Nearly all shrimping boats abandon Key West after crew pulls up oil-covered shrimp

[nashville_brook]

http://cbs4.com/local/oil.spill.florida.2.1751229.html

Nearly all shrimping boats abandon Key West after crew pulls up oil-covered shrimp

(SNIP)

Next to the Hogfish sits a pier that is usually full of shrimp boats. But on Monday, CBS4’s Gio Benitez found only one boat docked there.

The last time Hogfish manager Tim Dion saw all the shrimping boats was three to four weeks ago. The boats would always bring fresh shrimp from the Gulf…

According to this CBS4 report, shrimpers left the Key West area sometime between May 18 to May 25.

This is precisely the time that “about 12 miles north of Dry Tortugas, the crew on the Mattie Fay hauled up their shrimp catch and got oil,” according to a May 24 report in the Naples Daily News.

“Tar balls were tangled in their nets with the shrimp. There was tar on the shrimp, tar on their boots, tar on their gloves.”

The boat’s captain said, “Now, we’re leaving. I seen the sign of that tar out there the other day and I don’t want to get trapped.”

Apparently the other shrimpers saw the signs as well.

[Poll_Blind]

1. Fucked.

Does anyone know how much of this is leaving into the Atlantic?

PB

[nashville_brook]

there was a thread earlier today about a 20+mile slick in off of the Treasure Coast (Palm Beach)

but, no. i don't think anyone knows.

[Angry Dragon]

52. Palm Beach is on the east side of florida??

[TK421]

72. I thought that was Gulf coast myself n.t

[flyarm]

79. HERE:Scientists Locate 23-Mile Long Oil Plume Off Florida's Treasure Coast

Scientists Locate 23-Mile Long Oil Plume Off Florida's Treasure Coast

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8556112

[marmar]

16. That's exactly what I was thinking.....

Fucked eight ways from Sunday.

[Bluebear]

2. We were told yesterday that gulf seafood is safe to eat

So this must not be true. :silly:

[nashville_brook]

3. I will not be eating local shrimp for a very long time. gosh...maybe never again.

[me b zola]

8. +!

And nobody is testing the seafood for toxins from the dispersants. Anyone who eats from the Gulf is foolish.

[dgibby]

35. As we used to say in the hospital,

if you don't want to find a fever, don't take a temperature.

[depakid]

18. That would be a wise precaution

At this point, the agencies that oversee the American food supply are not to be trusted. As has been shown countless times over the past 10 years.

[nashville_brook]

25. i know, right! the FDA makes MMS look like boy scouts.

[depakid]

28. Shrimp falls under USDA's purvue- though the FDA is involved with the recall notices and such

The whole deal is a great big mess- and almost never are those who (even knowingly) market and distribute contaminated food held to account. And certainly not by this administration.

Remember Peanut Corp. of America? Killed 9 people- and they all walked away scot free, despite mountain of evidence against them- much of it their own writings.

[nashville_brook]

30. yep -- no Skippy for months! and how about the spinach scare before that?

[depakid]

32. I believe the tahina (sesame seed butter) came in between that (there are so many, one loses track)

[justabob]

86. months and months of NO tomatoes when japs and seranos were to blame in the end

yeah... good times.

[rucognizant]

68. You BETTER believe it!

I went to the Dr. this am. My blood pressure was up & she upped my BP dose.
On the way home I had to stop by the food pantry & pick up my 30 LB commodities package........... I got one last month, but didn't realize it was A MONTHLY THING.........So they called me a week later to come pick up the "gobmnt"
commidity pkg.
When I got my regular food pantry stuff, ( which is largely local donations and food market contributions., consists of baby greens some bruised fruit, very good day old bread, tuna soups canned veggies, salad dressing, some treats..you know, regular FOOD that people eat. They give me the exotics that no one else will claim. This month's prize; a bottle of cashew juice concentrate. I look on the label for recipes, yes, one for ice cream.....great if I HAD AN ICE CREAM MAKER & COULD AFFORD THE CREAM...............The OTHER recipe was for a drink.............using vodka or gin. I asked the ladies if they had any of thAT UP ON THE SHELF as I can't afford that either.. We laughed at that & then decided it might be good in a salad dressing, or probably I could use it in a dish with the eternal pasta or rice.
Cashews are s no stranger to me........typical lunch might be cashews, some cheddar & an apple. Always on the breakfast cereal, with yogurt & dried fruit or a banana............
Cereal...........at least the F P gives out honey nut rollin oats........... At least when I eat them I don't get a stomache ache. I did get one from the corn flakes.( in the commodities brown bag............corn flakes sugar SALT & CORN SYRUP..no wonder!
Now in 3 weeks I am in possession of 4.5 LBs of corn flakes........................
We won't mention the gobmnt process murikan cheese. Suffice it to say the cat LOVES IT. she can have the cheese I'll eat her chicken w gravy cat food! LOL
Needless to say.Michelle Obama, Michael Pullin my sister in law who works for USDA, and a few others are going to hear from me! I didn't get to be a healthy energetic 71 year old eating this stuff!

[Alcibiades]

77. I grew up on the government cheese

I wouldn't feed it to a cat, though: I'd hate to have to clean that litter box.

[femrap]

48. I usually buy bags of

frozen shrimp when they are on sale. I always look for the 'country of origin' on everything I buy.

I shop at Meijers (MI, OH, KY) and Kroger's. The country of origin is either Vietnam or China. I refuse to buy the Chinese shrimp because it's probably farm raised and full of pcbs.

I've never seen USA shrimp at these 2 grocery stores.

[awoke_in_2003]

59. I wouldn't trust...

those "Country of origin" tags, either. In an atmosphere where only profits matter, I would trust NO shrimp.

[femrap]

87. this goes back for years....

like this entire decade.

[awoke_in_2003]

88. I know...

and the fact that we have a democrat in the White House changes nothing. The scene in DC is just a sideshow.

[femrap]

89. Yes,

a distraction/circus.

[awoke_in_2003]

58. I wouldn't eat any shrimp...

wouldn't put it past some people to sneak some gulf shrimp into the food chain.

[sandnsea]

9. That is not what you were told

You were told that gulf seafood that is caught in open zones is undergoing rigorous testing to guarantee it is safe to eat.

Note these fishermen didn't even bring these shrimp into port. Because they know they can't sell it.

The seafood that is approved for sale -- will be safe to eat.

It does not help to misrepresent the facts, that is why so many people in this country don't know the clean-up effort that is going on in the gulf in the first place.

[bahrbearian]

11. The clean up effort is Dispersant's and Miraculous Microbes

Where are the skimmers , Ok now maybe we should just burn it at the source. Out sight out of mind.

[bahrbearian]

13. Have you ever been on a fishing boat ? you sell what you can.

Quality be damned.

[riderinthestorm]

33. There's a market for virtually anything edible, for a price.

Those shrimpers didn't throw it back in the sea. They sold it to the hog farmer (hogs will eat anything) I'd bet. I don't know that for a fact but from what I know, the shrimper needed to make something to offset the costs of going out on that run. I'm dead cert they didn't just chuck that shrimp back into the sea knowing that there's always a market for even the shittiest product somewhere. May not be a good price but at least it's something to offset the costs.

[sandnsea]

44. Gosh, the article is about them dumping it back

So I guess that makes you wrong right there.

And I live on the Oregon Coast, so yeah, I know a bit about fishing boats. They don't sell oil soaked fish.

[bahrbearian]

46. Oh. one boat had to dump it back

I walked on the beach once so I know.
I fished for 8 years and worked cannery's for 4. I shrimped in alaska when there was a shrimp fishery, we did sell oil soaked shrimp ,salmon, cod, halibut,octopus,but then I'm wrong right! They do sell oil soaked product, you just find a buyer.

[rucognizant]

69. A Caterer friend, told me years ago..............

not to buy fresh fish from one of these big boats that are out to sea for a week at a time. He said buy frozen,they are thrown right into the locker and frozen..the fresh fish are kept "fresh" by being sprayed with formaldihide.!

[nashville_brook]

73. i've heard this before too. ugh.

[nashville_brook]

14. "you were told" to eat the shrimp...now EAT it or else Rahm will cry.

[tkmorris]

21. They tell us ALL our food undergoes "rigorous testing".

But we know better than that don't we? For a couple of decades now these are people who have been more occupied with selling the perception of safety rather than actually, you know, making sure food is safe. I don't see any reason to believe that situation has changed appreciably under the Obama regime, which is something of a disappointment.

Will the testing of gulf seafood be better? Maybe. I can't say and I really doubt you can either. I do know however that I won't be betting my health on it which is a shame, I used to be friends with a few people around Pensacola who still make their living fishing and shrimping in the Gulf. At least they did until now.

[nashville_brook]

24. you got a problem with melamine in your infant formula? hater.

:sarcasm:

[sandnsea]

43. They're adding 8 labs for testing

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=388x22281

This is in addition to increased testing by NOAA and other agencies.

Yes I can say that because I bother to READ.

[awoke_in_2003]

61. yep....

they also tell us that regulations are in place to avoid what has happened in the Gulf. Like you said, they are selling the perception of safety, nothing more.

[awoke_in_2003]

60. "The seafood that is approved for sale -- will be safe to eat"

approved by the same government that has deregulated everything so much that we now have this ecological nightmare. I will give seafood a pass.

[kath]

81. And the same government that said that a small beef farm/plant would NOT be allowed to test every

one of its cows for BSE. :mad:

[awoke_in_2003]

84. exactly...

our food supply has gone to hell.

[tranche]

65. You wrote the true and correct comment.

I just don't understand why people are letting frustration and their irritation with Obama lead to misrepresentation of facts.

[tekisui]

85. I quit trusting any official related to this leak weeks ago.

Knock yourself out, but I wouldn't eat from the Gulf or feed it to a child of mine.

[burnsei sensei]

56. I think you have been lied to.

nt

[flyarm]

80. I live directly on the gulf..and my hubby's best friends are commerical Fishermen..

I would not touch fish from the Gulf now..if it is deep water fish...And my hubby's friends are not going out fishing..they have too much integrity ..and they say they don't know what fish would be safe or not.

[G_j]

4. we knew this was coming

but hoped beyond hope it wouldn't.

[The Straight Story]

5. Lt. Dan and Forrest Gump will save the day

:)

[nashville_brook]

7. mmmhmmm -- :)

[awoke_in_2003]

63. BP chumps...

are making Forrest Gump look like Albert Einstein.

[Laelth]

6. Sigh. This is sad. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[aquart]

10. OMG. How sick they must have felt. The shrimpers.

Their livelihoods destroyed by carelessness and greed. When does that despair reach the rest of us?

[nashville_brook]

12. i dunno -- i think for most of the country the Gulf is a place on the weather map

that makes storms. beyond that, if you haven't lived here it's all theoretical.

[Fumesucker]

15. It's not called "The Redneck Riviera" for nothing..

It's even in a John Mellencamp song, Little Pink Houses, that a big chunk of the USA vacations at the Gulf of Mexico.

[nashville_brook]

26. from back when people could afford vacations!!

[KamaAina]

57. Ah, but ain't that America...

:eyes:

[flyarm]

82. Ahhh we in Florida are the 4th biggest state in the nation ..and we are on the Gulf. eom

[mikita]

20. I don't live near the Gulf, and at the moment

it is heartbreaking to watch what is going on there, while being physically removed from the up-close sights and smells.

That said, I don't for one minute think that this will be a problem only for the Gulf states. All that lower-chain food that's being poisoned will eventually be eaten by fish or birds who will not know that they need to stay in the "boomed" or disaster-declared areas.

Then we've got the upcoming and probably ultra-horrific problem of toxic air and toxic rain. Who knows yet how far-reaching that will become? And we haven't even hit hurricane season yet.....

Anyone who sits by smugly thinking this is just a southern coastal problem is, I think, eventually going to see the theoretical become an an ugly reality.

Mother Nature bats last.

[rucognizant]

70. There is ONE consolatiuon here folks...............

The Rev SUn Yung Moon, funded his sculduggery & right wing actions with one of the largest wholesale seafood dealerships in the country.....

[flyarm]

83. And don't forget when your birds head down our way for winter!! eom

[tranche]

67. Didn't you just basically accuse shrimpers and Gulf fisherman of being liers up thread?

[bahrbearian]

19. Tell that to my colleges in Prince Williams Sound.

Oh thats right, most of them were dead before they got the redacted settlement.

[Captain Hilts]

64. I am worried for the shrimp and other wildlife, too. nt

[Maru Kitteh]

17. Kicked and Rec'd with a very heavy heart.

[applegrove]

22. Sounds like there is oil underwater. Pretty scary now that they are saying

the spill could be upwards of 60,000 spilling each day.

[nashville_brook]

23. this is what no one wants to talk about -- oil on a beach is really a best case

oil and toxic soup permeating the entire ecosystem...that's The End.

[applegrove]

27. Is it possible that all that oil will stay down there or will it work its way up to the surface?

[Hydra]

42. Ask the people who authorized the dispersants

There was lots of heat from people who knew what they were talking about at the start of this, who said it was better if the oil was on the surface where it could be skimmed.

BP didn't want us to know how much of it there really was...I don't think DC wanted us to know either.

That means it's going to go EVERYWHERE...and we won't even be able to see it.

[Historic NY]

29. More of the formerly cheap Chinese & Vietnamese & other Asian shrimp...

they will be commanding premium prices for the frozen tasteless stuff we get.

[Hugabear]

31. We've been told repeatedly there is no oil near the Keys

I feel like I'm watching "Jaws" where the mayor is telling everyone the water is safe.

[nashville_brook]

34. yep --that's what i thought when i saw this.

[Catherina]

37. Just yesterday we were assured that it's safe if it's not pelagic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8556462#8557885

[Cetacea]

40. The oil is pelagic.

:mad:

[Lucian]

36. But, but, but...I thought it was SAFE to eat!!!

:eyes:

[DirkGently]

38. This disaster will be measured in generations

... and yet we're still talking in terms of "when" deep sea drilling will resume?

Fuck no. Try it.

[nashville_brook]

39. how will we explain this to our children?

you see, there used to be a beautiful blue ocean here. people lived from the fish they caught, and you could go swimming without a hazmat suit.

[Cetacea]

41. Wow. The key sentences were edited out.

"This is precisely the time that “about 12 miles north of Dry Tortugas, the crew on the Mattie Fay hauled up their shrimp catch and got oil,” according to a May 24 report in the Naples Daily News."

“Tar balls were tangled in their nets with the shrimp. There was tar on the shrimp, tar on their boots, tar on their gloves.”

The boat’s captain said, “Now, we’re leaving. I seen the sign of that tar out there the other day and I don’t want to get trapped.”

Apparently the other shrimpers saw the signs as well."



That critical part of the story is no longer in that article....

[Catherina]

47. It's a coverup of incredible magnitude. n/t

[HCE SuiGeneris]

50. Which only supports the fact that we are absolutely

up the creek without a paddle. Damn, damn, damn!!!

[ForeignSpectator]

45. Ask Obama to try it, he can tell us if it's safe to eat... n/t

[mimitabby]

49. at least the fishermen can leave

the shrimp just die.

[jschurchin]

51. MOTHERFUCKER

FUCK, FUCK, FUCK.

Thanks BP you MOTHERFUCKERS.

[defendandprotect]

53. We NEED to talk about $$ to keep these people going... but other than that there

is no $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ which can pay for this destruction of nature!!

Nature is all --

We have to stop judging things by the yardstick of a dollar bill --

and that's what capitalism is all about --

that and explitation of nature and humans!!

[nashville_brook]

71. this is a root issue for me -- the only "justice" i can imagine coming out of this

is preventing anything of this nature EVER happening again. it's our duty to our children and our penance for allowing this to happen.

[border_town]

54. Bad news!!

If it made it to the Keys it is in the loop current and it is a matter of time the east coast will see the oil.

[Fire1]

55. Well, there's always seafood on the east coast. n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

66. For a little while. nt

[Bluebear]

62. What was that old song...Shrimp Boats Are A-GOIN'

[HooptieWagon]

74. If the shrimpers dumped contaminated shrimp in their hold...

It would only contaminate the clean shrimp already in there. They most likely dumped the shrimp overboard, and IIRC the original story from a couple weeks ago was that they returned to the dock with only a half load in the hold. Also, apart from contaminated shrimp, cleaning or replacing the nets and other gear would be quite a chore (and expensive). Smart move for the shrimpers to clear out, although thats going to be a problem for related industries on shore - seafood houses, suppliers of fuel and food, mechanics, welders, etc. They will be out of work until the shrimpers can return.

[happygoluckytoyou]

75. YOU CAN...boil them, fry them, oil them, tarball them, broil them, grease them...bubba is crying

[Cetacea]

76. Does anybody have the article before it was censored?

[AzNick]

78. Havana is next

Hey, see the bright side of it: Fidel and Obama will finally meet.