Oysters on an Oil Shale

One of my little pleasures in life has become an occasional order of freshly shucked oysters on the half shell from a favorite eatery, Rock N Fish, in Manhattan Beach. I never gave it much thought as to which ocean waters they were derived; I simply gobbled up the critters with a helping of Tabasco, horse radish and lemon juice.

That was, however, before the BP oil disaster in the Gulf. I must admit I haven't been out for oysters since the deep-sea oil rig aptly named the Deepsea Horizon blew up and began spewing millions of gallons of crude into the ocean. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was all a bad blockbuster movie. I wish.

A mile deep, literally thousands of species from plant to animal to mammal to fish are in danger if not already dead. I'm not positive where Rock N Fish gets its oysters, but The Economist reported this week that the Gulf supplies most of our nation's supply. In fact, some 20.6 million pounds of the fat, sweet stuff worth $60.2 million was pulled from the waters off of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida in 2008. I'm sure Rock N Fish pulled its fair share.

I remember my trip to New Orleans last spring and the awesome oyster houses in the French Quarter. They have all now been harmed to such a degree that the entire region has found itself decimated economically once again for the second time in five years. Like with Katrina, the Gulf states have a long, tough road to hoe before their residents realize any sort of rebound.

The at least $20 billion wrestled from BP's shareholders today by President Obama for an escrow fund will help the locals keep food on the table, and in doing so Obama well may have begun to save some face amid what is generally perceived as all too tardy of a response to the worst ecological disaster in our nation's history. I could have done without Obama's added comment, however, that "BP is a strong and viable company, and it is in all of our interests that it remain so." I agree that what the world economy does not need right now is the collapse of one of the largest employers and most profitable in the world. But this will also make us think a bit more about our environment, consequences and the irresponsibility of big business.

The people in the Gulf have endured all too much and don't deserve this current onslaught of sludge, and neither do the birds, the fish, the sea turtles, the children on the beach who just want to go swimming in the ocean this summer, the generations of animals and humans alike who will be paying dearly for this blunder. But what I really hope comes out of this, is that we wake up and realize that we must find an alternative to big oil and -- certainly -- to deep sea drilling.

That and I can dine on my lovely oysters once more without asking the waiter for unleaded.