The oil rig explosion off the Louisiana coast continues to spew thousands of gallons of oil daily. While the cause of the incident remains to be seen, some say it may have long-term economic and environmental effects on several states.
Not only is it going to cost British Petroleum, which owned the rig, $6 million a day to battle the spill – as we reported – it may harm sea life in the area if the slick continues to move inland and devastate the region’s shrimping and fishing industries.
From Voice of America:
John Sackton is editor and publisher of seafood.com, an industry news Web site. He says that if the oil reaches Louisiana’s shrimp beds, it could have far-reaching economic consequences. “The short-term effect is that it is not possible to fish for shrimp in waters that are polluted by oil,” he said. “The oil gets into the product and also it fouls the nets. So any place where there is visible oil, they would have to shut down fishing. The second problem is a longer-term problem as to whether there is anything that is toxic in the water that is going to impact shrimp survival,” said Sackton.
Listen to and read Marketplace’s report on how the incident may hurt oil growth here.
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