Greetings! from Plaquemine's Parish, Louisiana!
At NAMA,
we’re defending the health of the ocean by fighting against corporate takeover
.
We’ve seen far too many environmental disasters caused by large corporations that place profits over our planet.
Plaquemines Parish, LA has one of the largest small-scale fishing fleets in the country, with primary catches coming from shrimp, crab, and oysters. It’s also one of the largest crude oil producing areas in the country.
We visited Plaquemines Parish this past summer and heard from fishing community leaders about the importance of fisheries to the area, to their livelihoods and to their culture. We also heard about threats and the impacts that oil spills and hurricanes have had, and
the struggle of community-based fishermen to survive big development and false climate change solutions that are displacing small and mid-scale fish harvesters.
We spent time with Kindra Arnesen, a shrimp fishermen who has been at the forefront of these issues for many years -- at great personal cost. Kindra recounted the trauma that her community faced after the BP oil spill and other disasters and the struggle to hold big companies accountable for their impacts.
The population in the area has dwindled in the past decade, but Kindra is not leaving her home.
As Kindra says,
“You have two choices in life: fight or flight, and I’m not a ‘flight’ kind of girl.”
And neither are we.
Kindra and Sandy are not alone. They’re supported by the hundreds of thousands of fishermen, shellfishermen, family farmers, food activists, seafood and farm workers, local food producers, small-business owners, scientists, academics and eaters that make up our network.
Together, we are building a powerful movement to fight for a food system that is fair for fishermen, just for fish workers, and healthy and sustainable for people, animals and the planet.
