Since the oil spill is old news now, we don't hear anything about it. Gulf Coast sailors, how is the gulf? the water, the beaches, the fish & animals? Tell us what you can. Thanks -Paul
How's the Gulf?
- Thread starter Paul Brinkley
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It's kind of a mixed bag here in the Mobile Bay area. In the northern parts of the Bay, the waters seem back to normal. The mullet have spawned and we're starting to see schools of the baby fish up in the shallows.
Farther down the Bay on the Gulf, there are still tarballs on the beaches. The govt and BP are saying that they're pretty much done with beach clean-ups, as work to further clean the beaches would do more harm than good. It's said that there are large patches of oil-soaked sand just a few inches to feet down on the beaches and just off the beach under water.
What is yet to be seen is the real effect on marine life. There have been several instances of dead baby dolphins washing up on the beaches, and so far there's no known cause of death. Folks are commenting on the lack of sand crabs on the beaches and wondering if the oil is to blame. And we won't know until the fishing season gets into full swing, what possible effects may have occurred.
From a people perspective, many local businesses (restaurants, shops) closed their doors last year, including some long-established ones, due to the drops in employment and tourism. It's hard to say how much of that was because of the oil spill (although most local hotels and beach rentals would tell you that there were lots of cancellations last year due to the oil spill), and how much due to the overall economic downturn.
Sailing - hey, we're sailing! We went out yesterday afternoon for 4 hours sailing across the bay and back, temperatures in the low 70s, partly cloudy and winds around 15 knots gusting higher. Saw at least 8 boats that turned out for the Sunday "fun races" at the yacht club and 5-6 others further out in the Bay, enjoying the day as we were. I'm on the cruising committee for our yacht club and we have a full slate of cruises planned for this year, starting in mid-March. I think the biggest difference is that we don't have to worry about any channel/harbor closures while we're out on the water - last year there was always the threat (never realized) that channels/harbors would be boomed off to prevent any oil coming in, if local slicks were discovered. Closed waters down along the ICW have been re-opened (the ICW itself was never closed - couldn't do that due to the commercial traffic - but there were large sections in Perdido Pass that were closed to boating, and whole sections of shoreline that were boomed off between here and Pensacola, preventing anchoring out).
Time will tell what the real impact is. Everyone here right now is hoping that the economy ticks back up and that nothing happens this year (read: hurricane or other disaster) to further impact recovery.
I'll be interested to hear other reports from across the Gulf. It's worth noting that, IMHO, while the impact in the Mobile Bay area was pretty bad for the local fishing and tourism industries, the marine/fishing industries further to the west of us (Mississippi and Louisiana) suffered much more severe impacts, on top of their as-yet uncomplete recovery from Katrina. I went to Bayou la Batre, AL last summer and saw over 100 commercial fishing boats tied up at the pier on what would have been a full-swing business day, and this during the period that BP had a lot of the commercial folks under contract for clean-up operations. So one hopes that those industries will come back this year.
Mike Turner
Lazyjack 32 schooner "Mary'Lis"
Mobile Bay, Alabama
Farther down the Bay on the Gulf, there are still tarballs on the beaches. The govt and BP are saying that they're pretty much done with beach clean-ups, as work to further clean the beaches would do more harm than good. It's said that there are large patches of oil-soaked sand just a few inches to feet down on the beaches and just off the beach under water.
What is yet to be seen is the real effect on marine life. There have been several instances of dead baby dolphins washing up on the beaches, and so far there's no known cause of death. Folks are commenting on the lack of sand crabs on the beaches and wondering if the oil is to blame. And we won't know until the fishing season gets into full swing, what possible effects may have occurred.
From a people perspective, many local businesses (restaurants, shops) closed their doors last year, including some long-established ones, due to the drops in employment and tourism. It's hard to say how much of that was because of the oil spill (although most local hotels and beach rentals would tell you that there were lots of cancellations last year due to the oil spill), and how much due to the overall economic downturn.
Sailing - hey, we're sailing! We went out yesterday afternoon for 4 hours sailing across the bay and back, temperatures in the low 70s, partly cloudy and winds around 15 knots gusting higher. Saw at least 8 boats that turned out for the Sunday "fun races" at the yacht club and 5-6 others further out in the Bay, enjoying the day as we were. I'm on the cruising committee for our yacht club and we have a full slate of cruises planned for this year, starting in mid-March. I think the biggest difference is that we don't have to worry about any channel/harbor closures while we're out on the water - last year there was always the threat (never realized) that channels/harbors would be boomed off to prevent any oil coming in, if local slicks were discovered. Closed waters down along the ICW have been re-opened (the ICW itself was never closed - couldn't do that due to the commercial traffic - but there were large sections in Perdido Pass that were closed to boating, and whole sections of shoreline that were boomed off between here and Pensacola, preventing anchoring out).
Time will tell what the real impact is. Everyone here right now is hoping that the economy ticks back up and that nothing happens this year (read: hurricane or other disaster) to further impact recovery.
I'll be interested to hear other reports from across the Gulf. It's worth noting that, IMHO, while the impact in the Mobile Bay area was pretty bad for the local fishing and tourism industries, the marine/fishing industries further to the west of us (Mississippi and Louisiana) suffered much more severe impacts, on top of their as-yet uncomplete recovery from Katrina. I went to Bayou la Batre, AL last summer and saw over 100 commercial fishing boats tied up at the pier on what would have been a full-swing business day, and this during the period that BP had a lot of the commercial folks under contract for clean-up operations. So one hopes that those industries will come back this year.
Mike Turner
Lazyjack 32 schooner "Mary'Lis"
Mobile Bay, Alabama
Louisiana Gulf coast is doing fine right now ! BP has stepped up to the plate and made most of this mess right. The gasoline prices aren’t really because of BP’s mess; they are more the result of short sighted responses to the BP problem by our govmint in establishing a moratorium on drilling/production/exploration. Yes, I know that the moratorium has been “lifted” but the permits are not being released, even for shallow water and close onshore. Yes, it would be great if we didn’t have to depend on foreign oil, but the de-facto moratorium is forcing more oil to be imported, not less. Any disruption that causes panic (not real shortages, by the way) for supply causes the price to spike.. With oil at around $95, each of the 42 gallons of crude in the barrel costs $2.26. Each gallon of crude does not make a gallon of gasoline.. there are around 38 cents charged to you for taxes .. Obviously, not much gasoline is made with the $95 crude, it is made of much poorer quality stuff which is partly why it likes to gum and turn to plastic !! (especially in the presence of ethanol) .. OK, rant done.. Oh, in my humble and biased opinion, there are two real causes of the current spike.. 1 our govmint for the moratorium and 2, our govmint for not putting in reasonable rules on oil speculators 18 months ago when the prices spiked with no genuine cause. OK now rant really over..
Aw, just when I was enjoying the rant, it's over. 
I guess I've got to go to the War Room more often.....
I guess I've got to go to the War Room more often.....
I heard an interview on NPR about 2 weeks ago of Frank Campo, a well-known marina operator and fisherman in the marsh area near New Olreans. One big concern he had was that crabs have not been producing eggs yet. He said they have always produced eggs by this time of year. The recreational fishing has been good, though.
Lake Pontchartrain seems to be in good shape. A lot of sailing going on.
Claude, did you happen to hear that Campo interview?
Lake Pontchartrain seems to be in good shape. A lot of sailing going on.
Claude, did you happen to hear that Campo interview?
Reporting live from the west coast of Fla it is, and always was pristine. With all the press covering where oil actually made landfall, only in extreme NW Fl, the entire rest of the state was completely spared. Most reports speculated that the beaches and Keys of the whole state would be obliterated along with our whole way of life. So many projections were reported nearly as fact that it painted the whole state with the same dramatic brush.
Down here we're fine with NO physical oil impact so there are three ways to look at it. A native sailor who hates snowbird created crowds would revel in the irony of temporary solitude created by overblown/false reports. Or, we were lucky to avoid the sludge but don't deserve the statewide economic knee jerk impact in an already tough economic time. Or lastly, if you think about how bad it could've been you better get down here and see how beautiful it still is while you can. I'd say it's just unreal what a great sailing area we have so come on down and enjoy.
As Mr Buffett would say "the weather is here, I wish you were beautiful". Now back to Margaritaville.
Mike
Down here we're fine with NO physical oil impact so there are three ways to look at it. A native sailor who hates snowbird created crowds would revel in the irony of temporary solitude created by overblown/false reports. Or, we were lucky to avoid the sludge but don't deserve the statewide economic knee jerk impact in an already tough economic time. Or lastly, if you think about how bad it could've been you better get down here and see how beautiful it still is while you can. I'd say it's just unreal what a great sailing area we have so come on down and enjoy.
As Mr Buffett would say "the weather is here, I wish you were beautiful". Now back to Margaritaville.
Mike
Winkfish.. I didn't get a chance to see the inteview..I know that the crabs are being watched.. but there is no real info on the population yet..Oysters in the beds that are open are really good and tasty right now! I had a dozen on the shell last week.. More baby bottlenose dolphins have been found dead, but there is no information yet on the cause. It is not known how many would have died in a "normal" very cold winter, but the number is being kept now since the area is under such close scrutiny. Bacterial and or viral infections are suspect along with possible effects of oil or dispersants.. I am not making light of this mess, the problem is that a lot of info can be presented without a thorough understanding of cause and effect.
This afternoon, the first new permit for drilling was issued to a rig operator who had put the request in before the Transocean/BP mess.. maybe the lawsuits for constitutional violation are having an effect. so part of my rant above is answered but waayyyyyy too late.
This afternoon, the first new permit for drilling was issued to a rig operator who had put the request in before the Transocean/BP mess.. maybe the lawsuits for constitutional violation are having an effect. so part of my rant above is answered but waayyyyyy too late.
I heard that. Great news, but I agree, too little too late.
As for other stuff, yeah, it's going to be a while before we know what effects may be. I'd describe my feelings as cautiously optimistic. In the meantime, I'm enjoying fishing with my boy as often as I can.
This just in today:
http://www.sunherald.com/2011/02/28/2902621/cleanup-stops-on-islands.html
Personally, I have sailed, swam, waded, and fished from August/September until December quite often. Mostly at Cat Island and Ship Island. Mostly tarballs at the tide line. Never a sign of oil on me. Caught and eaten some good redfish. With the holidays and cold weather last few months, and boat work to prep for warmer weather, haven't been much this year. Time will tell which marine life will be affected most, and to what extent. I expect fish will do well. Crabs, shrimp, etc. maybe not so well...
http://www.sunherald.com/2011/02/28/2902621/cleanup-stops-on-islands.html
More info in the article.
Personally, I have sailed, swam, waded, and fished from August/September until December quite often. Mostly at Cat Island and Ship Island. Mostly tarballs at the tide line. Never a sign of oil on me. Caught and eaten some good redfish. With the holidays and cold weather last few months, and boat work to prep for warmer weather, haven't been much this year. Time will tell which marine life will be affected most, and to what extent. I expect fish will do well. Crabs, shrimp, etc. maybe not so well...
Thanks for all the info. I was afraid that, once it dropped off the news, the government would let it slide. Seems somebody is watching some of the fish and wildlife, at least. Hope for the best- for the environment and the p[eople who depend on it. -Paul
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