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Workers lay floating booms in an effort to contain the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

American officials have suspended all fishing in parts of the Gulf of Mexico for at least ten days because of the huge oil spill. The restrictions will give scientists time to study the effects on seafood in the gulf.

Sunday's order extended from the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana east to waters of Pensacola Bay in Florida. The affected waters include areas off the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama.

On April twentieth an oil drilling rig, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded and sank about eighty kilometers from the Louisiana coast. BP is trying different ways to stop the leak from a damaged undersea well and control the spilled oil.

The chief of British Petroleum blames failures by the rig's operator, Transocean of Switzerland. But BP says it will pay cleanup costs and all "legitimate claims" for losses and damages from the spill. BP is also hiring local fishing boats to help with the cleanup.

Eighty percent of the seafood eaten by Americans is imported. But the fishing industry in Louisiana is responsible for about a third of all seafood caught in the United States.

The fishing ban announced Sunday did not affect state waters west of the Mississippi River. Those waters represent seventy-seven percent of Louisiana's total seafood production. Ewell Smith from the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board says seafood from the unaffected area is safe to eat.

Seafood is worth nearly two and a half billion dollars to the state. The spill comes shortly before the start of the fishing season for crab, shrimp and oysters. Louisiana is the nation's leading producer of shrimp, oysters, crabs, crawfish and alligators.

Louisiana is also one of the world's largest producers of what some call "the most important fish you've never heard of": menhaden. Menhaden and its oil are used in animal feed and other products.
Another important industry along the gulf is tourism. Coastal communities have been waiting and watching for days for oil to arrive on their shores.

Bad weather has interfered with efforts to send out boats to clean up the oil and watch for the effects on wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico. Bird populations are among those at risk of being poisoned by the oil. Bird rescue groups have set up stations. But they say finding injured birds in the huge spill and sending out boats to rescue them will be a difficult job.

And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson with Brian Wagner reporting from Louisiana. I’m Bob Doughty.

I enjoy this site, study english, listen the information.

Sea contamination caused by British Petroleum's oil spill is the global disastrous to mankind and all the organism living on the Earth. I feel constantly unhappy since I hear the news a few days ago. I hope all the measures for recovery shall be executed quickly.

It seems to me that this disaster happened because Deepwater Horizon's safety standards were too weak, and sacrificed for the sake of productivity. Our modern society is still so dependant on oil and the increasing energy demand, unfortunately, requires offshore oil exploration. So I think the safety checks and procedures in oil rigs should be strictly reviewed and improved to ensure that there is never another tragedy like this.

It seems to me that this disaster happened because Deepwater Horizon's safety standards were too weak, and sacrificed for the sake of productivity. Our modern society is still so dependant on oil and the increasing energy demand, unfortunately, requires offshore oil exploration. So I think the safety checks and procedures in oil rigs should be strictly reviewed and improved to ensure that there is never another tragedy like this.

Excellent page to study oral english, there are a lot of native idioms. I quite like it. For this news, I want to all of us could protect our environment. Specially is developed country.

Who cares how much this is gonna cost to BP. It is not about money. It is about the damage this event has caused to the wildlife and our environment. The consequences are irreversible...There is no money in the entire world that can solve this. Lets heal the world!!!

I truly hope that the iol spill can be cleaned up soon because people don't want pollutant in our food.

Since I learned this oil disaster, I've realized how big the damaged area is. What a terrible disaster. In my country also, the oil spill is covered in the news. I'm afraid if the oil spill is extending, and people can't eat fish. I hope the cleanup effort is proceeded as soon as possible.

What a horrible disaster.Humanity violate the earth.This willn't stay without consequence.People should realize their actian above nature,or sometime civilization will ruin the humanity.

While i am enjoy this fundamental and important program, so i am very appriciate thanks very much.

I worried for the lives of coastal residents rely on fishing, oil spills are expected to quickly handle.

I read voa everyday it makes me happy Thank very much community voa god bless you

This is a really sad incident. It is hard to imargine how many wildlife there will be threaten and affected.

I like here, because I study English here!!

it is very bad conditin for environment. some like fihses were died.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a terrible news ... This can't be the progress !!

I hope that this aggression to the environment is repaired and that Brazil take serious actions to prevent that from happening here too.

The pronouncation is very good.Thank you for these services.

I know more about the world from the news here, thanks

Hi everybody! I am Moussa from Djibouti. I love this site from long time. I learned more English from it, because it is my real teacher. Thanks

The news about Oil Spill along US Gulf coast has been came out for days, BP took responsibility for cleaning up and all the cost regarding it, but NOT for the accident. They blame the cause is that another Swiss-based company TransOcean's equipment failed. However the accident has affected the fishing industry, the fishing season just started for crabs, shrimps,oysters. Beside the business loss, think about how big and how deep it will affect the oceans around that area.

I'm sorry to hear that.

It is sad that an oil spil threatens the Golf of Mexico. An ecological catastrophe without précedent. The oil spil occurs in a depth of 1500 meters. How to avoid such a pollution, in the future ? The solution is between the hands of the large oil companies of the world.

This is notice is very unhappy, an tragedy. I hope that the govern works hard to resolve this problem.

The recovery in the Gulf of Mexico can't be accomplished in a short time because the demage of oil spill will be affected all organisams in the underseas and shore. Even though BP said that they will put all effort to clean up the shore, it's disaster for humans and our next generations.

The recovery in the Gulf of Mexico can't be accomplished in a short time because the demage of oil spill will be affected all organisams in the underseas and shore. Even though BP said that they will put all effort to clean up the shore, it's disaster for humans and our next generations.

Hope that all fishermen will overcome in this difficult time. Thanks for the information by VOA

this is not good for the environment it is absolutely necesary for us to clean up this disaster if we want to continue enjoy wildlife living in that part of the US specially because i like seafood and i think american people enjoy it as well, besides, it represents a huge quantity of money that they can lost!

I pleasant to come here , Several weeks ago i watched voa special English and felt enjoyment to have this programme learned.this is very cool and usefull,i believe that my enghish level will be improved if do my best to study hard .

Thank you for good information about the subject, really I interested very much.

Voa is a good place to learn English and the weat world culture

This accident seems to be very difficult to settle. The damage is epanding. I hope clean up effort will be done as much as possible.

this is a sin to nature

It is very sad to hear about the disaster that affected to the environment and wildlife. I hope every thing will clean up and go smoothly. Seafood is the most popular and safety food for human. My concern, does it affects to the wildlife and human in the future?

I´m so sorry beacause of this incident. Save us our planet........