From AD on Wed, June 09, 2010

this is seriously stupid suggestion. you have million tonnes of corexit (the chemical dispersant which is mutagenic, toxic, carcinogenic) in the waters along with the oil..and you want people to eat this????? good grief..are you out of your mind???? i admire the blind patriotism but this is absolutely delusional and height of idiocy.

From FoodFitnessFreshAir on Wed, June 09, 2010

But what happens when all of the uncontaminated gulf areas and fish run out?

From AD on Wed, June 09, 2010

there is no such thing as uncontaminated gulf areas, this is free flowing water…  and more than half the information about this spill is being suppressed by various parties. the CEO of BP came out and said there are no underwater plumes. NOAA dragged their feet finally admitted to it..and researches from like 10s of universities in the south east have said there a miles along plumes of oil and chemicals underwater that the eye cant see.

it will more than a decade or more before i would touch any fish coming from there.

sorry i value my life. and i use my common sense to sort out the spin from various parties that have their own agenda.

From qiepenguin on Wed, June 09, 2010

This is confusing to me.  When species are threated the environmental / sustainable response is generally to hunt them less, not more.  Upping consumption of gulf seafood, as this post advocates, may bring more money to the gulf fishing industry in the very short term, but it does so at the expense of already critically endangered wildlife.  If we round up and eat all the fish and sea life as yet unaffected by the spill, we lose all hope of a vestige of the ecosystem ready to repopulate once the mess is cleaned up.  In the long view that’s bad for the wildlife and for the fishing economy.

From qiepenguin on Wed, June 09, 2010

To follow up on that—the Ark of Taste approach makes sense for farmed foods but absolutely does not for wild-caught foods.  Upping demand for an apple variety that is losing availability due to unpopularity or production difficulties will keep farmers producing the apple and ensure that it is still available ten years later.  Upping demand for a wild seafood that is losing availability because the species is threatened will have the opposite effect: overfishing will further endanger the species and make it less likely the food will be available ten years from now.

From AD on Wed, June 09, 2010

thats a good point qiepenguin. i agree with you.  i am all in support of local business there in the gulf area.  i am very concerned and actually pretty depressed thinking about all the livelihoods lost due to this, its a catastrophe…and more to come if a hurricane decides to come this way.  i think we have to let the ecosystem take time and recover and just stay the heck out of fishing it..

From Amanda on Wed, June 09, 2010

Seafood Watch lists both Gulf shrimp and blue crabs as good alternatives (yellow), which is better than avoid (red) but not as good as best choice (green).

Red snapper from the Gulf is rated as avoid/red.

Their website says they haven’t updated their ratings based on the oil spill yet. Personally, since Gulf seafood was already getting so-so to bad ratings, I seriously doubt they’re going to improve after this disaster. Blue crabs, for example, are already full of PCB’s and mercury. Shrimp has a huge bycatch problem. Red snapper is severely overfished.

If you have the attitude of “well, I’d better eat up all the fish that’s left in the Gulf before they’re all dead,” then go for it, but I think if a person actually wants to HELP the Gulf, the best way would be to make a donation to the cleanup effort.

From misha on Wed, June 09, 2010

“What’s the best way to help the critically endangered giant panda?”

“EAT MORE GIANT PANDA!!!!!”

From David on Thu, June 10, 2010

I am a long time fan of both Slow Food and Seafood Watch, but I am rather shocked by this article and even in disbelief.  I totally agree with the writer “qiepenguin” on JUN 9th.  Before the spill, there were already ethical issues about the shrimp industry, especially in the gulf.  Sure, its a way of life and certainly Americans love shrimp; but, the cost to put it the plate is tremendous.  Our way of life is dependent on the life in the oceans and not the other way around.  If you don’t believe that, then go to Monterey, California and visit Cannery Row nearby the Aquarium and learn about John Steinbeck’s story about the devastation of the local sardine industry.  It’s long gone!  Overfished. As regards the shrimp industry, see the 2009 Monterey Bay Aquarium “The State of Seafood” report and go to the THE COST OF A SHRIMP DINNER section on page page 37.  Both wild and farmed shrimp create some serious problems to which there is yet a solution.  It doesn’t matter if they are U.S. or foreign shrimp, either.  But, if we keep fishing for the remaining shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico that are still alive, there is very good risk for endangerment, as the pool is already under attack.  All seafood and underwater life are connected in what is a very delicate system.  In this circumstance, we cannot just continue taking shrimp without thinking that its not going to have impact on its overall population, aside from the other life in the Gulf.

From Katherine Welsh on Thu, June 10, 2010

This is incredibly stupid advice. How does eating seafood help clean up the oil spill? And who would want to eat seafood from the Gulf?

From Emily Vaughn, Biodiversity Program Manager, Slow F on Fri, June 11, 2010

Hey folks.  For starters, I’m delighted that you’re all passionate about sustainable fishing and concerned about the effect of the oil spill on the already threatened seafood populations of the Gulf coast.  Like you, Slow Food USA strongly values the conscientious sourcing of food, especially seafood, where the methods of harvesting can be especially devastating if done the wrong way. That’s why we provided links to groups of fishermen (White Boot Brigade, Louisiana Seafood Board) whose practices are in line with our values, and who are every bit as interested in staying away from plumes and solvents as the rest of us.

@qiepenguin, you’ve perfectly articulated a consideration our Biodiversity Committee weighs carefully whenever seafood is nominated to the Ark of Taste.  In many cases (like the Lake Michigan Whitefish and Reefnet Salmon) when a variety of seafood is boarded onto the Ark, we’ve done so to highlight an endangered sustainable harvesting method rather than an endangered species.  So while there are certainly a different set of considerations and criterion, the Committee feels that the eater-based conservation method can still be ethically and successfully applied to wild-caught foods.

From David on Sat, June 12, 2010

Re: Emily Vaughn, Biodiversity Program Manager, Slow F on Fri, June 11, 2010:

I still don’t see the ethics or sound reasoning behind your advocacy.  Even though you claim that this product is safe to eat from these select suppliers, you have not addressed the ending of devastation, protection of the overall population and the allowing for re-population of the ecology.  If you continue to fish the clean and fresh areas, how is it that you think that this will not eventually affect the overall community. 

Furthermore, as a national charter of Slow Food International, how can continue to advocate the consumption without addressing it on a holistic and global platform?  When you talk about the oceans, you are talking about international waters and connected bodies.  When you talk about the Seafood industry, you are talking about a global market place.  To think that you can just buy from a small or “artisanal” fisher is just naive and doesn’t address the big picture.  In my opinion, this is timid advocacy that doesn’t really accomplish change toward the salvaging of the oceans and sea life.

From misha on Sat, June 12, 2010

In other words, Slow Food USA’s stance is that the tragedy in the gulf is that BP is killing wild fish with crude oil instead of olive oil.  Slow Food USA heartily supports killing the majority of wild fish in the gulf as long as their species isn’t on the brink of extinction and their bodies are clean enough to be dipped in butter.

From Lulu on Mon, June 14, 2010

I agree with many who have already commented.
One would have to be insane to eat from the Gulf since this disaster. The fish and wildlife who are breathing or swimming in the Gulf will all be contaminated with carcinogenic toxins. Being a person who refuses to ingest “yellow #5”, “monosodium glutimate”, or even bleached white flour, I am not about to knowingly drink oil & chemicals of that sort either!

Not only that, but most of the Gulf’s species will have to be PROTECTED to insure their future survival as species, and also to try to bring back a way of living & industry that these people have depended on for so long.

So, as much as I’d like to immediatelt fix everything that has gone down in the Gulf, consuming their seafood is NOT the way to do it. This will take a huge amount of money, sweat, time, and sacrifice, before we even begin to improve the situation.

From buy ambien online on Fri, June 25, 2010

Seafood has to accommodated the greatest assurance regulations of any aliment industry in the United States. Here in Louisiana, a cruise admission is originated for every catch, giving wholesalers, retailers, chefs and restaurateurs an complete point of origination, guaranteeing the assurance of that product.
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From Rosemary on Mon, June 28, 2010

It’s time our government start to help this area for they certainly need out help not only in cleaning up but also making sure the workers can survive until the area can support them.

From Lynda on Mon, June 28, 2010

Does anyone believe that any of the seafood anywhere is safe to eat?
Yikes, with 9 islands of plastic floating around the ocean leaching plastic and garbage into the sea, with the junk from Katrina poured into the ocean, and the gulf leek not to mention all the other oil leaks, and with the fish farms leaking their water loaded with sea lice into the sea—-who would eat ANY fish? It’s certainly something Im not putting in my body anymore.

From Amy on Mon, June 28, 2010

Please remember that the Gulf of Mexico is a very big body of water. Here is a link to maps that show the areas where the oil spill has spread. http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/bp-gulf-oil-spill-map-0517

After looking at these maps you will see that major portions of the Gulf of Mexico are still open for fishing such as western Louisiana as well as all of Texas and Florida.

What does this mean for fishermen of Louisiana? It means that if they want to make a living, many have to travel very far from their home ports to uncontaminated areas to fish.

To not eat seafood from the Gulf of Mexico is to unfairly boycott the very folks who are struggling and watching their environment and livelihood fall to ruins.

From AD on Mon, June 28, 2010

seriously amy?  you are pushing western louisiana seafood at the moment??  you think a fish thats sipped some corexit will just be swimming within the booms and not go anywhere else?  is the fish been told to not to go to these western louisiana water?

sorry, i value my life first over lousiana fisherman right now.

From LG on Mon, June 28, 2010

You cannot be serious…You might as well ask me and my family to drink a pint of crude…my son’s neuro has already done the research and most seafood has high levels of mercury…and NOW you are asking me to feed my son petroleum…That is utter insanity…you can eat all you want. Go ahead!

From Amy on Mon, June 28, 2010

Yes, I am suggesting that people eat seafood from the western portions of Louisiana, Texas and Florida.

From the NOAA website - “The June 23 closure remains in effect (see map). The federal closed area does not apply to any state waters. Closing fishing in this area is a precautionary measure to ensure that seafood from the Gulf will remain safe for consumers. The closed area now represents 78,597 square miles, which is approximately 32.5 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters. This leaves more than two-thirds of Gulf federal waters available for fishing.”

This very long link will take you to the NOAA site where the above is quoted: http://www.response.restoration.noaa.gov/topic_subtopic_entry.php?RECORD_KEY(entry_subtopic_topic)=entry_id,subtopic_id,topic_id&entry;_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=809&subtopic;_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=2&topic;_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=1

From Laura Knight on Mon, June 28, 2010

Wouldn’t it be best if we all ate a little/lot less fish in general? We are over fishing many species into extinction. Tuna for example. I feel for the fishermen, but when will we hear the wake-up call?

From SP on Mon, June 28, 2010

Wouldn’t it be better to support Gulf fishing families by funding a retraining program or a small business incubator just for them? Or perhaps a relocation program? The damage to the Gulf cannot be reversed in the near future, and these people have to do something to support their families in the meantime.

As a strict vegetarian, I certainly won’t start to eat seafood just to help support these people. As a child, I pledged never to take anything from the ocean. As an adult, I see the damage done to the ocean and its inhabitants by overfishing, oil spills, garbage, and war, and it makes me sick.

From Amy on Mon, June 28, 2010

Yes I am serious about people continuing to eat seafood from the areas of the Gulf of Mexico that are not contaminated by the oil spill such as Western Louisiana, Texas and Florida.

From the NOAA website:“The June 23 closure remains in effect (see map). The federal closed area does not apply to any state waters. Closing fishing in this area is a precautionary measure to ensure that seafood from the Gulf will remain safe for consumers. The closed area now represents 78,597 square miles, which is approximately 32.5 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters. This leaves more than two-thirds of Gulf federal waters available for fishing.”

Here is a link to the website to veiw the map: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/dwh.php?entry_id=809

From Tina Deraco on Mon, June 28, 2010

I’m very surprised and disappointed by this article from Slow Food.
Louisiana has been hard hit over the years.  That is why their legislators are pushing for drilling to continue and sadly for more fishing.  They are reeling as their way of life comes to a halt.  I feel for those people whose lives have been devastated by this tragedy and understand why they cling to the only thing they know.  But I feel more compassion for the ocean and it’s inhabitants. People can and must find new ways to survive.
The wildlife relies on us to respect their environment and keep them safe. We have failed them, so now there is a price to pay.  We must protect those that survive and allow them to try and reproduce their species. 
I can’t imagine consuming any of those creatures. I wouldn’t risk my health or commit the immoral act of devastating the gulf further by supporting the loss of more sea life.  We simply need to find a better way to help those out of work and accept that a great ocean is on the brink of death.  We must change our ways.

From Mary on Mon, June 28, 2010

I find this a curious and fascinating concept.  I’m tired of folks making other folk’s opinions wrong and bad.  As a person who seldom eats fish or animal products at all, the question that comes to mind is: Are we shifting to new ways of eating, and new ways of of finding employment??  Are the young people of the gulf cities and towns looking to go more green with their future employment rather than catching fish & other animals to make a living?? Perhaps that is truly the bigger picture.  The Raw Food movement is really taking off and people are getting healthier as a result, that really tells us something.  I pray for the folks in the gulf and not sure that eating what I don’t choose to eat (for spiritual and health reasons) is best answer….I’m still open and pondering however, thank you!

From jomireyn3 on Mon, June 28, 2010

The article says “The White Boot Brigade fishermen of the Crescent City Farmer’s Market are still fishing inland waters,” yet all the comments here pertain to Gulf waters.  Have I missed something or has oil and dispersant moved into the bayous also besides just Gulf and coastal areas?

From krissiv on Tue, June 29, 2010

Folks, concerns about the safety of eating seafood (as mentioned above) were a major concern before this Gulf tragedy.  Please consider your health first, especially for pregnant women and children, before consuming ANY seafood. For a detailed explaination of the environmental and health hazards of seafood consumption (wild and farmed), read the chapters on fish and seafood in What to Eat by Marion Nestle.

From CO on Tue, June 29, 2010

I feel bad for the fishermen and the others in the gulf area but this is about your downside risk and frankly even with “greatest safety inspections” I cant imagine taking that risk. Moreover isn’t slow food about eating locally among other things—we should support our local fisheries and especially those in areas where they don’t sell there soul to oil at any cost. And if in fact the gulf may be lost and I genuinely hope not, aren’t we better off to rally around protecting what remains?

sorry

From Bruce on Tue, June 29, 2010

Today, countless varieties of Gulf fin fish are hugely threatened, so go ahead and eat them all?? Ok, here’s more proof that our corrupted government played a big roll in this oil spill and is running Slow Food USA through lies and deception..

From davesnothereman on Tue, June 29, 2010

Agree fully with AD and others who recognize the insanity of the article.  Remember what other things the government has pronounced safe:  the ground zero air after 9-11, ditto for Three Mile Island, the soup of untested chemicals in our food and environment every day, all the food additives that were later banned, and on and on.  How about the Deepwater Horizon rig itself?!?  The oil and dispersant toxic soup becomes microscopic and is ingested by plankton and then moves right up the food chain.  If this is Slow Foods’ official position, then I have to question making a membership renewal.

From LG on Tue, June 29, 2010

I am cancelling my Slowfood membership because of the insanity of this article. I am so offended that they would take a stance to put economics before the safety of the population…I understand the grave situation in the Gulf and I am fully willing to help…but eating seafood which is already dangerous is not a prudent response. As so many have said already: who can trust how well they can detect Corexit in the fish? Carcinogens? All the other crap? ANd even if they said they were: would you trust the government? I thought Slowfood took a higher road than this, but I guess not: so I refuse to renew my membership.

From Kathryn on Tue, June 29, 2010

I just recently purchased a bag of sustainable U.S.A. Gulf Shrimp,actually mostly thinking selfishly that I’d better get some before there are no more.  But I assume that this was harvested before the oil spill; and I assume the original blogger was thinking the same.  By purchasing the shrimp, we are supporting the fishers and all others who maintained the quality of a sustainable product; and we let the industry know that there is a demand for the product and we support them in their efforts to hold BP accountable.

From Amy on Tue, June 29, 2010

I am seriously disheartened by the blog posts that have been appearing in response to Poppy Tooker’s 6/8/10 post titled Eat Gulf Seafood.

As is often the case with blog posts where people can choose to remain anonymous, the conversation has been less than a respectful dialogue about differences of opinion on the safety of eating seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. There have been a lot of unconstructive comments and little to say about what can be done to help the environment, fish and fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico.
If people are concerned with the safety of the seafood from the Gulf of Mexico, then they shouldn’t eat it. It is their option not to. But people can make this choice and still have compassion for those who are in trouble and respect for those who have different views than your own.
Slow Food members can still host a Gumbo party in their homes to raise funds to support those folks in Louisiana who are struggling and the environment that is devastated. You can buy sustainable seafood from a local source rather than from the Gulf or you could make a vegetarian gumbo that would suit your dietary needs. This link is to the Atlantic article that features Poppy’s Diaspora Gumbo recipe that offers you the option of using what is on hand, local and in season – or available in times of trouble.
http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2009/12/recipe-poppy-tookers-diaspora-gumbo/32662/

From AD on Wed, June 30, 2010

Amy,

With all due respect, your first blog comment before reeks of someone who has been propped by an entity to market this seafood.

I ,for the life of me, am seriously seriously disheartened by your remarks.  unconstructive comments my ass and i say that with all due respect. this is a mutagenic, transgenic, and carcinogen (corexit) we are talking about and your trivial delusional championing of western louisiana seafood at this moment is very very troubling.

we can help the environment, fish by leaving them alone and letting them recover.  the fishermen there have no choice but to change their livelihoods.  and if there is a re-education or skill training fund for them to change professions, i will gladly contribute to that.

If the Louisiana state government has decided that they will keep the oil interests before their fishing interests, then there is only so much we common people outside can do.  i think these fishing boards might as well direct their energy to fight these entities and their government if they wish to come back to fishing after a decade.

From Amy on Wed, June 30, 2010

Everyone should make their own decisions about what they eat. No question about that. Just base your decisions on facts. In the interest of researching what is safe to eat, this article in the news today:

http://www.aolnews.com/gulf-oil-spill/article/gulf-seafood-after-the-oil-spill-who-decides-how-safe-is-safe/19534995

From AD on Wed, June 30, 2010

thanks for this link.  nothing conclusive.  i agree with knowing the facts but here the facts are unknown and there are many players with their own agenda. the article says to trust your fishmonger with whether its safe..and that too the gulf seafood when the fishmonger is in seattle is pretty naive and stupid. 

as someone remarked before, the FDA has its share of mistakes~ vioxx and now the diabetes drug avandia whose side effects include heart failure.  you really want us to trust this govt agency when there are so many doubts..and when this agency is staffed with ex-agri-industrialists?  and you want to trust NOAA, especially they who denied underwater plumes initially??

and please dont send a link to a seafood gumbo recipe in this conversation, it is really irrelevant even if God recommended it for that matter.

no fish for me.  over and out.

From Jeremy on Thu, July 01, 2010

Poppy makes a very good case for supporting the fishing communities in the Gulf. Whilst there are some species in the region that for a number of reasons are not high on any of the “lists”, fisheries management has come a long way, and there are many Gulf fisheries, and the vast majority of the poundage, that deserve SF support. The two big ones for this area, shrimp and oysters, are in no way ‘endangered’.
The biology of shrimp- short life cycle, high productivity etc- is such that it can stand quite high harvest rates, and shows remarkable resilience over time.
Oysters, too, have held up well, and as with shrimp can sustain consistent high productivity with good management. Both however are very vulnerable to poor water quality, and for that you cannot hold the fishermen accountable.
If you are concerned about contamination, by all means don’t eat whatever concerns you, but please become informed on the subject before making ad hominem attacks.

From Sara S on Thu, July 01, 2010

I literally woke up in the middle of the night thinking about this article & comment thread. I’m glad to see Jeremy’s post, and I completely agree that information and understanding is the key.

I think these articles are some of the most unbiased ones I’ve found, and can address some people’s concerns. The first one, particularly, will probably really resonate with SF readers/commenters:

http://tinyurl.com/2fncjqj - Change.org
http://tinyurl.com/24e4clj - Seattle Times
http://tinyurl.com/29f4jah - NPR

I feel like many comments here are (justifiably) full of fear and anger. But as true as it is that this is the largest oil spill (outside the Persian Gulf), I think people are having a hard time grasping how HUGE the Gulf of Mexico is. The fact is that there ARE uncontaminated waters. To deny that is to spread fear that will kill any chance the Gulf seafood industry (which is largely made up of smaller, family businesses) has of recovering.

And what are the alternatives? Certainly eating local seafood if it is available to you, and cutting back on seafood all together. But as members of SF and readers of this blog, I feel we almost have a responsibility to get this information right and really understand it. Because the general public is going to buy into fear-mongering without really understanding what is going on, or looking for more information.
They know that they don’t want their Red Lobster shrimp dinner to come from the Gulf of Mexico, but they don’t care to realize that alternatives are imported shrimp from China, which may have even MORE issues (sub-par testing, contaminant levels, etc.).

It is disgusting to me to hear phrases like “acceptable risk assessment” because those words just sound like something’s wrong. But it’s a catch-22: people demand scientific proof that Gulf seafood is safe (see 2nd link), then don’t believe/trust the data/source. I don’t know what else to say other than to echo Jeremy: by all means don’t eat whatever concerns you, but please become informed on the subject.

From AD on Thu, July 01, 2010

dear jeremy, this is the link to the louisiana dept of wildlife and fisheries indicating the areas where oyster beds are closed. 

http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/oilspill/map/oyster-closure/

you statement ‘The two big ones for this area, shrimp and oysters, are in no way ‘endangered’.’  is seriously delusional.

and its not like water doesn’t flow between these areas~ and i am not holding the fishermen accountable..whatever that means.  they are unfortunate actors in this drama thats playing out.

sara, its not fear mongering.  we are very informed people here.  it is seriously obnoxious to hear some of these statements from folks like you to keep repeating that mantra.  give the folks here some credit for their information skills will ya?.

From Bruce on Thu, July 01, 2010

A cockroach in the concrete, courthouse tan and beady eyes.
A slouch with fallen arches, purging truths into great lies.
A little man with a big eraser, changing history
Procedures that he’s programmed to, all he hears and sees.

Altering the facts and figures, events and every issue.
Make a person disappear, and no one will ever miss you.

Rewrites every story, every poem that ever was.
Eliminates incompetence, and those who break the laws.
Follow the instructions of the New Ways’ Evil Book of Rules.
Replacing rights with wrongs, the files and records in the schools.

You say you’ve got the answers, well who asked you anyway?
Ever think maybe it was meant to be this way?
Don’t try to fool us, we know the worst is yet to come.
I believe my kingdom will come.

Chorus
F is for fighting, R is for red,
Ancestors’ blood in battles they’ve shed.
E, we elect them, E, we eject them,
In the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
D, for your dying, O, your overture,
M, they will cover your grave with manure.
This spells out freedom, it means nothing to me,
As long as there’s a P.M.R.C.

F is for fighting, R is for red,
Ancestors’ blood in battles they’ve shed.
E, we elect them, E, we eject them,
In the land of the free and the home of the brave.
D, for your dying, O, your overture,
M is for money and you know what that cures.
This spells out freedom, it means nothing to me,
As long as there’s a P.M.R.C.

Put your hand right up my shirt,
Pull the strings that make me work,
Jaws will part, words fall out,
like a fish with hook in mouth.

Rewrites every story, every poem that ever was.
Eliminates incompetence, and those who break the laws.
Follow the instructions of the New Ways’ Evil Book of Rules.
Replacing rights with wrongs, the files and records in the schools.

I’m not a fish
I’m a man with hook in mouth!

From David on Thu, July 01, 2010

I would like to additionally point out the nonsense arguements in regards to small, artisanal fishing companies and restaurants.  The truth is that the vast majority are either struggling to get seafood in this competitive market.  These suppliers and vendors are gambling and playing their cards against other players that don’t have nearly as good resources, capital and logistical, human and purchasing power as the others.  This economic and market driven arena is mirroring what’s occuring in the deep waters as the days pass.  As of today, we are realizing how truly expansive the pollution has carried out.  In fact it may reach beyond U.S. jurisdiction, if you can fathom that!  So who cares or acts in that regard? Your moral responsibility counts even more.  Beyond “the survival of the fittest” is the sustainable basis of us all.

From Jeremy on Thu, July 01, 2010

AD, Perhaps I should have made it clearer that by ‘endangered’ I was refering to all the previous references to endangered seafoods, in the broad context, which was a large component of the comments.

From Bruce on Fri, July 02, 2010

This spill was no accident!!!!

From Hanaj on Sun, July 04, 2010

How is poisoning ourselves by eating contaminated seafood a good idea?  For anyone?

This shocking disaster is apparently creating extreme befuddlement in the minds of too many.

The only help for Gulf inhabitants is financial remuneration and professional counseling to help find ways to deal with this staggering emotional toll.

From Poppy Tooker on Sun, July 04, 2010

First, I would like to wish everyone a very happy 4th of July.  I am responding today to the many, many comments because today is the day we celebrate our democracy.  Each and everyone of us must make their own decision regarding the future of Gulf seafood and because we live in a democracy, each of us has that inalienable right.  Again - in this situation, we must vote with our forks as Slow Food USA has so often asked us all to do.

It is regrettable that no one has any faith in food safety in the US.  Here in Louisiana, we are voting with our forks - for our food culture and for the generations of fishermen who have supported us with their catch.  Gulf seafood is being tested 4 times more rigorously than ever before to ensure that what is available on the market is safe.  Louisiana fisheries are hugely important to us and are carefully monitored to guarantee that overfishing any species is not an issue.

I urge all of you to LISTEN to the voices of 4th generation oyster farmer, Wilbert Collins who speaks with me about the situation on the Oyster Edition of Louisiana Eats on wwno.org.  Listen please, to Chef Frank Brigtsen talk about the food and the people who provide us with it.

On July 7, you may listen to this week’s edition and hear from fisheries specialist Jerald Horst about what contaminated seafood would smell and taste like - IF by some chance it did make it into the market - which has not and will not happen.

I invite all Slow Food USA members to come stand with the people of the Gulf when Dr. Gary Nabhan co-hosts a Gulf seafood event at the Crescent City Farmers Market to celebrate the publication of “Endangered Foods of the Gulf South.”  There will be plenty of seafood to go around and everyone who attends will celebrate how delicious our cultural food heritage is.

I invite all Slow Food USA members to join me at the Edible School Yard New Orleans for OUR Time for Lunch, when we will eat and celebrate Louisiana Seafood Gumbo with the 800 children of ESYNOLA.

But mostly, I ask that you all respect my right to vote with my fork as much as I respect yours.  The denigrating name calling that Slow Food bloggers have demonstrated here make me wonder if I’m in the company of friends.

I am grateful to all the Slow Food friends who helped us rebuild the culinary tradition and food systems of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  Since that time, I have always believed that if you were lucky enough to belong to a food community, no matter what bad thing could happen in your world - your food friends were coming to help.  Please help me keep that faith - that my Slow Food friends are standing behind the embattled Gulf region.

From AD on Sun, July 04, 2010

with all due respect poppy, even among friends, if it is a matter of life and safety, we have to be objective, realistic and not be blinded or get carried away by emotions.  thats what real friendship is.  and if you cant take that feedback or criticism, then thats your choice.

i can hug, kiss and console every gulf farmer and fisherman, i feel for their loss. but i wont put my life in danger for that even if there is a slightest doubt in my mind.  and yes, you are right, there are quite a few who dont trust what the govt agencies say when it comes to food safety here in the US.

i pass on your invitation. happy 4th back and good luck.

From David on Mon, July 05, 2010

This latest reply by Poppy just turns my stomach.  Indeed, on this national holiday I don’t think you should even dare question peoples sympathy for the milliions of Americans along the Gulf states.

While I am a foodie of several generation’s heritage here in the USA and Italia, I could never vote with my fork, without first voting with my conscience.  After all, the mind and soul gives us the imagination, as well as regard for truth and justice.  In my heart of hearts, I know the Gulf not only needs defense, but rest and salvation.

Frankly, on this day especially, I think Americans should indeed, in more ways than one, recognize their conscience.  It’s because we questioned both the fairness and good judgement of both commercial trade AND government authority that our nation was founded on this day. 

We celebrate this day not just because we survived and gave thanks for it, but because we believed in an ideal and vision for a better nation, world and people,  justly governed for and by the people. 
     
This Gulf Disaster is a tremendous crisis, not just for our seafood or the people in Louisuana; as indeed it affects all Americans and even our neighbors in the world.  It’s more than just ecological, but also a crisis of social, political and economic significance.  It’s a failure and tragedy of huge proportions and it cannot happen again.  This is not getting better yet, but only worse, thanks to the incompetence, abuse and greed of authority.  So, no,I don’t believe in that kind of “friendship,” either in my industry or outside it’s profession, or in the land’s borders or out and free at sea! 

I thought that this is why we have Slow Food, but it appears that some here in the USA are on a different agenda.  That’s your opinion.  Mine choice is based on sound conscience and instinct.

From Poppy Tooker on Mon, July 05, 2010

I thank both “AD” and David for their remarks - and I urge you both to come to Louisiana to see for yourselves that when it comes to our fisheries, we are being very carefully monitored and the future sustainability of our valuable resource is forefront in everyone’s mind.

I spent much of Saturday with US Federal Wildlife and Fisheries agents from Alaska and California who took refuge with us at our camp during a rainstorm. They are living on Grand Isle in 30 day rotations to provide extra manpower for our local agents who are overwhelmed with work. The agents reported that they were eating Louisiana Gulf seafood at every meal possible - one of the great perks of volunteering to work the Louisiana effort.

Seafood from Louisiana is safe and healthy to eat.  Precautionary closures are in place in some of Louisiana’s fishing waters, but many Louisiana fishing areas remain open and officials are conducting tests on seafood and water to ensure consumer safety.
70 percent of our coastline remains open to fishing.
The Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries along with federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and FDA and EPA are testing more seafood than ever. To date all the tests are coming back showing that Louisiana seafood is safe to consume.
These federal and state organizations are implementing a comprehensive, coordinated, multi-agency program to ensure that seafood from the Gulf of Mexico is safe to eat. This is important not only for consumers who need to know their food is safe to eat, but also for fishermen who need to be able to sell their products with confidence.

Facts about the Louisiana seafood industry:
Louisiana is the number one producer of oyster, crabs, crawfish, shrimp and alligator in the nation. We are number two in finfish.
We produce 70 percent of all Gulf of Mexico seafood production.
Louisiana seafood industry employs more than 27,000 people.
Louisiana produces 30 percent of the domestic seafood in the contiguous U.S. 

If it is for sale - it is safe to eat, it is delicious and by eating Gulf seafood you are supporting fisherman and their families who only want to continue their honest way of life while fighting the battle of a fickle nation of eaters with misapplied safety concerns.

From AD on Mon, July 05, 2010

———————————————————————-
“If it is for sale - it is safe to eat, it is delicious and by eating Gulf seafood you are supporting fisherman and their families who only want to continue their honest way of life while fighting the battle of a fickle nation of eaters with misapplied safety concerns”
——————————————————————————-

so you just dissed and dismissed us as being a fickle nation of eaters with misapplied safety concerns?  HA!...

thanks Poppy.

From Poppy Tooker on Mon, July 05, 2010

Dear “AD” - I would address you directly - and in fact would be happy to speak with you personally on the subject - but with only 2 initials, “AD”, it’s hard to tell exactly who you are or where you are coming from with your remarks.

I did not intend to “diss” nor “dismiss” anyone with my reply. It is a known fact that Americans are afraid of their food.  Ask anyone who has fought the good fight for raw milk cheese or access to slaughterhouses for processing small quantities of heritage breed animals. Gulf seafood has just joined the list of frightening food for your average American.  Unfounded fear and suspicion is the culprit - not the Louisiana fisher, shrimper and oysterman.

From AD on Mon, July 05, 2010

dear poppy, thanks. but i like to remain as AD. i dont want your mafia after me.  if you would LISTEN to these comments here, as you advise us to do, you will see the majority of them having extremely valid reasonings of why we should stay away from consumption of gulf seafood.  but obviously you have dismissed us as average ignorant americans, and fickle eaters having unfounded fear/suspicions. honestly, you sound like that iraqi information minister under saddam.

do you want to hear what Dr. Chris Pincetich, a marine biologist/toxicologist, of the sea turtle restoration project has to say about corexit being sprayed during the night there in the gulf??

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/marine-biologist-corexit-being-spraye

From Poppy Tooker on Mon, July 05, 2010

Thanks for the link.  Luckily, we’re not talking turtles here - as we only use farm raised turtles in New Orleans’ famous turtle soup! 

For the most up to date information on research done by the EPA and national fisheries experts on corexit, please tune in to this week’s Louisiana Eats, Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM CST on WWNO - South Louisiana’s NPR affiliate. Dr. Jerald Horst will be reporting on the latest information and the current state of our fisheries.  Hopefully, once you listen to sound of my voice, you’ll know that I am neither part of the “mafia”, nor am I “that Iraqu information minister under Saddam.” 

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wwno/news.newsmain?action=section&SECTION_ID=7150

From AD on Mon, July 05, 2010

poppy. obviously you didnt hear the short interview in the link. i am really amazed and shocked you would reply with a turtle soup recipe than address the real issues here.  the interview was not about turtles but the use of dispersant and its unknown effects especially long term.

allow me to give you a condense version of that 5 min interview link…

1: he talks about corexit, the highly toxic mutagenic carcinogenic, ‘no one has any idea’ chemical that UK, Norway and a bunch of countries have banned, is being sprayed at night in huge volumes.

2: that the standard EPA tests are useless as they test for very short term effects..like if the fish is alive for 96 hrs whereas they found such fish dead after 2 weeks.

honestly i am extremely perplexed by your arrogance and you r condescending attitude to make statements like

““If it is for sale - it is safe to eat, it is delicious ”

think i have made my case.  thanks for the conversation.  no more from me. 

-Alexis-De-Tocqueville

From Poppy Tooker on Mon, July 05, 2010

Merci beaucoup!

From Bruce on Mon, July 05, 2010

How can anyone trust what the EPA approves when all those appointed to it are from the chemical industries. Admit it already, We are all being poisoned by our government for the profit of a few. Research it for yourself and quit your bickering. Raise as much of your own food as you can while it’s still legal, cause that the main reason for this planned spill in the first place…

From LG on Mon, July 05, 2010

Basically we have 2 camps of people: those who trust the government, and the lobbyists/ corporations who are in bed with the government. To associate those who are leery and guarded about these dangers as being paranoid and ignorant is bad enough…to push that further and suggest we aren’t empathetic and supportive of the fisherment BECAUSE of our stance on food safety is absurd and makes you out to be just as accusatory and ridiculous. I’m following the scientific research from unrelated third parties. If someone spilled petrol and corexit in a fishing lake where your fish came from, you would either take a closer look into it OR you wouldn’t. Maybe you just don’t care about yourself and think everyone is just paranoid…but would you feed the fish to a baby? My kid’s neurologist is also a biochemist, and states I should feed my child no more fish than 2 x weekly—-that includes wild Alaska Salmon. What I’m saying is: the poisons in the seafood are proven to be there already. Now…with the Gulf…there is additional risk…and you are either of the camps that states “Everything causes cancer anyway” or “Maybe I should read as many points of research as possible and take appropriate precautions—-for myself or my children”....I add kids to the equation because their bodies cannot take near the threshold of toxins that adults can….

From LG on Mon, July 05, 2010

Correction to my post: Basically we have 2 camps of people: those who trust the government, and the lobbyists/ corporations who are in bed with the government AND those who do not.-sorry

From David on Mon, July 05, 2010

Poppy, somehow you think that you are addressing my issues and undoing them, but really you don’t even seem to grasp what I am saying on many levels.  On some of the more mundane points, it seems that you are actually spinning the arguement to defend your stance.  Nonetheless, it does seem that you have quite a few people who disagree with you here, if not the majority.  So, I cannot fathom how you can simply dismiss us all as mis-informed, paranoid or untrusting, without actually making accommodations to your own world-view.

I find it rather annoying that you keep dropping names and titles to support your arguement and add legitimacy, as if we are nobody to question you.  As if we don’t have our own ability, skill, education, resources, profession and so on.  It’s the arrogant posturing that got us into this mess in the first place.  It’s the “group think” and sycophancy.  It’s the inability of common, decent people to get the nerve to stand up and say no!  No more corruption, no more complacency.

The more you argue with all these credentials, the more I think you are trying to defend your office and rightful place among these big-whigs, rather than being the steward for our natural human-rights and our natural place of origin.  As you try to call out some of us bloggers, it seems you don’t even get the idea behind blogs as being a means by which everyday folks can speak their mind without place or title, but simply communicate on the basis of common sense, empathy and reason.  Not only that, it discounts the whistleblowers who have tried to warn us about this scenario and other like situations that were ongoing, long before the big blow-out even occurred.

You still have not addressed the “dead-zone” issues that have existed long before the BP disaster even happened.  You don’t acknowledge the destruction of the ocean floor, the plumes of oil, the methane gas, the fire on the water and the smoke that is carrying in the wind.  You say there’s plenty of clean water, but the breadth of the slick is wider than it’s ever been, from Texas/Louisiana to Florida and outward towards the Caribbean and who knows where else?  They cannot contain it.  We were already getting to know the true scope of the disaster, when the government and BP officers threatened the media with thousands of dollars in fines if they continued to go out to clean-up sites and try to report on the changing scope of affairs. So, how could you tell us otherwise?

Everyone knows that arms of the oil/energy lobby reaches into the entire breadth of the government, from municipal, county, state to federal.  It’s in the courts, as well as in the EPA, FDA, MSS, NOAA and so on.  If you are not aware of that, then you are not only naive, but dangerously ignorant or, hopefully not, corrupt yourself.  How you could stand along with those people and defend their incompetence is astounding to many of us who are Slow Food members and who read this blog, in addition to others.  It’s dramatic and shocking.

Unlike some people, however, I realize that Slow Food is a global institution, so I don’t necessarily think your own views, or even those of Slow Food-New Orleans and the national chapter, reflect the views of everyone in the international conference.

Indeed, as an ecological disaster, this is worse than Katrina; but, as an economic, social and political crisis, for many of us already, its more significant than the devastation of Septemeber 11th, the Enron scandal, Western U.S. Energy Crisis of 2000 and 2001.  Do you realize that currently more Americans than ever now question both political parties, as well as key departments of government.  Do you read the news and watch the live reports?  When Katrina happened, we questioned FEMA’s response, as well as the White House and other departments.  But, now, you actually think that people are happy with the performance of the NOAA, the MMS?!?  Corruption has been pointed out there repeatedly.  Just who do you think is responsible here?  Do you intend to hold them to it?  The federal government, as well as the states, counties and municipal authorities…. they all failed!  That’s astounding!

The bureaucracy of several states overlies much of the Gulf region, in addition to the outer rivers and marshes; but the man-made state of affairs should not subordinate and obstruct the natural confluence of our natural environment.  But, it has done just that.  It’s not just a remote case, but system-wide!  The fact that corrupt politicians, judges, industry, lobbyists, etc. have confounded both our democracy AND our natural landscape is more than just a tragic realization.  It’s the peril that we shall live with for several years, until it is utterly thwarted.  Agencies like Slow Food, Greenpeace, WWF, Sea Shephard, Amnesty International, etc. are suppose to give people an alternate means or forum to address issues, as well as make our governments and industries do the right thing. 

Have heard about dispersants and/or surfactants that supposedly “clean” oceans, but actually pollute and kill-off all kinds of marine life? How about herbicides.. the kind with genetically modified seeds and surfactants that are toxic to wildlife and increases herbicide penetration in plant and animal cell? This is the same science by the same companies that give us growth hormone products and patented GMO’s as seen in farm crops, pigs, cattle, sheep and now, Salmon. Nations like China, Brazil, Germany and India have fought these trends; but currently, America’s FDA is considering GMO Salmon for market, just like those dispersants and oil that are dumped in the Gulf of Mexico. Why? Big lobbies, conglomerates, and dirty politicians.

See New York Times on GMO Salmon and the FDA: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/business/26salmon.html?_r=1

Read about the “dead zones” before there was even a BP well blow-out:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20009077-501465.html

Read about the failure of small fisheries and small restaurants (not big fisheries and celebrity chefs): http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latest-news/no-gulf-seafood-no-po-boys-owner-shuts-la-cafe

Read about the toxic nature of dispersants in our oceans:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-using-dispersants-fighting-pollution-with-pollution

Read about the controversial history of companies like Monsanto and their legacy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto

Change starts with you, the consumer and voter.

From AD on Mon, July 05, 2010

well said david.  thanks for articulating it this well. 1000% agree with what you said.  if you had just said mentioned monsanto without all the other links i would have still agreed with you 1000% .  i wake up with monsanto nightmares almost every other week.

-alexis de tocqueville

From David on Mon, July 05, 2010

alexis de tocqueville - Colin Powell famously said “if you break it, you own it” about the war in Iraq.  But, it seems that the lobby “owned” the Gulf long before they ever wrecked it up.  It was the same in the Persian Gulf and other major oil bearing zones.  Now some people want to defend BP and all the other interests, as if we, the American people, should pay for it!?  We pay for their wars, we pay for the ecological devastation, we pay at the gas pump and also at the dinner table.  Beyond that, what do you think is going to happen to the Gulf region over the next ten to twenty years, if it’s not utterly devastated?  Who’s going to rule over this domain?  What’s our democracy going to look like?  Is this for and by the people of America?

From CO in San Diego on Mon, July 05, 2010

I’ve read so many of these and I’m not sure this is the forum where you can expect a lot of changed opinions.

that being said here is what I am going to do and we should all think about doing to support our food sources, become less dependent upon oil—instead of asking whether we should eat gulf seafood we should drive much more fuel efficient cars, use less oil, demand better protections for our oceans lakes and rivers and think globally. this isnt about jobs in Louisiana, Miss. AL—its much bigger than that and we need to think that way—I’m sorry about the suffering of the people effected by this but we can keep drilling deep water wells because thats were jobs are in this area—The overall effect is much greater—this is a wakeup call and hopefully we will—- it scares me to death that BP is about to try and drill a well twice as deep of Alaska—think what would could happen if something like this occurs along the pacific coast—this is much bigger than gulf seafood

From AD on Mon, July 05, 2010

hear ya david~.  just watched a documentary on shell and niger river delta [its called sweet crude], check it out.

its been a tough spring and summer so far..the citizens united ruling from the supreme court, the goldman sachs senate hearings, monsanto’s GMO dealings, this catastrophe…...mmmm..unregulated capitalism and our democracy…mmmmm..we are so far from an equilibrium that you would hope with all our collective intelligence we would have settle down to~

From Bruce on Tue, July 06, 2010

So Very well put David, Thanks. Yet I feel so powerless. This is so much bigger than gulf seafood, so much bigger then any jobs. It kinda like watching Dances with Wolves and knowing the eventual outcome, only this time it’s the entire human race that is at the hands of Greed..

From David on Wed, July 07, 2010

Some the worst of premises have been confirmed by a stunning analysis report by the Associated Press.  You may ask, “what in the world is going on down there?” But, the real question is “What’s been going on over the last five to ten years… or more?”  Not only have “dead zones” existed several years before the big blow-out; but, there also exists historic footprints that have scarred the ocean floor as abandoned wells act like dangerous minefields strewn across the entire Gulf region. 

“More than 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells lurk in the hard rock beneath the Gulf of Mexico, an environmental minefield that has been ignored for decades. No one — not industry, not government — is checking to see if they are leaking, an Associated Press investigation shows”:

“AP IMPACT: Gulf awash in 27,000 abandoned wells”
ttp://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GULF_OIL_SPILL_ABANDONED_WELLS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

By JEFF DONN and MITCH WEISS (7 JUL 2010)
Associated Press Writers

h

From David on Wed, July 07, 2010

The AP video report is also available :

http://video.ap.org/?t=By Section/U.S.&p=&f=AP&g=0707dv_abandoned_wells