What if?

In the Southern United States those involved in the fishing industry are seriously concerned about how the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will affect their livelihoods.  In fact many believe that this spill will probably have the effect of a massive hurricane moving through the area and wreaking destruction, so much so that it will take years for the Southern United States to recover.

While on the one hand, a reduction in the large amount of shrimp produced in the gulf coast states may drive up the price of shrimp and help out the struggling shrimp industry in Belize, the long term effect of this spill on the US is an important lesson for Belize.

First there is the matter of the destruction being caused by this massive spill. The quantity of fish and other marine life that is being killed or negatively affected is tremendous. Even more damaging is what it will do to the immediate future of the industry, as the oil damage kills and destroys the marine environment.

Shellfish and many species of commercially harvested fish are dependent on the fragile estuaries and wetlands that are an integral part of the ecosystems that could be devastated by crude oil. According to experts in Florida, much of these areas had only recently begun to rebound from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

To give an idea of the impact of this oil spill on the US seafood market, in 2008 in the Gulf Coast States, marine production equalled 188.3 million pounds, which according to officials in the business is between 20 to 30 percent of the entire US shellfish and commercial fish supply.

Already in Southern United States, there is a growing concern over the impact of the oil spill on the American plate and what it will do to the price of seafood in the US.  Gulf Coast fisheries are the largest suppliers of US markets with shrimp, crabs, oysters, swordfish, shark, red snapper, mackerel and grouper among other fish.  While this will drive up demand and increase the cost of marine products in the US markets, it could result in a scarcity that could have an effect on those on this side of the Gulf.

It goes without saying that those in the fishing industry will be filing lawsuits in the United States against British Petroleum (BP) the company whose oil rig is being blamed for this spill.  The size of these law suits will be huge considering that in the state of Louisiana alone the sea food, commercial and sport fishing business is a US$3 billion a year industry.

So what does all of this have to do with Belize?  Well besides the fact that there will probably be a greater demand for seafood from this part of the Gulf, which may not necessarily be a bad thing, it is not likely that this spill will have any effect on the marine life in Belize.  What is of critical importance however is – what if there was an oil spill just offshore here in Belize?

Currently Government has given a number of licenses for oil exploration off shore.  Most of these licenses have been given to small drilling companies.  Considering the billions of dollars that will have to be spent to clean up the spill in the US Golf Course, everyone should be concerned about such an incident occurring in Belizean waters.

For us the concern about the capacity of these small drilling companies to pay for and deal with any serious oil spill is an important issue.  Should one of these small oil companies strike oil off shore, protocols must be in place to deal with the possibility of an accident occurring.  For this reason it is important that government disclose what measures are being built into these exploration contracts with respect to an accident, oil spill or any damage to the reef.  With millions of dollars in annual revenue from tourists who come to Belize to dive the reef, and from the fishing industry, protection measures must be put in place.

The lessons from BP, one of the world’s largest oil companies and the destruction that is being caused in the Florida, Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf coast must not be taken lightly here in Belize.  The destruction and loss in revenue in the southern US should raise everyone’s concern.  The Barrow Administration must put in place measures to ensure that such an accident never occurs in Belizean waters.

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