Gulf fishermen held a press conference over the weekend to voice concerns about what they consider to be the premature opening of commercial fishing grounds following the BP oil disaster. The press release says that Gulf Coast fishermen do not want to sell tainted seafood but are being forced, by the premature opening of inland and gulf waters to commercial fishing, to choose between a clean gulf or their livelihood.
Fishermen said that they would rather work cleaning the severely damaged gulf than selling tainted seafood. The concerned fishermen are demanding that all dispersant use be stopped immediately and that all fishing re-openings be halted until seafood tissue sampling shows it to be safe. They also want local commercial fishermen to be given first shot at cleanup and recovery jobs.
On the other hand federal officials are trying to convince the public that Gulf seafood is safe to eat. Meanwhile, Louisiana seafood promotion board chairman Harlon Pearce is heading up a delegation to Washington this week to tout the safety of his state’s product. He has plans to make a 30-foot-long shrimp and oyster po’ boy for federal officials, the Associated Press reports.
