Advancement Project

June 3, 2010

Fishing in Oil: New Orleans’ Fishermen Struggle to Maintain Business

Oil spill containment efforts continue to fail more than a month after the BP Transocean Deepwater Horizon oil rig sank into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil has already contaminated marine life bordering Louisiana and is beginning to threaten the coastline along Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. As the spill spreads it poses an obvious threat to the environment and as it worsens the economic impact on the local communities, specifically minority communities, becomes an increasing concern.

New Orleans is one of few cities in the United States that is capable of creating economic prosperity by combining culture and diversity. When we speak about New Orleans we often reference its musical innovation, forms of entertainment and uniquely flavored food, even if our personal experience with the city is only as detailed as the pictures that we’ve seen and the stores we’ve been told. Yet, it is this perception of the city that acts as a testament to its mystique. However, in recent years the fortitude of New Orleans and its residents has been tried and tested, both physically and economically. Beginning with Hurricane Katrina and more recently the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, some areas of the New Orleans’ economy are weakening. One of the harder hit industries is commercial fishing.

According to the Louisiana Seafood Marketing and Promotion Board, Louisiana has a $3 billion fishing industry contributing to a third of the seafood consumed in the United States. The Gulf Region alone accounts for about one-fifth of total U.S. commercial seafood production and nearly three-quarters of the nation's shrimp output. Furthermore, a significant proportion of the industry is supported by independent fisherman, many of whom work in the areas greatly impacted by the oil spill. Among those independent fishermen is a small community of Black fishermen struggling to hold on to what remains of their way of life.

Imbedded deep in the fishing industry’s history, like many aspects of New Orleans’ culture, is the Black community. However, as a result of the disasters, the community of black fishermen is ever shrinking. Some black fishermen were displaced as early as 2004 when homes and fishing boats were destroyed by hurricanes, forcing area fishermen to move or into unemployment. Others are finding it increasingly difficult to sustain themselves as the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries continues to limit fishing areas due to palpable and potential oil contamination. If the oil spill continues, Louisiana, the largest seafood producer in the lower 48 states, faces a complete collapses of its fishing industry and the 7,700 jobs that support it.

The environmental impact of the oil spill directly affects the livelihood of the fisherman. BP’s solution to the general decline in commercial fishing, due to the oil spills, is the establishment of a claims process in which fishermen who are losing revenue are entitled to a maximum of $5000 per month. However, the maximum is but a fraction of what most fishermen are able to generate in a months time. A normal months revenue can be anywhere between $10,000 and $40,000. Furthermore, within the small community of black fishermen most began at a young age and have never worked in other industries; as a result, the fisherman are extremely experienced but limited in other skills. Combine the limited skill set and the lack of formal education with a sudden collapse in commercial fishing and the result is devastating. Desperate for work, some fishermen, having been forced from their careers, are beginning to sign contracts to work with BP and aid in the oil spill clean up.

Without a solution to fixing the oil pipeline, and with the increasing threat of hurricanes the oil spill disaster seems like it will worsen before it is corrected. Faced with this set of circumstances the commercial fishing industry and the small community of Black fishermen may be forced out of business without hope of recovery.

David Eubanks is a communications intern at Advancement Project, a national civil rights organization that advocates for racial justice.