Oil Spill

Oil Spill

It seems that we just can’t ignore the oil spill. There is nothing we can do to stop it if it’s going to come. There is nothing we can do to prepare for it, and we have no idea what the impact will be if it does come. Yet we are daily threatened by government proclamations, barraged by the media, assaulted by apocalyptic warnings from anguished environmentalists, and swarmed over by sympathetic lawyers who just want to help.

On June 2, NOAA expanded the fishery restricted zone to just west of Dry Tortugas. Eight boats from Stock Island Lobster regularly fish the area, and though the best fishing place – Tortugas Bank – was not in the zone, it was close enough to keep several fishermen from leaving on planned trips. With NOAA indicating that the restricted zone would quickly be moved east towards Key West, the fish house cancelled a large bait order due to be delivered on June 4, and warned all boats that they should fish every day, as a full closure appeared imminent.

On Friday, June 4, NOAA admitted they had acted prematurely, and moved the closure line 100 miles further away from Tortugas. NOAA’s hasty action in moving the restricted line to Tortugas did not cause any huge losses to commercial fishing, and the effect on our fisheries, was more inconvenient than it was disruptive. Yet, the entire action was perfectly indicative of why so many of us have little confidence in the ability of our federal bureaucracies to effectively and efficiently handle emergencies.

We don’t doubt that the bureaucrats are well meaning, but having little experience in the private sector, they often make statements and take actions disproportionate to the threat, and seemingly without regard for their consequence in the real world. Keys commercial fishermen have so far had minimal losses, but for charter boats, and others in the tourist industry, the fallout from premature government actions, and public speculation on doomsday scenarios, are causing significant losses. Meanwhile, federal agencies project the impression that all of their actions are for the collective good, and therefore, far more important than any consequences they may have for individuals.

Florida Keys fishermen are in the middle of summer Yellowtail production, and after a lobster season of poor prices due to the economic recession, sorely need the income. They fully understand the potential threat to their livelihood, and are not helped in any way by warnings from government or grandstanding by the opportunistic anti-oil crowd. Believe it or not, fishermen do not even need the government to tell them when the oil arrives. What’s more, they are not going to pull fish through an oil slick, and they would not ever try to sell a tainted product.

So how about toning down the rhetoric, and quit acting as if a few tar balls are going to poison half the population, and destroy the entire marine ecosystem. We know everyone is very concerned about the welfare of commercial fishermen, and of course we are very appreciative, but can we save a little worry for the real thing? When – and if – the oil arrives in the Florida Keys, there will be plenty of time for the hysteria so many people are looking for.

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