[StBernard] No St. Bernard fishermen sprayed or affected by dispersants: Operations of St. Bernard's BP Vessels of Opportunity Program uninterrupted

[Westley Annis]

No St. Bernard fishermen sprayed or affected by dispersants

Operations of St. Bernard's BP Vessels of Opportunity Program uninterrupted 

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro announced that no St. Bernard
Parish fishermen in the BP Vessels of Opportunity program have been sick and
all vessels involved in operations deployed yesterday and today, despite
reports to the contrary.

Fishermen not related to the BP Vessels of Opportunity program came across
what they thought was dispersant in the water. The fishermen began to
complain of symptoms and were either brought to a medical facility via
Venice and presumably treated, or refused treatment. The fishermen involved
were not sprayed by any airborne vessels spraying dispersants.

They were not deployed out of the St. Bernard Breton Sound Command Center,
and St. Bernard parish oil response operations were never shut down because
of this incident. 

"This makes a point of how serious of an issue this is, and we need to take
extra precautions and be aware of the effects of this dispersant. We have
medical personnel on standby if someone were to come in with such complaints
and we are prepared for that," St. Bernard Parish president Craig Taffaro
Jr. said in an interview today.

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