About 100 oyster fishermen, shrimpers, and crabbers gathered in Dulac on Wednesday to hear from lawyers. 

DULAC, La. — Wednesday afternoon, a sign outside W&E Oysters in Dulac read, “no oysters due to oil spill.”

Down the street, Willie Daisy, the owner, was one of about 100 people gathered outside Holy Family Catholic Church to discuss the problem. 

“This oil spill is going to be real tragic to our livelihood here in this area,” Daisy told WWL Louisiana. 

On Feb. 26, crude oil was released from the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port due to what the company called a “mechanical failure.” As of Tuesday, LOOP said about 31,500 gallons of oil were released, but 87% has been recovered. 

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Photos and videos taken since the spill show masses of thick, tar-like crude floating in the Gulf and sticking to oysters and equipment. 

This week, the Louisiana Department of Health announced oyster beds would be closed along part of the coast, including parts of Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, due to the spill. 

“At this time, I’m out of business until further notice, and god knows when that’s going to be,” said Daisy, whose oyster leases are in the middle of the affected area. 

Other fishermen worry their catches could be affected next. 

“BP wasn’t even this bad. We didn’t see this much oil coming into our shores and on our banks,” commercial shrimper Kerry Trosclair said at Wednesday’s meeting.

The meeting was organized by a group of law firms in the area who call themselves the “Louisiana Coastal Claims Coalition.” They handed out contracts for legal representation regarding the spill to attendees. 

“I think it’s going to affect not only fishermen today, but it’s going to affect the consumer on the back end. So restaurants are going to be affected. Tourism gets affected,” said David Ardoin, an attorney with AMO trial lawyers.

He advised fishermen affected by the spill to keep documentation of any losses.

Some do not want to take the chance. White shrimp season starts Tuesday, but Trosclair said he is not sure he wants to send his boats out. 

“If I go out there and catch shrimp, and they come back in and they’re contaminated, or getting that crude oil on my boat… that’s a lot of money,” he said.