The State of the Gulf: Q&A with Tom Hutchings, SouthWings Pilot

This month in our “The State of the Gulf – in the Words of Our Neighbors and Friends” series, we’re bringing you some of the voices of the Gulf, people that we met with during our trip and that we’ve stayed in touch with over the last few months. This Q&A is with Tom Hutchings, a pilot with SouthWings that took us up on a flyover of the Mississippi River Delta.

What does the Gulf look and feel like now, 8 months after the spill

I made my last flight offshore about three weeks ago with photographer Gerry Ellis on board. Our flight line took us due south from Mobile Bay to the Macondo well, northwest along the southern coast of Louisiana to Barataria Bay,  the northeast to the Chandeleur Islands and then west along the barrier islands to the Mouth of Mobile Bay. The Gulf’s surface waters were beautiful with no signs of oil. The once busy site of the well was quiet with the Development Driller III semi submersible drilling rig that drilled the relief well still present and anchored alongside the deep water drilling vessel, Discoverer Enterprise. As we turned northwest toward the Louisiana coast, we found a large oil slick associated with a production platform that sank during Hurricane Katrina and has apparently been leaking for the past five years.  Oil was still visible in the marshes along the west side of Barataria Bay. The oil is still here and present. In the marshes, on the sea floor, in the water column, and occasionally in mats washing up on the beaches.

At least for now the near shore waters have been teaming with menhaden, anchovies, and other small fishes; with dolphins, rays, and birds feeding on the prey. Based on my experience, the magnitude of this feeding frenzy is not normal. This spectacle gives me a feeling that I am perhaps observing the last supper. I am hearing stories of offshore reef fishes being caught far up in the bays… another anomaly occurring in the marine system along the Gulf that is a first in my lifetime.   And it leaves me uneasy and wondering what will happen next.

How have you personally been affected?

This event in my front yard has awakened me to the magnitude of the dangers associated with deepwater oil exploration. I have experienced the only summer of my 50 years on the planet that I have not gotten in the water or eaten any seafood from the Gulf or adjacent bays. Although I consider myself to be ecologically minded I am taking a hard look at my role as a contributor to the cause of this disaster. And I am taking the steps necessary to curb my consumption of all fossil fuel related items. I am a believer in the mantra, “Together we can,” and I am committed to offering whatever pertinent skills I have to the effort to maintain the integrity of the Gulf.

How has your community been affected?

My community is reeling from the financial impact of this event. The visitors that fuel our coastal economy never came. Many have seen their livelihoods go away and have had their stature reduced to the welfare level. The long term health effects of this event will not be known for years as many, many coastal residents find themselves dealing with health symptoms that they have never experienced before. This catastrophic event is far from over.

What has the government accomplished in the last 8 months?

The government’s most visible accomplishment is the removal from our community of all trust in government. The trust that government and all the people working in it are looking out for our welfare in their dealings with corporate America. Most efforts I am seeing are in the form of meetings, conferences, and promises. The rhetoric has not changed from what I have been hearing over the last thirty years only now they are promising to put a lot more money behind the effort.  Money that our government does not have and in most cases placed toward efforts or in areas that are not needed. The government remains truly disconnected to what the needs of the people really are.

What do communities in the Gulf still need that they’re not getting?

They need assurances that this will not happen again and if it does that the proper response mechanisms are in place. Our addiction to oil is not going to go away in the near future. The Gulf of Mexico needs to be recognized for the treasure it really is… environmentally and economically.

What is one local charity/organization that you believe is doing good work that people who want to help the Gulf can donate to?

I believe the Gulf Restoration Network based out of New Orleans is doing the most productive work in pulling together the pieces of this fiasco and seeking to unite the many groups working in the Gulf coastal states. That being said, management of human actions affecting the Gulf need to be consistent with sound ecological principles. The groups, government and non-government, involved in promoting sound management must be willing to work together to present a united front. They must be organized and they must be on point with their message. And they must be smarter and more present than their corporate and industrial adversaries in the fight to protect the Gulf.

My advice in choosing which group to support would be to carefully check out the groups past actions and its reason for being. Choose a group with a track record of ACTION and stay away from the groups that have formed in response to the disaster itself. And if at all possible, continue to participate in your chosen groups activities. We need efforts funded for the long haul because the effects of this spill will be around for a long time.