Some members of the NoRigs3 Coalition are terrified that a dramatic oil spill, similar to that off the coast of Australia late last year, could damage or devastate the unique Georges Bank ecosystem if a moratorium on oil and gas drilling is lifted.
Georges Bank is home to many species of sea life and one of the most productive commercial fisheries in the world. Hubert Nicholas, Mark Butler, Bee d’Entremont and others are members of the NoRigs3 Coalition, a group of fishermen, food processors, environmentalists and others who are opposing any lifting of the moratorium. They believe that the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen who depend on Georges Bank catches could be ruined.
“This is simply one of the best fishing grounds in the world,” says Bee d’Entremont, who has been fishing for more than 15 years. “The total biomass is phenomenal. A lot of the species we fish spawn here and depend on the unique circulation of nutrients that the gyre creates. A spill here could kill us.”