Articles

• Is there a better way?
• 5 Questions about oil spills
• Hundreds attend forum about Gulf of Mexico oil spill
• Exxon Valdez oil spill: Alaskans share lessons learned
• Keeping shellfish safe
• Professionals join together to look at sea-level-rise issues
• Natural products can protect against erosion
• Nature guides become tourists for a day
• Guest Editorial: team collaborates on nutrients and hypoxia

Sea Briefs is a report on the results of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.

Editor: Melissa Schneider

This newsletter is available in PDF format from:
masgc.org/seabriefs

MASGC supports applied, interdisciplinary marine science research, education and outreach efforts to foster the sustainable development and management of the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi-Alabama
Sea Grant Consortium
703 East Beach Drive
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Phone: 228-818-8838
E-mail: seabriefs@masgc.org
MASGP 09-012-02

Hundreds attend forums about
Gulf of Mexico oil spill

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, with the help of its partners, coordinated three oil spill community forums on June 2-3. About 500 people attended the forums, which took place in Biloxi, Miss., and Mobile, Ala.

People attended a 45-minute briefing by the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Then, they were able to attend question-and-answer sessions on several topics: fisheries and wildlife, monitoring and data, business and personal finance, technological disasters and mental health and legal perspectives.

Mike Kensler of Auburn, Ala., attended a forum in Mobile.

“It’s a very healthy thing; I think it’s a good idea to do it,” he said. “People got a sense that there’s more agency coordination and action going on than is readily apparent.”Each forum lasted about three hours. More than 20 agencies and groups served as panelists and answered questions.

“It was real informative,” said Mobile resident Perry Berens. “I think the people who had things to say were good. I think the questions people asked were good. And, I think the people answered them as well as they could, given the stage we’re at.”

Attendees voiced frustration that the oil was still flowing, and some wanted to know how to get their ideas on how to clean up the oil and stop the leak into the hands of BP decision-makers who would use them.

The sessions were recorded, and transcripts are available at http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/transcripts.htm. Look for the oil spill information.