The BP Oil spill is a disaster that has affected thousands. Many jobs are at risk including fishing jobs, and some fishing may end permanently on the Gulf Coast. A common example of this is Grand Isle, Louisiana, where more than sixty percent of residents make their income from the fishing industry. Towns like this that rely on fishing as a source of income, especially as their primary source of income, will be severely affected by this oil spill, and the men and women that make their living fishing will likely suffer as a result of such an incident.
In fact, some areas of the Gulf Coast have been marked as banned for fishing, which was around twenty percent of the total last month. This means that those who made their living from fishing are now not allowed to do so, with good reason as government agencies try to regulate and control the fish that are coming out of these waters. The FDA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have began testing seafood coming out of the Gulf Coast waters to make sure that it is safe for consumption.
Some estimates put the amount of the United States’ supply of seafood that comes out of these Gulf Coast areas, some of which have banned fishing and shrimping, at around forty percent. This is devastating for seafood lovers, but that is nothing compared to the tens of thousands that are out of a job now. Some of these fisherman have been making a living doing this their entire lives, and now they are unable to pay their bills, buy food for their families and pay the expenses to go into waters where the fishing is not banned.
In some parts, this may be the end of a livelihood for many fisherman, forced to move away from their homes and give up their lives to find work elsewhere, or forced to sell their fishing boats and gear in order to pay the bills that they now face. This can mean a lot of things for the fisherman and their families, including potentially losing houses that they have been paying on for years, being unable to pay their bills and have their credit adversely affected, as well as a general state of poverty that will reduce their quality of life greatly.
The problem is, that BP botched several efforts to stem the flow of oil, according to some experts and now they may be responsible for the damages that the widespread affect of the oil spill has caused, including loss of a livelihood like fishing. If you have been affected by the BP oil spill and you are unable to fish or make a living the way that you used to, you may be able to collect damages for this tragic set of circumstances. Attorney Emery Ledger has been helping accident victims for years and may be able to help you collect money for what you have lost.
