05/25/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, USA // Tara Monks // Tara Monks
Washington, DC – The United States government declared a “fishery disaster” in the Gulf states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi on Monday, May 24, 2010, due to the oil spill that has yet to be stopped in the Gulf of Mexico, as reported by Reuters.
The states are now eligible for federal funding, according to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.
Locke stated, “We are taking this action today because of the potentially significant economic hardship this spill may cause fishermen and the business and communities that depend on those fisheries.”
Louisiana is the second largest U.S. seafood harvester, and largest provider of shrimp, oysters, crawfish and crab. It is a $2.4 billion industry that employs over 27,000 people.
Monday’s statement did not give any figures regarding the funding or state when the funds would arrive.
The April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon has led to thousands of gallons of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico every day. BP has undergone several attempts to stop the leak, and poured over 600,000 gallons of the dispersant Corexit on and underneath the surface of the Gulf. Many claim the spill is on the verge of becoming the worst U.S. oil spill in history.
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