Fisherman Woes

 Photo of dead oysters

Fisherman are still facing hard times due to the oil spill last year. A man who has been working at Collins Oyster Co. (which has been in business for 90 years) has to close the doors. Nick Collins, who works at his fathers company, says "This is the biggest oyster kill in Louisiana history, probably in the Gulf coast's history....I wish I wasn't part of it. I wish I wasn't here. It's heartbreaking." Other fisherman who feel Collins' pain gathered at a town hall meeting where Ken Feinberg flew in from Washington to speak. Feinberg is the man President Obama has appointed to run BP's $20bn compensation fund, but apparently people have not been compensated.

The people took action and directly expressed there concerns to Feinberg: "You keep telling everybody that everything's fine in the Gulf of Mexico," says oil rig worker Clayton Mathern, "but you're sitting there lying to our faces." Mathern's wife said.... "You told us personally that you would help us. You gave us your personal cell phone number and begged us to keep it secret, but whenever we called, you didn't pick up."Wilber Collins, founder of the Collins Oyster Co., said, "it discourages you so much to see the way the government treats you. For America - it's unbelievable."

I know there is so much more going on in the world right now, but I didn't even realize that the oil spill was still an issue anymore. Like the people at the meeting were complaining about....politicians are allowing people to move important issues aside saying that everything is fine in the Gulf...but according to the BBC article on the matter, the oil spill is still very much an issue that needs to be addressed, but unfortunately it is not. We do not need to be told everything is going to be alright when it is not because that attitude will make become careless and incapable of handling or understanding events that should be of great concern to everybody.