Bought shrimp from daughter of suicide boat Captain Kruse today.

[trof]

She and her mom, Tracey, operate a fish market here in Foley, AL.
Obviously I didn't mention her dad's suicide.
She seemed to be bearing up.
Life goes on and the family still has to earn their daily bread.
I figured they deserved our patronage more than any other fish mongers down here.

$8.50 lb. for 'large' 30-40 count de-headed shrimp.
I asked her where they came from.
"Bottom of Florida. Around the keys."

A few months ago we paid around $4 lb. for heads on shrimp direct from the shrimper.

From USA Today
Consumed by worry

From the beginning, Kruse was unhappy with the glacially slow process of working for BP.

"He couldn't believe they were sitting there at Zeke's Marina doing nothing," Tracy said. "He wanted to get out there and work and help clean up the oil."

But once the work finally began, Kruse was overwhelmed with the paperwork to get an assignment and get paid.

In particular, one invoice required 52 pages to fill out, and there were problems getting the paperwork to BP, Tracy said.
<snip>


'Last time I saw him'

Wednesday morning, Kruse rose first and dressed. Tracy got up for a few minutes, meeting her husband in the kitchen.

"He was just standing there, bent over the counter with his face in his hands," she said. "He was just leaning on the counter, and I could see the wheels of worry turning in his head."

Tracy said little, then returned to bed to catch up on sleep. Minutes later, her husband was at her bedside.

"He was just patting my head, and he said, 'I'm about to leave,' and then Allen said, 'It's just all madness, Tracy.'"

Those were the last words she'd hear him say.

"I told him everything would be all right. I said, 'Don't worry, Allen. It will all work out, honey.' "

Kruse kissed his wife, looked in on the boys, and climbed into his Ford F-250.

"That was the last time I saw him," she said.

She had no thought that he would take his own life.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-06-26-gulf-widow-oil-spill_N.htm?csp=34news

[auntAgonist]

1. This whole mess and sadness leaves me speechless.

My heart breaks for all of the families directly affected by this terrible mess.

:(

aA
kesha

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Such a terrible situation, my dear trof...

Good on ya for buying those shrimp from that family. They need all the support they can get.

Recommended, for the excellent story...

[trof]

15. 52 PAGES?

Give my an effing BREAK!
jeez

[CaliforniaPeggy]

16. Huh?

What are you talking about?

Where did I say anything about 52 pages?

Maybe you meant to respond to someone else...

:shrug:

[tblue37]

17. He was responding to the 52 pages of paperwork referred to in the OP.

People often click the "reply" button on the most recent post in order to respond to the OP. I have even done it myself on occasion. One just gets the urge to reply and clicks "reply" without thinking to return first to the OP.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. Thank you!

I wondered. He's normally such a sweet guy...

I hear you about clicking on the most recent post...

[roguevalley]

19. that's what they do, stall, lie, bury you in paper. they are satanic

in their evil and this poor man is only the first one. There will be more i am sure. :(

[Demoiselle]

3. Every time I think about the Gulf

I feel a little more hollowed out inside. That poor man. He must have been in so much pain.
I'm glad you're able to help his family a little, Trof.

[Ruby the Liberal]

4. Thank you for supporting the family, and sharing with us about them.

I wish I were closer. My heart is just breaking for all of these shrimpers/fishermen and their families.

They chose a career path of providing seafood to the nation, not one of cleaning up toxic waste.

[Cetacea]

5. Heart breaking.

Thank you for helping them. So sad.

[barbtries]

6. you mention one thing

"Obviously I didn't mention her dad's suicide." i hope that doesn't mean that you declined to offer sympathies on the loss of her father.

my daughter was run over. it was actually painful to me to see over time how uncomfortable that fact made people. they didn't know what to say so they'd say nothing. sometimes they'd say seriously dumb things. speaking for myself, i appreciated those who were willing to talk to me, even more those who had the heart to listen to me talk (weep, wail, berate) about my daughter, and my loss.

that's my experience. also, with her father's death having just barely happened, i can say with certainty that there really is nothing else on her mind. she's working by rote and her father is all that she is thinking about.

so sad.

[trof]

9. I don't know the family.

If I had, I would have offered words of condolence.
It seemed best just to conduct our business and leave.

[malaise]

7. You're a good person

:grouphug:

[immune]

8. Good for you for taking the time

to make a personal visit to them and show some support.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Good on you, trof. I tried to suggest, in another post, everyone buy Gulf seafood.

I was roundly scolded by some responders.

I will continue to buy Gulf Shrimp. As much as I can.

[trof]

12. "As much as you can" There's the rub.

I went to Billy's Seafood ("If It Swims, We Got It!) a few days ago.
http://www.billys-seafood.com/

Plenty of shrimp at Billy's.
No problem.
Except...
"Where you getting your shrimp, Billy?"
"Mexico and Texas."

Well, it IS Gulf shrimp.
It's a BIG gulf.
But it ain't local shrimp.
AFAIK, all shrimping areas are closed in Alabama.
But I appreciate your effort.
I do.
:thumbsup:

[Stinky The Clown]

13. Its the best we can do.

Clearly we can't (shouldn't, actually) buy shrimp from polluted areas, we can and should do what we can to keep as much Gulf fishing in business as possible.

Can your fleet go farther afield into unpolluted waters?

[trof]

14. I appreciate it. Truly.

Shrimpers can go far from home ports.
But then they get into problems with 'fresh' shrimp.
What's 'fresh'?

Local shrimp is usually iced down on the boat.
Never frozen.
Here in Alabama we get it within hours of catch.
Or we used to.

Our 'local' shrimper would call our friend in the neighborhood.
"I've got XXXX pounds of 30-40 count."
Or "50-60 count."
Those are smaller. We call them 'gumbo shrimp'.
(The 'count' is the number of shrimp per gallon. The smaller the count, the larger the shrimp.)
My friend calls around the neighborhood and asks us how many pounds we want.
We usually buy all he has.

Farther afield and it's frozen for shipment.
It's still pretty good, but not quite as good as local.

[alarimer]

23. Well the Texas Gulf Shrimp season is not open yet, so they are not likely from Texas.

That season will open around July 15. My guess is they are selling imported shrimp that they are not labeling as such. The vast majority of shrimp sold in this country is from places like Ecuador.

News release (closure affects both state and federal waters out to 200 miles):

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20100505a&nrtype=all&nrspan=2010&nrsearch=Gulf+shrimp

[Robert DAH Bruce]

11. Where's frazzled?

He should be in this thread!

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. I gotta find a way to get gulf sea food

to my table. Clear on the other wise of the country, and believe it or not it is cheaper to bring it from Asia.

[DemoTex]

21. I think that was who I bought shrimp from about three years ago ..

I had been at my sister's in Point Clear. I was headed back up to my dad's in Georgia. No one loves fresh Gulf shrimp like my dad. He will be 90 on August 14, if he makes it. It is doubtful.

Remember last year on my way back from Oregon. He has not been well since last summer.

[BrklynLiberal]

22. This situation is a disaster wrapped in a tragedy wrapped in an intentional

attempt to CYA by BP. They are more pissed than saddened by this oil spill...and frankly will do what ever they can to avoid being forced to face the consequences of their greed, stupidity and outright arrogance. They will give endless lipservice to those that are suffering, and to those that can see those that are suffering..but when it comes down to the actual DOING something positive, retributive, healing, redemptive, cleansing or even the slightest bit in the area of making amends...they will turn themselves insideout and require 52-page long forms in order to make sure they are not really doing ANYTHING!!!! AND IN THE PROCESS, THEY WILL DO THEIR BEST TO BLAME THE VICTIMS.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[SammyWinstonJack]

24. If BP didn't care about the safety of those working on the platform before it exploded

and clearly they didn't, there is no reason to believe that the livelihoods of Gulf coast residents and the loss of wildlife and marine life is of any concern NOW.

[BrklynLiberal]

25. There is only one thing they care about :PROFIT!!! period..end of story..finale

ANYTHING and ANYONE that interferes in that is disposable, replaceable, of no importance at all...and requires nothing more than a sneer and condescending symbolic pat on the rump with a warning "Here's a few bucks..now go away"

That applies to everyone from government overseers to the populace along the Gulf.

[newtothegame]

26. I seriously don't get it. He killed himself because he felt the clean-up was helping BP...

get away with something? What, we're supposed to leave the oil there to make some kind of political statement? :shrug:

[Ex Lurker]

27. he thought the "cleanup" was ineffective, and meant as a PR campaign to

improve BP's image rather than actually remove the oil.

[bluedigger]

28. No, that's not it at all.

He wanted to help with the response. He was discouraged by it, though. He was probably like most of the people immediately affected by the spill along the Gulf Coast. Independently employed, or working for a small business. These people don't have cash reserves like a corporation has. If they are lucky they have enough set aside for a two week "hurrication" and then they come back and resume their lives. Most don't have that. He couldn't just run off and heroically fight the spill single handed. He needed fuel and other operating expenses, and crew. Mortgages and car payments had to be made. What he got was forms and lists. And oil on beaches and an uncertain future.

[TNLib]

29. I wonder what happend in that meeting between the Captains and BP

Then, the captains met with BP officials at a nearby building. It was hot inside, and many of the captains were angry and frustrated.

Deckhand Joe Resmondo said something happened to Kruse at the meeting. What, he didn't know, but Kruse had a look of horror on his face.

Does anyone know?

[tilsammans]

30. You did a wonderful thing, . . .

. . . buying from the family. We need to show our support with our dollars. :grouphug:

If I had any money, I'd vacation in the Gulf and patronize the struggling businesses there. We're all in this together.