It may not be the funniest, but it gets the point across. I suppose I still retain some of that old Cajun humour, after all. So, what do you think?
Got Crabs?
Get Oil of BP
Alleviate the Problem
FAST!
This is what made me think along these lines. From AP:
Crabs Provide Evidence Oil Tainting Gulf Food WebBARATARIA, La. — To assess how heavy a blow the BP oil spill has dealt the Gulf of Mexico, researchers are closely watching a staple of the seafood industry and primary indicator of the ecosystem's health: the blue crab.
Weeks ago, before engineers pumped in mud and cement to plug the gusher, scientists began finding specks of oil in crab larvae plucked from waters across the Gulf coast.
The government said last week that three-quarters of the spilled oil has been removed or naturally dissipated from the water. But the crab larvae discovery was an ominous sign that crude had already infiltrated the Gulf's vast food web — and could affect it for years to come.
"It would suggest the oil has reached a position where it can start moving up the food chain instead of just hanging in the water," said Bob Thomas, a biologist at Loyola University in New Orleans. "Something likely will eat those oiled larvae ... and then that animal will be eaten by something bigger and so on."
Tiny creatures might take in such low amounts of oil that they could survive, Thomas said. But those at the top of the chain, such as dolphins and tuna, could get fatal "megadoses."There is much more HERE.
Marine biologists routinely gather shellfish for study. Since the spill began, many of the crab larvae collected have had the distinctive orange oil droplets, said Harriet Perry, a biologist with the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.
"In my 42 years of studying crabs I've never seen this," Perry said. She wouldn't estimate how much of the crab larvae are contaminated overall, but said about 40 percent of the area they are known to inhabit has been affected by oil from the spill.
Tulane University researchers are investigating whether the splotches also contain toxic chemical dispersants that were spread to break up the oil but have reached no conclusions, biologist Caz Taylor said.
If large numbers of blue crab larvae are tainted, their population is virtually certain to take a hit over the next year and perhaps longer, scientists say.
Makes me sick. Does anyone care? Anyone? (crickets)
And so it goes, sadly.
*
I care
ReplyDeletei just don't know what I can do - it makes one feel helpless.
I could not help but be a bit leery last week when I went to our local farmer's market. Two stands that I frequent sell seafood. One has delicious neptune salad and the other fairly good Maryland style crab cakes. This past week the price of both was *down*! and I was wondering how safe each was to eat.
ReplyDelete@spo: Write you Representatives (especially that grumpy old man) and sound off. It is important to note that a written letter gets more attention than a phone call or email. It means you are involved and truly care about the issue.
ReplyDelete@lem: The local seafood ought to be fine at present, but as you have probably heard, the "blessing of the shrimp fleet" in LA was celebrated with not shrimp, but BBQ chicken, and potato salad. Yes, it has come to this.
The lower price is likely because the threat from the seafood from the Gulf made folks like yourself leery of purchasing the products, I am sure the vendor lost money because of that perception.
Thanks for the visit guys.
A shame! Thanks for posting.
ReplyDelete