Recent Editorial in the Press Register by Executive Director, Helene Hassell

With oil threatening our shoreline and the Gulf Coast’s way of life, the DISL is in a perfect position to guide our community as we recover from this disaster.  The scientists at the Sea Lab have been doing research on these waters for over 30 years.  Their research subjects include grass beds; manatees;  jellyfish; fisheries; salt marshes and oyster reefs, just to name a few.  Over the past five years, particular emphasis has been placed on baseline water quality and the marine ecosystem in the northern Gulf of Mexico.  This research was done in response to the proposed LNG terminal.  The DISL was charged with determining what normal base levels are when our waters are at their healthiest.
 
The bottom line is that these dedicated scientists will be the ones to lead the way back to what is considered normal.  The scientists at the Sea Lab have an excellent reputation in the scientific community, both nationally and internationally.  The role they will play will have an impact on marine life as well as the economy.  If we examine the corporate behavior of Exxon after the Valdez spill occurred, the company continually claimed it was “not their responsibility” when issues caused by the spill continued to arise over the next twenty years.  The DISL holds the key to holding BP accountable.  With the historical research data the DISL has compiled, the scientists at the Sea Lab will be able to lead the way to bring our waters back to what they were prior to the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill. 


To learn more about how to support us in our continued efforts to deal with the consequences of the oil spill, click the DONATE NOW button at the top of the page.