Blue Seals Conservation Team Barred Access to Areas Affected By Gulf Spill

LOS ANGELES, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Blue Seals – a rapid-response team of marine conservation experts – are on a mission to intervene in the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.  Led by longtime ocean activist Peter Jay Brown, the Blue Seals team has been working in the Gulf Coast area to document this environmental catastrophe.  

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100518/LA06607)

Blue Seal's efforts to document the effects on the fragile coastal habitats of marine birds and other animals have been hampered by a virtual "oil curtain" administered by BP and governmental officials who, under the pretext of safety concerns, are limiting access to the areas affected by the spill.  

"Our services were rejected as expected," said Brown from Venice, Louisiana. "It is obvious that BP does not want pictures of dead animals. BP has been very successful so far in controlling the story. Government officials and the bird group do their best to talk privately, and when they return at night, it is all very secretive. "

Blue Seals' campaign will include raising awareness and facilitating intervention to help rescue wildlife impacted by the spill.

Each minute that the spill has gone unabated, 150 to 400 gallons of crude oil have spilled into the fragile marine ecosystems and estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico.  In addition to killing untold quantities of fish, seabirds, and marine mammals, the effects of the spill threaten to contaminate dozens of wildlife refuges and environmental management areas, as well as hinder vital shipping and fishing interests throughout the Gulf Coast.

Inspired by the efforts of Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (made famous by the Discovery Channels' popular TV series "Whale Wars"), the Blue Seals intend to film the devastation, work with like minded conservation and citizens organizations, and motivate individuals to take action.  

"The Blue Seals urge that the American public take a strong stand against offshore drilling along our nation's coasts," said Lawrence Mortorff, CEO of Blue Seals.

The Blue Seals is a division of the non-profit organization Blue Rage Films, and embraces the mission that healthy oceans are essential for our collective survival.  The Blue Seals is a globally active network that was formed to be a rapid response force to environmental emergencies, and to bring together conservation activists. For more information about the Blue Seals, please visit their website www.BlueSeals.org.

SOURCE The Blue Seals