to conduct a deliberate and thorough review of all special districts in the State of Florida in order to determine whether such districts are: serving a legitimate public purpose; governed efficiently; levying taxes, fees, and assessments appropriately; being held accountable to the taxpayers whose lives they directly impact; operating in a transparent manner; and prudently spending taxpayer dollars.”

“After nearly a decade of investigating the Eastpoint Water and Sewer District in Eastpoint Florida, I have gained both knowledge and direct experience of the workings of “Special Districts.” In 2001 neither I nor others even knew what a “Special District” was or how it functioned. In 2002 I was the object of this Special District’s abuse of power against my business. As I began to research and seek accountability and oversight, it did not take long to find out that oversight did not exist.” – Robert D. Allen

Letter to Rick Scott and Executive Office

Finally, the State of Florida is taking oversight seriously over special districts. This is not a Commission just to study the issue, but a task order to the Office of Policy and Budget to start a program to “Examine” ALL 1600 districts in Florida for performance, etc. These are not the routine CPA type financial audits performed for most district financial statements, but much broader scope reviews to determine efficiency, justification, and lack of accountability to taxpayers. With an annual budget of 15 billion dollars “Special Districts” affect everyone in Florida and our economy. Yet, they operate without oversight and have “police powers” to use as they will. As the Governor stated, “With such a significant impact on the lives of every Floridian and our economy, it is critical that we get a firm grasp on how these special districts are operating and hold them accountable.”

One of the immediate problems will be  to review 1600 agencies, they will stretch it out over several years and may be constrained by budget and staffing limits. My own story with one such District clearly shows the ability of a District to abuse it’s power and be accountable to none. I have been on my property in Eastpoint for 37 years and have run as environmentally sound a business as any agency would desire. But, when I showed clear evidence in 2005 the District’s operation was environmentally detrimental to the Esturine, Class II, Federally protected waters of East Apalachicola Bay I became the focus of what is a near unbelievable abuse of power. An abuse that cost me personally over half a million dollars and is still costing me the full progress of my business. I showed clearly the District Waste Water Treatment Plant was dumping sewage in Indian Creek which flows through my property and into East Bay. But, three Governor’s later, their abuse continues.

As difficult as it is to condense that story and evidence I have attached a summary of what I have sent to the Executive Office. For a more detailed information please visit my blog site which details my struggle: http://rdausmc.blogspot.com/  I am sending this to all media and relevant agencies and persons asking that we keep this issue in the forefront and please contact our Governor and Lawmakers so this issue is not side stepped.

The first reason being the taxpayers of Florida need to know about it.

The second reason being the  actions of these Districts are impacting each and everyone of us economically.

The third and most important reason is that these Districts without oversight and accountability can without opposition break State and Federal laws that endanger our health and welfare. Whether you use my own story as an example or not please forward the need to support and expedite this Executive Order.

I thank you for this consideration and please contact me at anytime for more information or interview.

Best Regards,

Robert D. Allen

“NO MAN STANDS SO TALL AS WHEN HE STOOPS TO HELP A CHILD.”

source: http://rdausmc.blogspot.com/

RELATED LINKS:

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Blog Occupy East Point Florida

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Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Blog Chronic Sewage Dumping Chicago Eastpoint Florida

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Blog Apalachicola Bay Public Meetings Corexit Poisoning

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