The notion that the spill would not be cleaned up in a few months, or possibly years, has hit “like the death of a family member,” said Connie Townsend, the owner of a fishing boat charter service in Terrebonne Parish. And in interviews across southern Louisiana last week, the responses included anger, denial and naked grief.
“A lot of times I want to go stand in a corner and cry — not so much for me, because I’ve done it a long time, but for him,” said Mr. Greco, 43, nodding at Aaron as they stood in line at Kentucky Fried Chicken during a lunch break from their training classes on Thursday.
Biologists said that the fishermen’s fears were not unwarranted, especially as the oil advances into the marshes that served as nurseries for many species of marine life. If the populations are significantly diminished, the fisheries will remain closed. While it is still too early to determine the toll, in Alaska, experts note, fishermen are still seeing the effects of the Exxon Valdez spill 20 years later.
“We’re hoping we can find a way to clean it up faster, but it’s very realistic that they will be feeling the impact of this for multiple years,” said Julie Anderson, a fishery specialist at Louisiana State University.
