LOCAL FISHERMEN WANT TO HELP

From WWL-TV:

SHELL BEACH, La. – British Petroleum workers are heading out on boats with oil booms and taking them into sensitive marsh and coastal areas in an effort to protect the area from a huge oil slick headed towards the coast, but some fishermen say they are frustrated they aren’t being used more.

Many of the parish's 330 commercial fishermen said Thursday they were ready to fight the spread of the oil spill, and help clean up the damage. Over 200 offered their boats, docks and other aid. Gov. Bobby Jindal showed support for the initiative, saying the fishermen know the marshes better than anyone.

But while St. Bernard officials say they turned over the list of volunteers over to BP, they say their hands are tied, since BP is the company handling the oil spill and it’s up to them to decide whether or not they want to use the volunteers.

“People around here, they know the marsh. This is what they do here every day,” said Kevin Heier, a fisherman in St. Bernard. “They know how to get from one place to another using the safest route with the weather condition. Why waste your time with people who don’t know the area trying to do the work, while we can get you there and back without a problem?

“We have all these boats available, people will be out of work – the fishing industry I’m sure is going to go to hell – we just don’t understand why they’re going to get outside contractors to do the work.”

Nor do I understand why the local fisherman are denied the opportunity to help and, at least, work with the outside contractors. The fishermen are out of business for now and perhaps for a long time because of the failure of BP equipment, so the least BP can do is put the local folks to work and pay them for their efforts.