Rodney Barreto
Florida Fish & Wildlife

We often take for granted all the things that make our life easy until something happens to make us sit up and take notice. This happened in late April, when the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico brought us all to attention.
So far, Florida’s fish and wildlife remain safe from the impact of oil coming ashore, and we hope for the best. The longer that oil stays out at sea, the better it is for our estuaries and marshes where the fish and wildlife spawn and nest. We are still the fishing capital of the world.
It took thousands of years for folks to realize the thick, tar-like substance bubbling up out of the earth might have some use in our lives. That discovery fueled centuries of new inventions and technology to enable people to live longer and in comfort. Part of the price was a contaminated environment.
We are now a society dependent upon that petroleum, but with that dependence comes the certainty that we must take responsibility for any consequences. It is true that BP leads the effort to contain and clean up the spill from its wellhead, but others have stepped forth to assist as well.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is working closely with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the lead agency in the state for responding to the oil spill. Both the FWC and DEP are involved in gathering pre-assessment data, along with many other agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
At the FWC, we stand ready to minimize harm to wildlife affected by the oil spill, if oil should come ashore. The FWC is involved in the strategic planning that will attempt to secure the spill to prevent damage to Florida and its outstanding resources. Volunteer Florida is an active participant in the oil spill response
We’re all in this together.
Rodney Barreto is chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.