Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission meet to discuss oil spill

Sadie Hewitt

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) met before a crowd of over 100 in St. Petersburg Beach yesterday to discuss the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the effects it will have should it reach Florida’s coastline.

Commissioners concerned about the economic impacts of the spill reiterated throughout the meeting that Florida is not “closed.”

Holding the meeting at St. Petersburg Beach “reinforces the fact that Florida beaches are open,” said Timyn Rice of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

According to the Commission, the FWC is working alongside the Coast Guard to determine effective methods of stopping the leak as well as a solid strategy for the cleanup of the spill. The Coast Guard is charged with the oversight of oil spill cleanup according to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

“We want the people of Florida to know we take their resources very seriously. It’s all hands on deck for the Fish and Wildlife [Commission],” said Chairman Rodney Barreto.

A slide show presentation during the meeting gave an overview of the spill and what methods have been used to try and stop the leak.

The main method being used is the riser insertion tube, which connects to the Horizon’s broken riser and allows for the oil to be transferred to the surface. According to FWC executive director Nick Wiley, this is only a partial solution. The best way to stop the leak is to drill a relief well, which could take up to several weeks.

In situ burning, which is a controlled burning of the oil on the surface of the ocean, is also being used to remove oil. Coast Guard Capt. Tim Close said there are currently 30 oil skimming vessels in the Gulf, but oil skimming is a process that is very weather dependant. “A large percentage of the oil that reaches the surface is evaporating,” he said.

However, quelling the flow of the spill is a main concern. Dispersants, which act at a molecular level to disassociate oil particles, are being sprayed to dilute the concentration of the oil. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website, “dispersing an oil slick can prevent oil from coming ashore, minimizing impacts to biologically sensitive shoreline environments.” However, dispersing the oil can make it very difficult to see the oil without conducting a chemical test of the water and can be toxic to marine life.

“There’s uncertainty of where the oil is going but a lot of effort is being put in to stop this,”

said Wiley.

The oil that is pumping from a 5,000 foot deep well in the Gulf of Mexico at a rate of 210,000 gallons (5,000 barrels) per day is a sweet crude. This type of oil is low in sulfur content, which makes the oil easier to refine and has a relatively low amount of carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons. The oil coming straight from the leak is most pollutant as the toxic components evaporate quickly once the oil reaches the surface of the ocean. “Oil will degrade as it gets away from the source of the spill,” said Wiley.

What does this mean for Florida?

Though the closest ocean closures, or sections where commercial fishing is prohibited, are 200-250 miles off the coast of Florida, “scientific consensus is that the southern edge of the spill is at the loop current,” said Coast Guard Capt. Tim Close. The loop current is a concern for the Keys and South Florida but not the west coast. He said that if Florida is to see the effects of the spill, it is likely to be tar balls.

19 percent of the Gulf is closed thus far, but the area is getting larger according to Mark Robson, director of the Division of Marine Fisheries Management.

BP has allotted $25 million for cleanup in Florida and has granted another $25 million for a national tourism advertising campaign.

“I believe there has been a huge affect in hotel cancellations. We need to deploy these monies not only nationwide but within the state. Let’s spend a little of BP’s money and do this right,” said Chairman Barreto.

The company has also set up a claims process to award damages to businesses. As of Tuesday, May 18 there have been 1,461 claims and approximately $442,000 awarded according to Situation Report 20 of the Deepwater Horizon Response.

The meeting ended with time for the members of the public to address the Commission. Many expressed concern for Florida’s wildlife as well as their businesses. Pete Quasius, a board member of the Florida Snook Foundation, mentioned that the estuarine habitat for his foundation’s commercial and recreational fishing has already been affected by fertilizer and sewage runoff.

“Make no mistake; the fishing in Florida is great, but the oil spill is just one more threat to our ever-diminishing fishery habitat,” said Quasius.

“We demand not only mitigation, but renewed efforts to failsafe the wells that are there and tremendous scrutiny before any additional drilling anywhere, particularly in the Gulf, is even considered.”

This article appears in May 20-26, 2010.