Louisiana’s oil impact on jobs

Louisiana’s livelihood is mostly based on oil, tourism and fishing, and a large part of this is on hold. Local people affected feel powerless.
Fisheries have shut down one after another, like many other activities, stopping cashflow.

A fisherman said: “Part of the real story here is all the people that have lost their jobs. I don’t know, it seems to be the last thing on the page when people are talking about what we should do, you know. Yeah, we’ve got to stop the leak, but BP’s bandaid approach to compensating all the people on this island that are trying to pay their bills. It’s just causing a lot of mental distress.”

A fishing guide said: “I have no business. I mean, look at the marina. This time of year there should be a boat in every one of those stalls and the business is not here. They can’t fish, they’ve gotta shut down. So, I come sit here and drink coffee.”

Fresh seafood is rare now. For a lot of people, so is paying work.

Copyright © 2012 euronews