Gulf oil displaced, killed whale sharks?

[G_j]

http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-49678.html

Gulf oil displaced, killed whale sharks?

Washington, Sep 26 : As an aftermath of one of the largest oil spill accident in the Gulf of Mexico, the feeding habitat of whale sharks has been destroyed, possibly killing some of the world's largest fish, a new research has suggested.

An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil (one barrel equals 42 gallons, or 159 liters) flowed into an area south of the Mississippi River Delta, where of one-third of all northern Gulf of Mexico whale shark sightings have occurred in recent years, scientists said.

The 45-foot-long (14-meter-long) fish, still largely a mystery to scientists, is considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"This spill's impact came at the worst possible time and in the worst possible location for whale sharks," National Geographic News quoted Eric Hoffmayer of the University of Southern Mississippi as saying.

Sightings confirmed that the animals were unable to avoid the slick at the surface, where the giant fish may feed for seven to eight hours a day. The oil may have clogged the fish's gills, suffocating them, or it might have contaminated their prey-though no dead whale sharks have been found, Hoffmayer noted.


..more..

[nashville_brook]

1. k and r

[nc4bo]

2. I guess these creatures didn't get the memo that everything's A-OK?

BP and The Government has tried it's hardest to smother and cover-up the number of deaths and the extent of damage done to coastal areas and more than likely to our food chain. Our media is also guilty of ignoring the extent of the damage.

I hope to see more and more reports such as this. We all deserve to know the truth.

[bherrera]

6. Your information is wrong

I would not confuse the government with BP. The government has a website which reports the total number of animals found dead, their species.

This report is not a quality report. In the end, it says no dead whale sharks have been observed, in an area where thousands of vessels have cruised for months. Indeed, it is possible some died, but from that possibility, to claim the USA government lied or has tried to cover up the truth, is a very far extreme. I would say there is a tendency for people in the two polar extremes of the political spectrum to use the oil spill to attack President Obama. One side is Republicans who wish to undermine the President to win more seats in the future election. The other side is extreme left wing persons who are prone to attack because a large oil company is involved. But the US government is not BP, and BP does not control the actions of the government personnel directing the oil spill response.

Furthermore, there has never been a claim by government officials that all is well. This is a lie used by people who want to attack President Obama. This is similar to the right wing attack against Mr Dole, when they lied and claimed he said he invented the internet (which he never did nor did he make such a statement).

[nc4bo]

15. You keep right on thinking that every thing the Fed does is the gospel truth.

PSHAW.

2 questions: 1) Would you eat seafood from the GOM? 2) Would you swim or allow your children to swim in the GOM?

[jpak]

20. What a steaming heap - there is no government cover-up

there is no conspiracy

:thumbsdown:

[nc4bo]

23. Glad you feel so confident, safe and secure. I, however, do not. nt

[earth mom]

3. We'll never know how many fish those BP bastards killed! They disposed of the bodies in the dead of

night just like the mafia!

:argh: :grr: :mad:

:cry:

[bherrera]

10. Many fish died from hypoxia, not the oil spill

There has been some confusion, and indeed many dead fish were found recently, caused by hypoxia, not the oil spill. The oil spill was worse for turtles, birds, and other marine life which has to live at the surface of the water. The fish, which live under the surface, and can move away from the contaminated areas, are not impacted that much. Tuna may have been impacted, but it will be required to observe the population for one year. Also, the fishing prohibition which was imposed, and continues to be imposed in some areas, allows the fish to grow and breed in larger numbers, which may be after all a benefit. We humans have a tendency to kill too much to eat.

[G_j]

22. I wouldn't be too sure that the hypoxia is not related

especially to the use of dispersants.

[Odin2005]

4. This shit makes me SOOOO pissed!

:grr:

[Generic Other]

5. National geographic also reporting on this

Obvious that we have no clear idea how many species have been impacted by this disaster!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9200930

[G_j]

7. thank you!

I missed that.

[dipsydoodle]

8. You may also have missed

that both the header of your post and the other link too are both suffixed with question marks which express uncertainty.

[G_j]

11. that is why I kept it as it was. nt

[dipsydoodle]

12. Was good of you to do so

.

[bherrera]

9. The idea is emerging

There are dozens of researchers investigating this. I believe in about 12 months there will be quite a number of papers with more solid figures. At this time, I see too much speculation, and some falsehoods. Remember the "whole communities vomiting blood" posting you made a few days ago? :-)

[Generic Other]

13. You don't even live in the United States

You have no idea how many people are sick.

[dipsydoodle]

16. Neither do you have knowledge of the subject

other than what you read in the newspapers or maybe see on youtube which then you then post in duplicate using different links to the same subject.

[Generic Other]

17. I have direct contact with lots of people who report illnesses

Including DUers. I would like to quit monitoring and reporting problems. I will when the problems go away.

[nc4bo]

18. Please keep reporting. We desperately need people like you

to bear witness! Reality is what people taste, see, hear, smell and experience every day. Not what we're told to believe from those who do not have our best interests at heart.

Thank-you :patriot:

[Generic Other]

19. Thnak you. I appreciate the moral support

I don't understand why anyone would tell us we are saying too much about this topic. I have heard from people on DU who are experiencing symptoms, people who are scared for their families, for their homes. We are seeing reports from 4 Gulf coast states about illnesses, about cover-ups, about deaths of sealife. But I am supposed to just STFU.

Well I will just as soon as I am sure my loved ones are not in danger from this disaster. And not a second sooner.

I don't understand why people who don't even live in the US are so determined to shut me up.

[G_j]

21. Oil spill-related health visits grow

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9203664

[Generic Other]

24. Do you get the impression there's people with their heads buried

in the tarball and corexit soaked sand?

Glad to see others are posting information. Seems people on the Gulf coast are having a hard time getting any answers.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

14. K&R