Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak

The sportfishing community is calling upon federal and state officials to act swiftly and diligently to mitigate the effects of the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. The leak poses a severe threat to the Gulf of Mexico’s marine fishery resources and sportfishing industry, including the nearly 2,300 tackle shops in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and the West Coast of Florida.

Recreational fishing contributes $41 billion in economic output in the Gulf Coast region annually and supports over 300,000 jobs. A disaster of this magnitude will certainly significantly impact the ability of anglers to get out on the water and for businesses to thrive.

For more information on the oil spill response, please see the links below for federal and state agencies involved in the effort.

Please support our efforts to KeepAmericaFishing™ by making a contribution.

Surveys:

• Economic Impacts of Recreational Fishing Closures Resulting From the Deep Horizon Oil Spill: Preliminary Estimates
  Gentner Consulting Group, commissioned by the American Sportfishing Association.
  
  
• Early June 2010 Survey of Recreational Fishing-Dependent Business Impacted by the Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak
  American Sportfishing Association
  
  
• Memorial Day Weekend Survey of Recreational Fishing-Dependent Business Impacted by the Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak
  American Sportfishing Association
  
  
• Angler Response to BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Crisis
  Commissioned by Pure Fishing, Inc., and conducted by Southwick Associates

Industry Actions

Actions to Date – September 7, 2010

• Current information on ongoing administrative-wide response efforts to the Deepwater Horizon oil leak.
  
  
• Progress on Stopping the Leak - As of July 15, no new oil is leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. The current solution is only a temporary one. The old blow out preventer and capping stack have been replaced, which is necessary to begin the bottom kill procedure that will permanently seal the well. The bottom kill effort is currently being delayed due to severe weather conditions.
  
  
• Fishery Disaster Declaration - On June 2, 2010, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke declared a fishery disaster for the state of Florida. The June 2 announcement added Florida to the list of states declared a fishery disaster on May 24 - Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
  
  
• Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Closures - Beginning with its May 2, 2010, announcement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continues to adjust the boundaries in the Gulf of Mexico that close recreational and commercial fishing in federal waters in parts of the Gulf of Mexico. On September 2, 5,130 square miles of federal waters were reopened to fishing. The following day, another 3,114 square miles off of the Florida panhandle were reopened. The current closed area represents 39,885 square miles, which is approximately 17 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters. This leaves approximately 83 percent of Gulf federal waters available for fishing. The new map and Southeast Fishery Bulletin is posted on line at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
  
  As of August 20, all state waters that were affected by the oil spill have been reopened to recreational fishing. For more information regarding the state-specific oil spill responses, please visit the following links:
  • Louisiana
  • Mississippi
  • Alabama
  • Florida

Information on Spill-Related Damages and Claims

• The Small Business Administration – The SBA has approved 287 economic injury assistance loans, totaling more than $24.9 million for small businesses in the Gulf Coast impacted by the BP oil spill. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 895 existing SBA disaster loans in the region, totaling more than $5 million per month in payments. The SBA is making low-interest loans available to Louisiana Gulf Coast small businesses suffering financial losses as a result of the commercial and recreational fishing closures along the state’s southeast coast. The agency will accept loan applications over the next several months for up to $2 million at an interest rate of 4%. More information is available here.

• Gulf Coast Claims Facility - The claim process has been transferred from BP to the independent agency, Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF). To file a claim, click here or call GCCF’s helpline at 1-800-916-4893. The deadline for filing a claim is November 23, 2010. Additional information about the claims process and all available avenues of assistance can be found at www.disasterassistance.gov. For those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, please call the U.S. Coast Guard at: 1-800-280-7118
  
  In an effort to provide assurance that funds will be available to compensate the injured, on June 16, BP agreed to set aside $20 billion in an independently-managed escrow account to pay economic damage claims to people and businesses that have been affected by the oil spill.

• More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found here.

Additional Resources

The following websites have updated information on the spill and describe federal and state response and recovery efforts.

Federal

• RestoreTheGulf.gov
• Deepwater Horizon Unified Command
• Department of the Interior
• Environmental Protection Agency
• NOAA Fisheries Service
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• The White House

State

• Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
• Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
• Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
• Texas Parks and Wildlife

Corporate

• BP Global

Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fishing Information
According to a 2008 NOAA Fisheries report, the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most popular areas for recreational fishing in the United States with nearly six million saltwater anglers, taking over 45 million fishing trips each year, fishing for red drum, spotted seatrout, sheepshead and red snapper among others. Recreational fishing serves as the economic backbone for many coastal communities surrounding the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill has the potential to impact the nearly 2,300 tackle shops in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida’s West Coast. Six million anglers combines resident and non-resident saltwater anglers in Alabama, Florida’s West Coast, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas who fish in the Gulf of Mexico.

A recent study commissioned by the American Sportfishing Association determined that, should the worst case scenario occur and the entire Gulf of Mexico is closed to recreational fishing, there will be a $8.6 million dollar loss in recreational fishing trip expenditures (i.e., purchases of bait and tackle, food and beverages, ice, gas, lodging and other items needed for recreational fishing) per day. If the oil spill were to generate closures that impact the Florida Keys and the east coast of Florida, losses increase by $1.2 million in revenue.

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA), the sportfishing industry’s trade association, is working to ensure that anglers' and boaters' voices are heard as policies develop that may affect recreational fishing opportunity and participation. You can help ASA in its efforts to advocate on behalf of angler access and fish conservation by donating to the Keep America Fishing Fund.