The biggest mystery about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will be the impacts of the tremendous amounts of sub-sea dispersants used by BP in the cleanup effort, says Robert Barham, Louisiana Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “The problem is, when you inject dispersants into this plume of oil, you inject into it an unknown that had never been done before,” says Barham, who was speaking at the Baton Rouge Press Club. “As ugly as that oil on the surface is, it degrades very rapidly, especially the dangerous parts of it.” Barham says the extreme pressure and temperature of the water could further complicate recovery. “When you break apart that oil molecule, it disperses across the seafloor in unknown ways and in unknown currents,” he says. “No one knows what the affect of spreading that across the seafloor is, or where it will go or what will consume it. That’s what concerns us.”
While Barham says he wants people to be able to fish, both commercially and recreationally, reports of unsafe seafood coming from Louisiana would further undermine the seafood industry’s image nationwide. Louisiana will test more than any other state, to ensure the safety of its seafood, Barham says. “We’re going to have to be safer than any other state to gain that market share back,” he says. So far there have been no reports of illness related to Louisiana seafood. DWF is in talks with BP along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Hospitals to secure $457 million for the testing and establishment of a certification for Louisiana seafood. —Rebekah Allen
