Large Fish Kill in St. Bernard Parish

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The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports of a large fish kill in the Gulf but suggests that it is probably not "directly" related to the BP oil spill. This may or may not be true but whether it is directly or indirectly related to the spill is really irrelevant. In the complex ecological environment of the Gulf nothing exists in isolation. An event as large as the BP oil spill will have secondary, tertiary and ongoing effects in the region. Can conclusions be drawn on this fish kill without factoring in those effects?

When reading this story, I thought back to the interview with Dr. Mark LaSalle of the Pascagoula River Audubon Center. In it, he talks about the seasonal dead zone in the Gulf caused by oxygen depletion. If I heard what he said correctly, we do not yet know if the oil spill or the dispersants are making the dead zone bigger or smaller. If he's right, it seems that there is no way to know right now what caused this fish kill. It seems that the answer, "we don't know" is unacceptable in a world of "instant news". May I suggest that it should be acceptable if all the data isn't in and that reasoned, scientific conclusions haven't been formulated yet.

As an unrelated aside, I stated when I started this blog that it was going to be apolitical and I intended to be a dispassionate conduit of information. After spending six weeks on the Gulf and talking people touched by the spill and people working at the community level who are trying to help them, I'm angry. I am angry that people aren't getting the fair restitution payments promised by BP and the federal government. I'm angry that the facts of the situation are being spun by a host of organizations for favorable press and political optics. I'm angry because the people who've lived through the aftermath of Katrina are seeing the same scenarios developing.

The facts are critical to telling this story accurately, but at the top level they seem to be as scarce as shark feathers. But it can be found in the gulf-side harbors and towns in the stories of those who live and work there. I've put a few of those stories into my videos and I've had dozens more off-camera conversations, some of which I've covered in previous posts. Through all of this I've come to two conclusions. First, these are good, tough, hard working people who care passionately about their home. Second, there are a host of people and organizations trying to game the system and the situation to their own advantage, financially, politically and ways I don't yet understand. In the end, unless something changes, the Gulf residents and potentially the wildlife will suffer for a long time to come.

That's why I'm angry.