Easing the pain in the Gulf.

[Towntalk]

Have you seen the size of the fishing boats that the shrimpers use? And what about the government regulations that are already hampering cleanup?

[Dan Moadus]

Here is my idea about how to mitigate the damage in the Gulf. We hear about "skimmer" ships that retrieve oil from the Gulf waters. I guess they draw in oil polluted sea water, separate it, keep the oil, and return the water to the sea. Why not equip all the idle fishing vessels with the same capability. It can't consist of much more than a vacuum system, and some holding tanks that would allow the captured oil to rise to the top and to drain off the sea water.

I can't believe that they're not doing this already. If I was a commercial fisherman who couldn't fish, it would have occurred to me that I should try to capture some of that oil. After all it has a value of over $70 dollars a barrel. And the best part? You don't even have to go far to get it.

Maybe someone knows of some technical reasons making this impossible, but I would be surprised.