SIGNS: Ice-Making Machines Help Gulf Fishermen
This is of notable mention because it makes mention of Ice. Ice is slang for Diamonds. I've been playing "Virtual Villagers" and have been "helping" some of the characters on there.
Ice-Making Machines Help Gulf Fishermen
By CAIN BURDEAU
NEW ORLEANS (Aug. 25) - For fishermen, ice is a necessity. Without it onboard, any fish caught would spoil. Ice was hard to come by in the year since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wrecked nearly every icehouse, dock and marina close to the Gulf of Mexico in southeast and southwest Louisiana.
Fishermen have had to drive hundreds of miles to load up on ice and other supplies they need to do their jobs. But they are getting a helping hand from the Shell Oil Co. and state agencies.
Officials on Wednesday dedicated an industrial ice-making machine in Chalmette, about nine miles south of New Orleans. The ice maker is one of three machines being put on line for fishermen with the help of a $500,000 donation from the oil company.
The machines' arrival coincides with the start of the fall white shrimp season - one of Louisiana's most precious sea harvests.
"You weathered quite a blow from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita," said Gov. Kathleen Blanco told industry representatives during a news conference. "Many of you lost your boats. The storms wiped out the ice houses and the infrastructure that supports you."
Blanco said the ice-making facilities "will allow you to expand your ability to harvest, transport and sell your shrimp and fish."
"Our fisheries communities are basically starting over and ice is one of the absolute necessities," said Ewell Smith, head of Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, which helped facilitate the deal with Shell.
Two of the machines will be placed in hard-hit St. Bernard Parish and the third one, which started cranking out the ice last week, is in Cameron Parish. Rita pummeled that parish with its storm surge and winds.
"Prior to that piece of equipment going in there was no ice for a hundred miles," Smith said.
"It's step one in trying to get some infrastructure back," said Pete Gerica, president of the Lake Pontchartrain Fishermen's Association. "We don't have any fuel docks, shrimp loading docks."
Gerica said Cameron fishermen told him it cost them $300 in fuel for $70 worth of ice.
"Everybody's riding around getting things by truck these days," he said. That adds more costs for fishermen already struggling to make ends meet as they deal with a continuing slump in prices due to imports and other pressures.
Some of the bigger fishing boats have gotten around the lack of ice by installing ice-making machines onboard their boats, Gerica said. But many of Louisiana's fishermen operate small vessels and don't have the capital to invest in the expensive equipment.
While the ice-making machines are good news for the industry, there are plenty of other problems.
Fishermen have been largely left out of federal rebuilding subsidies and the waterways remain clogged with debris, Gerica said.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries estimates that up to 70 percent of the fleet is back on its feet, but many fishermen in the hardest-hit places are still fighting to get back in the race.
Rita and Katrina caused an estimated $1 billion in damages to the state's $2.3 billion commercial and recreational fishing industry.
08/25/06 07:12 EDT
Updated:2006-08-25 11:12:23
[Click Here for Original Link]
Ice-Making Machines Help Gulf Fishermen
By CAIN BURDEAU
NEW ORLEANS (Aug. 25) - For fishermen, ice is a necessity. Without it onboard, any fish caught would spoil. Ice was hard to come by in the year since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wrecked nearly every icehouse, dock and marina close to the Gulf of Mexico in southeast and southwest Louisiana.
Fishermen have had to drive hundreds of miles to load up on ice and other supplies they need to do their jobs. But they are getting a helping hand from the Shell Oil Co. and state agencies.
Officials on Wednesday dedicated an industrial ice-making machine in Chalmette, about nine miles south of New Orleans. The ice maker is one of three machines being put on line for fishermen with the help of a $500,000 donation from the oil company.
The machines' arrival coincides with the start of the fall white shrimp season - one of Louisiana's most precious sea harvests.
"You weathered quite a blow from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita," said Gov. Kathleen Blanco told industry representatives during a news conference. "Many of you lost your boats. The storms wiped out the ice houses and the infrastructure that supports you."
Blanco said the ice-making facilities "will allow you to expand your ability to harvest, transport and sell your shrimp and fish."
"Our fisheries communities are basically starting over and ice is one of the absolute necessities," said Ewell Smith, head of Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, which helped facilitate the deal with Shell.
Two of the machines will be placed in hard-hit St. Bernard Parish and the third one, which started cranking out the ice last week, is in Cameron Parish. Rita pummeled that parish with its storm surge and winds.
"Prior to that piece of equipment going in there was no ice for a hundred miles," Smith said.
"It's step one in trying to get some infrastructure back," said Pete Gerica, president of the Lake Pontchartrain Fishermen's Association. "We don't have any fuel docks, shrimp loading docks."
Gerica said Cameron fishermen told him it cost them $300 in fuel for $70 worth of ice.
"Everybody's riding around getting things by truck these days," he said. That adds more costs for fishermen already struggling to make ends meet as they deal with a continuing slump in prices due to imports and other pressures.
Some of the bigger fishing boats have gotten around the lack of ice by installing ice-making machines onboard their boats, Gerica said. But many of Louisiana's fishermen operate small vessels and don't have the capital to invest in the expensive equipment.
While the ice-making machines are good news for the industry, there are plenty of other problems.
Fishermen have been largely left out of federal rebuilding subsidies and the waterways remain clogged with debris, Gerica said.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries estimates that up to 70 percent of the fleet is back on its feet, but many fishermen in the hardest-hit places are still fighting to get back in the race.
Rita and Katrina caused an estimated $1 billion in damages to the state's $2.3 billion commercial and recreational fishing industry.
08/25/06 07:12 EDT
Updated:2006-08-25 11:12:23
[Click Here for Original Link]