On April 20th, Deepwater Horizon, a state-of-the-art drilling rig exploded and sank to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. This event caused the well to rupture and begin to spew thousands of gallons of crude oil into the gulf a day.
What impact will this have on the Florida Shore Fishing community?
Short Term
The Florida Panhandle and much of the big bend will likely feel an impact on their fishing soon. The oil slick will reach the shores and put a halt to all fishing, shore bound and off shore. The oil slick could possibly contaminate the gulf waters in this area for months if not years to come.
There are some scientists that are predicting the slick to catch the loop, a current that runs south to the Florida Keys, and then catch the Gulf Stream. If this happens the entire coast of Florida could be affected the same way the Panhandle and Big Bend are.
Long Term
The only good thing that can come of this slick being so large is that it is spread out over a large area making the oil much less dense. The clean up process will be much faster because of this. However, if the slick reaches the entire coast of Florida fishing may be halted for up to a year, or more!
