Scoop Sea's Oil Spill Thread

[reelcatch]

Get EM Scoop!!!!
The voice of reason again.
I love to read your posts keep em coming so we know what is REALLY happening out there.

[Scoop Sea]

Hey JT and RC, No sparring from my side, I'm just calling it like I see it. I myself love the environment and am committed to helping preserve it both personally and professionally. I've said it before and I will say it again, I think the press has really gotten people worked up and I think that is where some of our fellow forum posters are coming from. It's a bad spill, no doubt about it. I wish it hadn't happened and it has really messed up things for a lot of folks due to the fishing closures, tourism drop off, long term effects that are unknown at this time, etc. It hasn't hit us over here and hopefully it won't. Even in the areas of Ms, Al, and Fl, where the product has hit, the impact (environmental) hasn't been as bad as the press has made it out to be. However, since there are continuous video loops of oiled pelicans, stained beaches, etc. the economic impact has been anything but merciful. I encourage everyone to get involved and check out the facts as presented by all sides, etc. Once folks have a full understanding of all of the facts, they can make informed decisions and offer up accurate opinions.

Let's hope that all goes well and this time next week we are looking at a 75% + reduction of oil going into the Gulf from the DWH.

[fish on!!]

I encourage everyone to get involved and check out the facts as presented by all sides, etc.

...and register for the BBSC.

[Barhopr]

I wish it hadn't happened and it has really messed up things for a lot of folks due to the fishing closures, tourism drop off, long term effects that are unknown at this time, etc.

Exactly!
Who you calling tree hugger JT? If I'm being put in that group, that is quiet a stretch. I've cut tens of thousands of them down.

[RHTFISH]

Besides his incredible dedication and willingness to share very valuable information, without spin, I do believe Scoop Sea understands the first rule
of BIGBENDFISHING.NET forum journalistic endeavors....go for the jugular!

[MudDucker]

Besides his incredible dedication and willingness to share very valuable information, without spin, I do believe Scoop Sea understands the first rule
of BIGBENDFISHING.NET forum journalistic endeavors....go for the jugular!

Is that the same thing as "Slap a Ho!"?

[Scoop Sea]

I encourage everyone to get involved and check out the facts as presented by all sides, etc.

...and register for the BBSC.

That's right, everyone should go out and register for the BBSC. Even if you don't fish it, go ahead and register and head down to the weigh-ins. Besides being a great tournament, I think this will give us an opportunity to showcase our neck of the woods and let folks see that things are still good down this way. I know I will be there................ Come hell, highwater (had that a few years at the Classic), two weddings, and now an oil spill, it takes a lot more than that to keep my daughter and I from fishing it together...........

As for the tree-hugger discussion. Those of you who know me personally, know that routinely I am lumped into that group due to my profession. However, I'm a conservationist not a preservationist, there's a world of difference between the two. If you were to look at my back yard right now, you would see 52 pine stumps left from the trees I cut down my last trip home. (Anybody know somebody that does good work on stump removal-not grinding, down in Wakulla? My guy at Church has been too busy to make it out and I'd like to get this done rather soon). Pines are like corn, you grow em to harvest em.

Barhopr, as noted in my earlier thread and the response you highlighted, there are a lot of unknowns with this spill. Unfortunately we can't get our hands around those unknowns. However, there are also a lot of knowns and I think we need to make sure we concentrate on those as well. Speculation and continual negative press by the media will not help this response effort one bit. I wish they would pick up the facts that may help folks come on back down and spend some money in our area, things like: the water is fine, fishing is still good in a large portion of the Gulf and is open in our areas, the air is not contaminated, the fish are safe to eat, etc. etc. These are all things that can be proven and reported out. No doubt La. has it a lot worse than us, but we are good to go in our neck of the woods. Let's look for some other positives, for example, a lot of those Vessel of Opportunity operators are making more money during this response than they have made in a long time and possibly ever. I would just as well rather that this spill had never occurred, we can't go back and change that, but we can try and make the absolutely best of a bad situation.

On a side note, I read where Jack Rudloe, down at the Gulf Specimen Lab in Panacea is going to ask the "governor and congressmen" for approx. 7 million dollars to raise shrimp. You talking about a fella seizing the moment...

Remember two things:

1. The well will leak until the relief wells are completed.....

2. All you have to do is get to Heaven, life is that simple.....

[wjmax64]

Thanks for keeping us updated......Where the heck is John Wayne & "The Hell Fighters" when we need them????

[Scoop Sea]

My day of fishing with my youngest daughter was trumped by her desire to get a new hair cut and go shopping in Tallahassee. Hmmm, I took a day off for this??? Nope, I took a day off to spend time with her and if that's what she wants, that's what she gets. A new hairdo, shopping, and lunch were in order and as expected, it was a great day.
On our way back home, we stopped by the BP Outreach Office in C'ville to say hey to those guys and see if there was anything I could assist them with since they were in my neck of the woods. The Deputy working there advised me that I was the first person to stop by in the last two days. After leaving there I went by the BP Claims Office to see a good friend of mine working there off-duty. Upon arriving, I noted that the waiting room was full and my buddy advised that they continuously stayed steady. After leaving there, I thought it was ironic that the Outreach Office hadn't seen anybody in two days, yet the Claims Office stays busy all day long..........
I managed to stay off my phone for a good portion of the day, so I am not fully up to speed tonight on today's activities. My alternate advised that they continue to ramp up resources (local hires, VOOs, equipment, etc) across the three States we operate in.
I hope everyone signs up for the BBSC and supports them. The oil spill should not deter anybody from attending. As Chalk's recent indicated, if the tourney is cancelled due to the oil spill they will offer refunds.

Take Care

[mjsigns]

I have but one wish..... for the oil to go away from us. I am in love with the ocean and this oil mess is like an non-stop nightmare of reality that has the potential to steal away my last refuge from the madness of men.

[wevans]

Could ya tell us a bit more about just what the BP Outreach Office does SS Maybe folks just don't understand what it's there for

[Scoop Sea]

Hey MJSign: Unfortunately, your nightmare will continue right on through the summer and probably into the fall. The relief wells won't be complete until sometime in August. It will take time after that before we are done dealing with the heavy oil.
The ray of hope is the fact that nearly 16,000 barrels of oil is now being recovered. That's up 10,000 barrels since last week when it went into place. When the "choke line and kill line" are outfitted to capture oil as well, we should see those numbers climb up even more. If 75% plus of the oil is recovered, we'll be making some real strides. I think 85% plus is a real possibility if all goes well.
Wevans: The BP Outreach Office is set up to allow people to stop by and discuss questions, concerns, etc. they have about the spill. This office also provides intel on the Vessel of Opportunity program as well as volunteer opportunities. This office coordinated the VOO training back at the end of May. In a nutshell, this office is the conduit for folks wanting to get further involved with the response.
Alright fellas, I hope ya'll have a great day. My wife is in the kitchen making sandwiches, the kids have their bathing suits on, and I'm fixing to hook up my own "Vessel of Opportunity" for a day on the water with the family.

[wevans]

Good luck and above all HAVE FUN

[mjsigns]

Scoop you really seem to be "in the know" about this subject, will we see anything like the picture below, let's say down in the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge?

[Scoop Sea]

Hey Mjsigns, I wouldn't rule anything out at this point. We know that we have a solid two months (if all goes well) before the relief wells will be put in place and shutting down the flow of oil into the Gulf. That being said, there is a whole lot more shoreline not oiled vs. the shorelines that are oiled. The SMWR is a long, long ways from the oil well and there are a lot of currents that should keep the oil away from that area as well. Factor in geographical factors, plus response factors, and I do not foresee us having any oiling in the SMWR like they have seen in Grand Isle, Venice, etc.

I am going to take a guess that the picture above came from the Grand Isle, La. area. That is not an area in which I am familiar with the response operations, my AOR is Ms, Al, and Fl.

I can tell you this: The Department of Interior has an Incident Commander who is part of the Unified Command in Mobile. The Mobile UC is made up of 7 Incident Commanders, 1 each from the following: USCG, BP, EPA, DOI, Ms., Al., and Fl. The DOI IC's have ranged from the head of the National Park Service to Regional Refuge Directors, these are folks that carry some clout and they will continue to work hard (as all of the IC's do) to make sure that the above scene doesn't happen throughout the Gulf Coast.