Near the spill site, researchers have documented a massive die-off of pyrosomes - cucumber-shaped, gelatinous organisms fed on by endangered sea turtles. Along the coast, droplets of oil are being found inside the shells of young crabs that are a mainstay in the diet of fish, turtles and shorebirds.
And at the base of the food web, tiny organisms that consume oil and gas are proliferating.
If such impacts continue, the scientists warn of a grim reshuffling of sealife that could over time cascade through the ecosystem and imperil the region's multibillion-dollar fishing industry.
Federal wildlife officials say the impacts are not irreversible, and no tainted seafood has yet been found. But Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who chairs a House committee investigating the spill, warned Tuesday that the problem is just unfolding and toxic oil could be entering seafood stocks as predators eat contaminated marine life.
"You change the base of the food web, it's going to ripple through the entire food web," said marine scientist Rob Condon, who found oil-loving bacteria off the Alabama coastline, more than 90 miles from BP's collapsed Deepwater Horizon drill rig. "Ultimately it's going to impact fishing and introduce a lot of contaminants into the food web."
What it means is the sea food industry in the Gulf States is over.
ReplyDeleteYou won't find me eating lobster with BP oil sauce.
Did you see the video of the oysterman? He pulls up a large cage of caught oysters and proceeds to open every one. 95% of the oysters are dead and have to be thrown away.
ReplyDeleteOne of the largest oyster companies already closed down. It had been on the Gulf for generations and now they're all out of work and have no other way to make a living. Ditto most of the fisherman; it's all they've done for generations and many are too old and not educated enough to learn another trade.
The government as well as BP are lying to us about how bad this disaster really is. What will it take before we wake up and start marching on Washington?
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