Curious How Oil Spill Will Impact New England
Getty Images
Oil has been spilling into the Gulf of Mexico for 72 days; more than 140 million gallons and it keeps flowing.
The question many in New England are asking is: Can that oil reach us here?
What about our fishing industry; what will the impact be?
As far as the oil getting to us, the Assistant Secretary of Ocean & Coastal State Zoning Deerin Babb-Brott said, "North Carolina is expected by everybody to be the extreme northern most range of any potential impact of the oil. We just don't see a way that it will get up here."
The fishing industry in the Gulf has been impacted.
Fishing areas are closed, fleets are docked and the concern from some in New England is what impact will that have here.
Paul Diodati, the State Director of Marine Fisheries, says, "Our fisheries, we don't believe ecologically there will be any impact on our fisheries."
He doesn't think the price of fish is going up either.
One area of concern is the Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna.
They spawn in the Gulf not far from the spill site and then make their way to New England.
"It could take a year before we know the impact on the tuna. And that is something we are keeping a very close eye on," said Diodati.
© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
