BP Oil Leak -- On the ground update #10

Yesterday I did some interviews throughout St. Bernard Parish. Instead of talking to fisherman and those directly involved with the protection efforts, I decided to talk to people who worked at seafood restaurants. My first interview was with Tina Melerine who works at the Green Store in Poydras, LA. Tina herself has worked as a commercial fisherman and looks back fondly on the 8 years she spent on the water with her husband. Her two sons are now commercial fisherman in St. Bernard and she is worried about the future of their livelihoods.

I also interviewed Jeff Pohlman who owns Today's Ketch Seafood. Jeff was unloading a fresh batch of boiled crabs as I did his interviews. The crabs were freshly harvested from the waters of St. Bernard after the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries opened the area to fishing last Friday evening.

Jeff talked about what it was like to bounce back after Katrina and how the oil leak could be very different for his business. He told me that after Katrina, the seafood was abundant, but his material possessions were harder to replace . Now, with the oil slowly penetrating St. Bernard's waters, Jeff does not want to think of the long term effects on the local fisheries.