Home | Media Center | RFA: Accident a Devastating Blow to Gulf of Mexico Fishing Communities

June 03, 2010

Since the tragic oil spill at the Deepwater Horizon site on April 20, RFA staff has been in close contact with members and allied organizations in the Gulf region. "There's very little we can do right now except pray, keep lines of communication open and work with our legislators to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again," said RFA Executive Director, Jim Donofrio.

In recent years, RFA and other groups were led to believe that mandatory safeguards now utilized on oil platforms had made offshore drilling a safe and ecologically sound way of producing domestic oil. "After Hurricane Katrina, we were assured that the technology was up to speed, but that is clearly not the case. The Deepwater Horizon tragedy illustrates that substantial improvements need to be made to ensure that marine resources and fishing communities are protected in the event of a spill," Donofrio said.

While clean-up efforts are now underway throughout the Gulf, RFA members on the ground are also researching legal avenues for making up the revenue and income losses resulting from this devastating spill. There are more than enough news outlets covering the Gulf disaster, but if you're interested in staying up-to-date on tracking information, Dr. Mitch Roffers has set up a Deepwater Horizon oil spill monitoring tool that uses QuickTime tracking. Also, Florida State University has created an oil spill forecast model using available wind drifts and surface currents.

"There are still great fishing opportunities in the Gulf, and I'd encourage RFA members to keep that in mind when making upcoming plans," Donofrio said. Those interested in charter fishing opportunties in the Gulf should call Capt. Bob Zales at the National Association of Charterboat Operators (NACO) at 866-981-5136.