VOA标准英语2010年-Gulf Oil Spill Threatens Fishermen's L

McAnespy brothers fear their way of life will not return

Jeff Swicord | Port Sulphur, Louisiana 04 May 2010 
 Louis McAnespy is a third-generation commercial fishermen from Louisiana who fears he will lose his livelihood¹ due to the fishing ban imposed after last week's oil spill in the Gulf² of Mexico (file photo)

As work continues offshore³ to contain the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, commercial fishermen in Louisiana, under a fishing ban, sit in port waiting to learn their fate.  Many have spent their entire lives harvesting the oysters⁵, fish and shrimp⁶ that thrive in the Gulf.  Their life savings⁷ are often tied up in boats and fishing gear.  Jeff Swicord introduces us to one third-generation fisherman from Port Sulphur who fears he is about to lose both his livelihood and his heritage.

Fifty-year-old Louis McAnespy bought his first boat when he was 15-years-old.

"I spent close to $40,000 last year bedding oysters," McAnespy said.

Like his father and his grandfather before him, he makes his living harvesting the fish and shellfish of the Louisiana Gulf coast.

"This was the first place we had, my grandfather built it.  Then we started, I built my house and my brother built a place here," McAnespy said.

 But he fears that could all be coming to an end as the massive oil slick from the Deep Water Horizon drilling rig creeps toward the coast.  His thoughts and fears keep him awake at night.

"Three or four hours before I could fall asleep. I wake up three o'clock in the morning with the same stuff on my mind, tossing and turning.  I feel like a fish out of water just flapping around in my bed at night" McAnespy said.

Louis's brother Henry McAnespy showed us a map of the oyster⁴ beds they lease from the state.

When Hurricane Katrina destroyed their oyster grounds, Henry invested $30,000 of his retirement⁸ money to re-seed the beds.  Now he worries they will lose everything.

"You know, in two years I could recap some of the money.  But if this oil gets on there, everything we got invested, we just going to go down." said McAnespy.

The two brothers estimate they have more than $300,000 invested in fishing gear and equipment.  They employ 12 people including Louis's son and deck hand Matt.

The McAnespy's have applied⁹ to take part in a British Petroleum¹⁰ program to employ fishermen in the oil cleanup.  They have been to several meetings but have not been chosen.  Louis says BP's response to the spill has been inadequate¹¹.

"I was told this morning at BP oil that they was hiring 50 commercial vessels¹² to go off and handle this oil spill.  That seems like a lot of oil for 50 boats to handle.  I think they need 550 boats, 1,000 boats.  Whatever they can get on they should put on," McAnespy said.

"That is what we are trying to save right there, wildlife.  It might just be a little fiddler crab¹³, but it is something. Redfish will eat that and feed on it.  Sheephead, speckled trout¹⁴, it is part of the food chain," McAnespy said.

For now the McAnespy's can only wait, their fate adrift with the tide, the wind, the course of the spill.

"There is nothing I would love more than to spend the rest of my life back here.  But I don't see it happening.  I really don't.  Don't see it happening," McAnespy said.
 

1 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

4 oyster   

n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人

参考例句：

• I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
• I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。

5 oysters   

牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。
• She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。

6 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

7 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

8 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

9 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

10 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

11 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

12 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 crab   

n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气

参考例句：

• I can't remember when I last had crab.我不记得上次吃蟹是什么时候了。
• The skin on my face felt as hard as a crab's back.我脸上的皮仿佛僵硬了，就象螃蟹的壳似的。

14 trout   

n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属)

参考例句：

• Thousands of young salmon and trout have been killed by the pollution.成千上万的鲑鱼和鳟鱼的鱼苗因污染而死亡。
• We hooked a trout and had it for breakfast.我们钓了一条鳟鱼，早饭时吃了。