Gulf seafood deformities alarm scientists - (eyeless shrimp)

[flamingdem]

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/04/201241682318260912.html



New Orleans, LA - "The fishermen have never seen anything like this," Dr Jim Cowan told Al Jazeera. "And in my 20 years working on red snapper, looking at somewhere between 20 and 30,000 fish, I've never seen anything like this either."

Dr Cowan, with Louisiana State University's Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences started hearing about fish with sores and lesions from fishermen in November 2010.
Cowan's findings replicate those of others living along vast areas of the Gulf Coast that have been impacted by BP's oil and dispersants.

Gulf of Mexico fishermen, scientists and seafood processors have told Al Jazeera they are finding disturbing numbers of mutated shrimp, crab and fish that they believe are deformed by chemicals released during BP's 2010 oil disaster.

Along with collapsing fisheries, signs of malignant impact on the regional ecosystem are ominous: horribly mutated shrimp, fish with oozing sores, underdeveloped blue crabs lacking claws, eyeless crabs and shrimp - and interviewees' fingers point towards BP's oil pollution disaster as being the cause.

Eyeless shrimp

Tracy Kuhns and her husband Mike Roberts, commercial fishers from Barataria, Louisiana, are finding eyeless shrimp.

[siligut]

1. Scientists are alarmed?

It doesn't seem to me that they should be surprised at all.

[malaise]

2. But but but we were told we were being sensational

when DUers warned that this would happen

[flamingdem]

4. I agree we were on this and somehow it has taken a while to resurface

Remember the undersea club we had here for watching the undersea camera in the Gulf?

While I'm grateful it didn't destroy the Keys people were generally thinking -- okay well that area isn't very lush so not such a loss... but our Gulf seafood is being destroyed. I think we're not hearing about human ailments as much as we should as well.

[malaise]

5. I well remember the undersea cameras

I spent hours watching.
More than a few DUers knew that the seafood would be severely destroyed.

[SoCalDem]

3. Are people (especially scientists) really surprised?

Toxicity like the Gulf was exposed to, is long-lasting, and pervasive.. The food chain has been affected and the results will never be "conclusive", but will be felt for decades (or longer)..

It may taste "yummy", but it could be dangerous to your long term health..

[marions ghost]

6. People I know don't eat Gulf seafood

An incredible food resource & ecosystem.......now a cesspool.

[cantbeserious]

7. Between Fukushima And The Gulf - I Will Not Eat Seafood Again

eom