After the Oil Spill–Enjoying the Gulf Coast

On April 20th, even before our adventure began, our dreams of a beautiful Gulf Coast and wonderful fresh southern seafood were dashed by news reports about the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the Louisiana coast that killed 11 workers and would eventually result in the largest oil spill ever in the U.S. and Gulf of Mexico.

As Amanda and I traveled around northeastern United States the oil leak, nearly a mile underwater and 1000 miles south of us, spewed huge amounts of oil for over three months.  Our frustration quickly mounted as efforts to contain the leak happened too slowly or failed altogether and accidents seemed to reverse any progress that had been made.

As the situation grew worse news of the spill predicted that the oil would inundate Florida’s entire gulf coast and ocean currents would move the oil to even effect the Atlantic coast as far north as the Carolinas.  By mid June the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had shut down much of the fishing in the Gulf, costing Gulf fishing industry billions of dollars.  Nobody knew when these fisheries would reopen and we certainly did not expect to be eating gulf seafood anytime soon.

By the time we made it down to the golf coast in mid October, gulf fisheries east of Louisiana had opened up and seafood from these areas was considered by the NOAA as safe to eat.  At this time, many news reports said that the Gulf Coast had “dodged a bullet” and that the ecological and economical ramifications of the oil spill were not nearly as bad as had been expected.

Amanda and I were cautiously encouraged by the eerily optimistic news that most of the oil from the oil leak had  been dispersed  and disappeared from the coast and the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.  As we traveled west on the Gulf Coast through Florida we saw a shoreline that appeared to us as picturesque and pristine as we had imagined before our journey began.

Seeing a healthy looking coast encouraged Amanda and I to try some Gulf seafood, so we stopped for lunch at the Florida-coast town of Apalachicola to get some.  Here we found a pearl of a restaurant called Boss Oyster.

Oyster and fishing boats cruised past the dock of Boss Oyster where we sat overlooking the Apalachicola bay.  The water looked clean and healthy—in fact, no oil was ever sighted here after the spill.

We ordered the oyster house special, steamed oysters!  These plump, juicy Gulf oysters arrived to the table shucked and served with butter.  The oysters were sweet, briny, and firm from freshness and their gentle steam cooking.  The creamy melted butter gave these oysters an indulgent richness that was lightened by the fresh of ocean air.

We also had fried grouper with cheesy grits and corn fritters.  The grouper was fresh-caught from the Gulf.  It had a crispy cornmeal coating and a firm, flaky flesh. Our cheesy grits were sticky and thick with rich cheese and the little corn fritters had a crispy fried outside and a creamy, oozing corn center.

It was wonderful to be able to enjoy a clean Gulf Coast and eat fresh Gulf seafood.  Our dreams were unspoiled by the spill it is fortunate that many areas of the Gulf Coast were not harmed.

Although many coastal communities avoided contamination from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, much of the coast was devastated by oil, especially in Louisiana.  Many species of wildlife and ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico have and will continue to suffer greatly from the spill, along with the already financially strapped Gulf Coast tourism and fishing economies.

Many Gulf coast residents are victims of sickness caused by harmful toxins from the oil and chemical dispersants used to “clean up” the spill.  Much of the oil that was dispersed near the source of the leak remains on the bottom of the Gulf in a mass of oil that extends for miles.

Seeing a Gulf Coast that was unpolluted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill helped us to realize value and beauty of this area.  It is sad to think that companies and government regulators have been careless with their responsibility to protect the Gulf and the people and animals who live there.  We hope that the cleanup of the spill will continue with rigor so that, hopefully, wildlife, residents, and visitors like us can enjoy the Gulf Coast and waters for many years to come.