For those that own a business on the Gulf Coast where the oil spill has taken thousands of jobs and polluted the water, making fishing nearly impossible, your company or business may be in danger. Many different types of businesses have noticed the effect of the BP oil spill and not just the ones that are directly associated with fishing such as the fishing or shrimping boat owners. Virtually every business in town will be affected by this disaster and we’ll go over some of the business mostly affected and what you can do about your livelihood being taken away.
One type of business that is surely being affected is the fishing industry. The fisherman that no longer can fish their waters are out of work, some laid off by the owner of the boat while fishing boat owners themselves sit idle, unable to use their equipment and boats to catch fish, in the areas of the Gulf Coast where fishing has been banned. Fishing is a vital part of the economy in these areas and in some towns it is the only real industry, putting thousands of out of work because of the polluted waters and the bans on fishing.
Also affected are those that depend upon the fisherman to do their jobs in order to run. For instance, supermarkets in the town may depend upon the fish and other seafood that the fisherman bring back and may not have any to sell if fishing boats are not able to go out. Indirectly affected may also be restaurants, which depend upon either the fishing company themselves of the supermarkets supplied by the fishing industry to serve their food. In fact some restaurants in these coastal towns serve nothing but seafood and are essentially out of business.
In many town along the Gulf Coast, the economy is dependent upon tourism. With waters polluted and restaurants and grocery stores out of stock of seafood products tourism wanes. There are some towns that are still attracting tourists but many others are experiencing a downturn. The shops and hotels in these tourist towns all depend upon the tourists coming in, and the oil spill has affected that as well reducing the revenue of thousands of businesses and putting some towns completely out of business due to a lack of tourism and visitors.
It is unfair for a company to take away the livelihood of hard working people like this, and if you have been adversely affected by being a part of any of these industries in coastal towns you could be entitled to compensation for the damage that BP has caused. Some experts believe that the company isn’t doing enough to fix the oil spill and if this can be proven you may be able to recoup some of the lost income that you have experienced directly from the company. Contact Ledger & Associates @ 800.300.0001 for a consultation to see if you have claim resulting from the BP oil spill
