VOA标准英语2010年-In Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

John Lapper examines oyster¹ for research by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Marine² Fisheries and Louisiana State University

Until the BP oil spill almost three months ago, the oyster industry in the Gulf³ of Mexico was the largest in the U.S, with Louisiana leading the pack.  But since then, more than half of its operations have been suspended.  And the largest oyster research project in the region is on hold, forced to move away from the slick.

This was the largest oyster research farm in the Gulf of Mexico, until the oil spill.  It is located in Grand Isle⁴, one of the coastal⁵ areas most affected⁶ by the spill.

The research was aimed at breeding oysters⁷ that would remain fat through the summer. But because of the spill, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Marine Fisheries and Louisiana State University were forced to move most of the oysters about 500 kilometers away.

 "We had about over 2000 oysters deployed⁸ in our farm and these are the result of over 10 years worth of research and we moved the oysters to Rockefeller Refuge," said Louisiana State University Professor John Supan who directs the research.  "We were just at the point where the research results were about to be commercialized." 

Oil has not been sighted at the research farm yet.  

A few weeks after the spill, BP placed booms around it, in a bid to protect the facility. But researchers were concerned about water contamination.

"I have always been more concerned about the invisible of the spill than the visible portions of the spill," added Supan.

John Lapper and Sandra Casas also work at the research farm.  They collected some of the oysters that were left behind, checked on their health, and removed offspring that didn't belong in the study.

Supan says traditionally oysters get fat in the winter, but after they spawn⁹, they lose much of their weight.   The researchers say they found a way to keep the oysters fat in the summer.  

"We have a breeding program that would result in oysters that have a higher meat yield in it during the summer time," explained Supan.  

This oyster is only two years old.  But it's the size of a 4-year-old. 

Supan says oysters that stay fat through the summer could be an economic boon¹⁰ for local fisheries.

"You can produce an oyster that has a high meat yield in the summer when traditionally you can't do that," explained Supan.

The research project is mostly on hold now.  And so is Louisiana's oyster industry, the largest in the Gulf. 

"On average, Louisiana produces about 12 million pounds of shucked oyster meat a year," he noted¹¹.  "About 60 percent of our production is closed because of the threat of oil."

At LSU's campus in Baton¹² Rouge¹³, Professor Julie Anderson is a fishery specialist.  She is pessimistic about the long term outcome for the region's marine life.

"Most of the fish, shrimp¹⁴, blue crab¹⁵ they are spawning¹⁶ out in the Gulf right now, and any of those really small larvae¹⁷ fish and crab, is probably going to be killed if they encounter the actual oil spill," said Anderson.  "So it could be a couple of years before we see the true impacts of the oil spill."

For the last 200 years, neither overfishing, illness or climate change stopped the oyster industry in the Gulf of Mexico.  Now, the oil spill may.
 

1 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。

2 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 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。

4 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 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。

8 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

9 spawn   

n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产

参考例句：

• The fish were madly pushing their way upstream to spawn.鱼群为产卵而疯狂地向上游挤进。
• These fish will lay spawn in about one month from now.这些鱼大约一个月内会产卵。

10 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

13 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

14 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。

15 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。

16 spawning   

产卵

参考例句：

• Encounter sites have a small chance of spawning a "Commander" NPC. 遭遇战地区有很小的几率遇到NPC指挥官。
• Instantly revives your Champion at your Spawning Pool, 9 minute cooldown. 立即在出生地复活你的英雄，冷却时间9分钟。

17 larvae   

n.幼虫

参考例句：

• Larvae are parasitic on sheep.幼虫寄生在绵羊的身上。
• The larvae prey upon small aphids.这种幼虫以小蚜虫为食。