Tag Archives: Gulf fishermen

Acy Cooper: Don’t let the EPA hurt Gulf fishermen with offshore fish farming facilitys

I’ve been fishing and shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico since I was 15 years old–for over forty years now. As my father and grandfather would say, it’s in our family’s blood. For many of us here in Venice, Louisiana, fishing is not just a family tradition, it’s in the fabric of our community.,, Now the federal government could make it even harder for us. The Environmental Protection Agency is moving toward approving an offshore fish farming facility by Kampachi Farms in waters off Sarasota, Florida. This operation could hurt the ecosystem and economy in Florida and set a dangerous precedent for development across the Gulf. As the only project of its kind in federal waters, it would pave the way for more industrial-scale aquaculture. >click to read< 22:07

What goes in the water in Wisconsin comes out in the Gulf of Mexico

A group of farmers in southwestern Wisconsin’s Driftless Area has become acutely aware that what gets into the watershed here can wind up hundreds of miles away.  These farmers use conservation practices to keep nutrients on their land and out of lakes and streams.  Margaret Krome, policy program director at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, says nutrients that get into the water here follow a direct path down the Mississippi River. “Those nutrients go shooshing right out into the Gulf of Mexico and create a zone with such high nutrients that they end up with a big algal bloom, and that sucks all the oxygen out of the water and kills other organisms,” she explains. “So it’s a dead zone because fishermen can’t fish there.” The Wisconsin farmers have developed a relationship with Gulf fishermen, who are appreciative of the farmers’ efforts to help improve fishing conditions in the Gulf. click here to read the story 10:52