The BP Oil Spill is Hurting the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Biloxi, Miss. -- My wife's father died of brain cancer last year. His name was Gary and he was only 54 years old. Gary went from diagnosis to death in less than five months. I remember going to see him in the hospital on late June day he was first diagnosed, and he said, "Man, this is gonna mess up fishing."

Gary loved fishing as much as he loved golfing. He was like me in that he loved wide open spaces and fresh air. There's a feeling you get when you are out there on the open water and can see for miles all around you. It's those times that I feel closest to God, because it makes me feel kind of small. Gary was a devout Christian and I wonder if he felt the same way out there in the open.

It's difficult to describe what it's like to live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast until you've been away from it for a while. While you're here, you get used to the scenic view of the Gulf of Mexico. When you're away, it takes a little while before you realize that something is missing. I drive the beachfront every day going to and from work, and half the time I barely pay any attention to the beach because it's always there. Now thanks to BP and their accident that is still pumping the Gulf of Mexico full of raw oil even as I write this, I can't stop thinking about the Gulf and our beaches.

When I look at the images and projections of the oil as it spreads across the Gulf of Mexico, it reminds me of a cancer. You can't do anything to stop it from growing and you can't do enough to protect those in its path. The oil moves slowly and steadily and destroys everything in its path. It leaves you powerless and frustrated and looking to blame someone or something as an outlet for your anger. Some blame BP; others blame certain politicians. Some blame our nation's reliance on oil; others blame the government.

Fishing isn't just something that wealthy people with boats do on weekends. Here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, fishing is an industry. A great many people make their living by going out into the Gulf of Mexico and bringing back fish, shrimp, oysters, crabs, and other desirable seafood items. Now those same people are being forced to dump their catch and told the waters where they used to fish are now considered unsafe. As of this writing, the portion of the Gulf of Mexico still left open is incredibly small. I fear that it won't be much longer before it's all closed.

Just recently, a crab trapper from Pascagoula was stopped by DMR (Department of Marine Resources) and told to dump his load of crabs that he'd spent several hours catching. He'd missed the previous night's news alert about some Mississippi waters closing, and had been out catching the crabs on the outskirts of the affected area. Not only did he lose the money he could have made from the several hundred pounds of crabs, but he also lost the fuel he burned that morning, as well as his personal time. This man was forced to dump his livelihood right back into the water.

As the cancer that is the oil spill spreads across the Gulf of Mexico, I worry about everything from the wildlife to our seafood industry. Local restaurants are already putting up signs to let customers know that the seafood they serve comes from approved sources. Local shrimpers are wondering how they will make their living if the oil keeps spreading. Everybody is wondering how BP is going to make things right.

Man, this is gonna mess up fishing.