Life on the bayou isn’t easy for the black fishermen who make their living harvesting oysters and catching shrimp along the Gulf Coast. Their work-worn hands and leathered faces illustrate just how tough their job is. Many, like Byron Encalade, president of the Louisiana Oystermen’s Association, come from families that have made their living on the water for generations.
But everything changed on April 20, when BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded, killing 11 men and spewing about 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. After several failed attempts, the sea-floor oil gusher was capped in July and sealed on Aug. 5. (A final seal was scheduled for September.)