Tuesday felt very much like we were chasing a ghost. Without a boat to get us on the water, we did not see any oil apart from the typical amount floating at marinas.
Most people I encountered on the Gulf coast did not share much information about what they have seen, smelled, or experienced.
When I asked a fisherman if he was going to deploy the boom on his boat, he replied with a “how you doin'?” that suggested he was not going to say anything further. He walked by me swiftly. I think this lack of information-sharing has something to do with contracts the fishermen signed with BP in order to work on the cleanup effort and their fear of losing the money BP is paying them. I know Jamie had better luck speaking to people and will probably share more info soon.
SUVs on the way to Venice, La., suggested that the federal government was responding to the pending disaster, but everything in Venice was calm -- almost eerily so. A few fishing boats had booms on board, but only one boat left the port in the hour or so that we were at the marina.
On our way back to New Orleans, WWL radio reported that petroleum was discovered inside the marshes of Plaquemines Parish, between Venice and New Orleans.
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