The huge oil slick that is a result of the BP oil rig explosion [article link] in the gulf, is headed toward the gulf coast. Wildlife, fishing, tourism, are all going to be affected. Lawsuits from shrimpers and other commercial fishermen have already been filed. This may be hyperbole, but the talk is that this oil spill may be worse than the Exxon Valdez that hit Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled an estimated minimum 10.8 million US gallons of crude oil in Alaska. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida are preparing for the worst oil spill disaster in gulf coast history. The oil is still spewing from the giant oil rig that blew up. No word as to how or why the oil rig exploded (please spare me the truther BS).

There are many seafood restaurants, both local and chain, that rely on local fishermen for their product. Sadly, many "Mom and Pop" seafood restaurants are going to go out of business as a result of this disaster. Many were already on the edge of bankruptcy due to the "recovering economy." All this means is more trouble for BP. The lawsuits are going to be in the hundreds or thousands. The seafood industry is important to many other businesses that operate as s result of the abundant gulf coast seafood. It's not just restaurants. I'm not sure what is going to happen. There are so many people unemployed here already. This is going to be just another economic blow to the gulf coast.