Tarpon Springs, Fla.—The Southern Shrimp Alliance, which represents the U.S. wild-caught shrimp industry, is monitoring closely the Deepwater Horizon oil spill located 30 miles off of the coast of Venice, Louisiana that could negatively impact the U.S. shrimp fisheries in five states.
“The Southern Shrimp Alliance is currently in Washington, DC and monitoring the containment efforts and environmental impact the spill with officials at the National Marine Fisheries Service,” said John Williams, Executive Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “It is too early to understand the effects of the spill on the shrimp stocks, which are migrating from estuaries to the Gulf of Mexico. The Southern Shrimp Alliance will continue to collaborate with federal and state government agencies to identify measures to minimize the damage from this tragedy.”
The impact on the shrimp industry depends on many variables, such as the final volume of the spill, the outcome of containment efforts, and weather conditions. According to media reports, geologists says that the oil spill has the potential to delay the shrimp season and affect this year’s catch.
The offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon continues to release an estimated 42,000 gallons of crude oil a day during a time from two leaks in a drilling pipe located 5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. Recent efforts to shut off the well have been unsuccessful. The Coast Guard officials report the spill is covering an area in the Gulf of Mexico of 48 miles by 39 miles at its widest points.
The most recent news on the oil spill from the can be found at www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.
The Southern Shrimp Alliance will continue to provide information on the impact to the fishery as it becomes available.
SSA is an alliance of the U.S. warmwater wild shrimp fishery from eight states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. For more information on the SSA, please visit shrimpalliance.com.