Here is the latest chart (June 2) showing the area, outlined in red, closed to fishing vessels with permits for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species--so tuna and billfish mainly. The area is huge--now more than 88,000 square miles! And....it is closing in on Florida. Look at the Eastern boundary--it's only 100 miles or so West of Tampa (a distance Jon would run in his Regulator in any seas under 5 feet). And the SE boundary is right at Dry Tortugas, which is a short ride from Key West.
I presume they close this area to fishing because the water is contaminated with oil. The beaches and reefs are next. Will this impact fishing communities and those who make a living in various ways from sportfishing? Of course: commercial fishermen in the Gulf harvested more than 1 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2008. In addition, there are approximately 5.7 million recreational fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico region who took 25 million fishing trips in 2008.
Worse still, satellite images yesterday have detected the first evidence of underwater oil entering the gulf Counter-Current, which sweeps by Key West and through the Florida Straights and turns North up the Florida coast. So how soon before Hatteras gets hit?
This is terrible.
I've included excerpts from NOAA's press release announcing expansion of the closure zone.
NOAA Expands Fishing Closed Area in Gulf of Mexico
NOAA has expanded some boundaries of the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico to capture portions of the slick moving beyond the current boundaries – the most significant expansion includes an area off southwest Florida that covers waters just to the west of the Dry Tortugas.
Closing fishing in these areas is a precautionary measure to ensure that seafood from the Gulf will remain safe for consumers. The closed area now represents 88,502 square miles, which is approximately 37 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment