--- title: Lingering Worries About Health and Seafood in Louisiana | TIME description: A year after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, fishing families in Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, Louisiana still worry about health effects and seafood contamination canonical: https://time.com/video/fDhnnyzL/ og:title: Lingering Worries About Health and Seafood in Louisiana og:description: A year after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, fishing families in Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, Louisiana still worry about health effects and seafood contamination og:url: https://time.com/video/fDhnnyzL/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fDhnnyzL/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Lingering Worries About Health and Seafood in Louisiana twitter:description: A year after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, fishing families in Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, Louisiana still worry about health effects and seafood contamination twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fDhnnyzL/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Lingering Worries About Health and Seafood in Louisiana > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Lingering Worries About Health and Seafood in Louisiana [Watch (HLS stream): Lingering Worries About Health and Seafood in Louisiana](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fDhnnyzL.m3u8) (5:26)  _Published 2011-07-13. A year after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, fishing families in Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, Louisiana still worry about health effects and seafood contamination_ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:15 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [How to Help Louisiana Flood Victims](/video/4fjDdCq7/) ### How to Help Louisiana Flood Victims [WATCH: Sinkhole Swallows Tree in Louisiana](/video/lVLpBLjg/) ### WATCH: Sinkhole Swallows Tree in Louisiana [Oil Spill Anxiety on the Bayou](/video/WcIeeNsw/) ### Oil Spill Anxiety on the Bayou --- ## Transcript [ SOUND ] A curious parade is making it's way up the Louisiana bayou, on an otherwise lazy Sunday afternoon. Wrapped in their vestments, father Roke Nackin and Father Curtious Coseck are flinging holy water on the local ships. That one is a blessing, too, huh? As they balance on the bow of the Donald and Maisey, A local shrimp boat named for its captains. [ SOUND ] It's the annual blessing of the boats. A ceremony that precedes the local shrimping season. Today, we gather to, bless these boats and fishing equipments. And these two Catholic priests, are trying to conjure some uplifting scripture , after a difficult year for local fishermen. After the oil spill, and the, the waters were polluted and we find it , difficult to rebuild our lives again. Despite organizing today's blessing and being a devout Catholic Can, I just say [ INAUDIBLE ] [ INAUDIBLE ] [ INAUDIBLE ] Matron Macy Terese Dardar says, she's having a tough time keeping the faith. And, I know God's powerful and he can do things as miracles and something can happen that all, this all can, you know, can go away. But, I really don't believe it. I think, it's all still there. By it, Macy Dardar is referring to the 205 million gallons of oil, that's spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the 1. 8 million gallons of the chemical dispersal corexit sprayed in the Gulf in the aftermath. US Food and Drug Administration says, the short version is, the seafood is safe, and the FDA released enough ed in March saying after extensive sampling and testing, consumers can feel confident again. But even if, that news reaches in the most remote parts of the bayou, It doesn't mean people believe it. Well , they could tell the truth. I think, they're lying. Macy Theresa Dardar, is a resident of tiny Pontechin and a member of the Pontechin indian tribe. She and her husband, Donald, are two of the some several 700 tribal members, most of whom , either fish for subsistence or to make a living. After last year's oil spill, the Dardars were faced with a tough decision. Should they turn their boat engines on, despite their fears. Now he went, so being as he was putting, it on the market, he had to eat it. And , that's why I won't go, I won't go shrimp and, put something on the market that I'm not willing to eat. Mazey Theresa Dardar is not alone. Almost , everybody around Ponushen has a story of a friend or family member, that went out fishing and come back with some kind of seafood , that wasn't quite right. This is contaminated fish, Albert Mackin is the Chief of another one of the four small bayou based tribes, that make up the Louisiana Coastal Tribes Coalitions. Mackin says, these two frozen redfish were given to him by a local fisherman. Well, the tail was being eaten. The head was, on the scale was all. Like the Dar- Dars, he hasn't eaten any fresh seafood , since the oil spill. I know the government is gonna say it's safe. I don't know, the wildlife fishermen say it's safe because they want to sell the fishing license. The fishermens are gonna say it's safe, especially those who go out and catch it. Because they are the ones who sell that catch. Chief Nakin meets with other local tribal leaders every month to discuss all things oil spill. Shirelle Dardar says, these meetings are essential because important information travels slow to the bayou, if it gets there at all. [ SOUND ] We don't have someone coming down here , once a week going, hey this is the new thing going with all of the seafood you guys have. You know, and this is why you should or shouldn't eat it. That's just not happening Sheryl Dardar says, so far, studies and data about seafood safety in the Gulf region refer to consumption by the average person. Look, when you live here you eat seafood almost, every day. And she says, because of environmental, dietary, and medical issues the health of most Native Americans on the Bayou, can't be generalized. I mean point blank , we don't fit into that criteria. You know, if you get you know out there and you start looking at the average person that their suggesting. You're are gonna loose to find that out here. Back on the Bayou, the blessing of the boats is coming to an end. Maisy and Donald Dardar reflect on the beautiful afternoon that graced one of their favorite traditions. But , Maisy admits , the opening of shrimping season and being out on the water makes her miss, her beloved seafood. Yeah, well they think I'm crazy, because I won't eat the shrimp. They don't say crazy. They say stupid. Well Both Maisy and Donald say, if they can just get a little more convincing data, they'll gladly get back to the business, of enjoying their catch. Like, if I could get an independent testing and it comes out clear, then I'll leave it again And, I'm gonna get my wife [ UNKNOWN ] and before November, and if they come out good, I won't need to this year. For Time Video, I'm Jesse Hartman in Point- aux- Chenes, Louisiana. 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