Shrimp Consumption Impacted by Bp Oil Spill

Shrimp Consumption Impacted by BP Oil Spill

By

Erin Glover

University of Southern Mississippi

Introduction

On April 10, 2010 an explosion occurred, causing the Deepwater Horizon oil rig to sink.  This oil rig was located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.  The explosion killed 11 people (Frost, 2016) and caused oil to leak into the water.  It took until July 15, 2010 to cap off the underwater well.  By this point 3.19 million barrels of oil had leaked into the Gulf of Mexico (Frost, 2016).  The effects on the marine life in and around the Gulf of Mexico were great.  According to NOAA (2010), shrimp fisheries were closed for most of the year following the spill.  The shrimping industry has begun to recover, but it is a slow process.  

        The explosion occurred off the coast of Louisiana, but the impact was felt from the gulf coast of Texas to the panhandle of Florida.  The span of geography has made an impact on the economy of the Gulf Coast.  With recovery being so slow many residents have relocated, struggled to live, and changed the way they purchased local seafood.  The trust of consumers is vital to keeping the shrimping industry alive. In this report, the data that has been collected will prove how the impact of the oil spill has changed the consumers’ outlook on purchasing shrimp, cooking shrimp, and their trust in the handling of the spill.

        Louisiana was not the only state impacted by 2010 BP oil spill.  The effects from the oil spill were felt from the Florida coast to the Texas coast.  The disaster caused the Gulf Coast to feel effects for months.  Mancuso, Fox, Alemayehu (June 15, 2012) state that South Alabama has received a double whammy from the April 20, 2010 BP Oil Spill.  The initial effects from the oil spill caused many species of marine life to die.  With these deaths the shrimping industry also diminished.  The double whammy for Alabama occurred when Tropical Storm Lee hit the area almost 18 months after the spill.  Tar balls began to wash ashore along the Gulf Coast.  These tar balls indicated that the effects of the oil spill on the marine life were still being felt.  According to Mancuso, Fox, Alemayehu (June 15, 2012) the inability of fish and shellfish to reproduce would of course have serious long term effects on the coastal economy.  The trust of the seafood after the spill has been questioned by the majority of consumers.  According to Mancuso, Fox, Alemayehu (June 15, 2012), an Orange Beach business owner stated, “I do not let my daughter eat fish more than once or twice a month.”  The economic effect of the spill continues to show in everyday life.  Mancuso, Fox, Alemayehu (June 15, 2012), discussed that major economic losses by restaurants, tourism, and real estate have been felt by business owners across the coast.